America in Catholic Prophecy

http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2012/03/america-in-catholic-prophecy.html
As Christian Americans we are naturally obsessed with the prophetic future of our nation. Evangelicals search feverishly for some allegorical reference to the United States in Sacred Scripture. Catholics seek references to America in private revelation. An entire devotion has arisen during the 20th century, called Our Lady of America, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have relayed specific warnings and guidance to our fledgling nation. Yes, that's right, I said 'fledgling' nation, because you see, the United States is not a very old nation at all. It's rather young actually, less than 240 years old, and our government is built entirely on a proposition more than any culture or national identity. This makes America very structurally weak, relying entirely on the force of the federal government to hold it together.

What Americans often forget however, is that our federal republic is a creation of circumstance and nothing more. When we talk about culture, we have to ask ourselves what culture is. The word 'culture' comes from the Latin word cultus meaning religion. Culture is in fact nothing more then the way a religion interacts with a people and their environment. America, for the most part is a culture based on the indigenous Christian cultures of the British Isles -- English, Scottish and Irish. There is a smattering of other cultures as well, that have left their impression on the United States, but the dominant culture (the prevailing and established culture) is very British. Americans speak English. Our legal system is based on English Common Law. Our traditional music and dance are based on Celtic folk culture -- Irish and Scottish. Even the large black population in the United States is heavily influenced by this, as they have virtually nothing in common with African culture and haven't in centuries. This is who we are, and there is no mistaking that. We are all Americans, and that means we are all culturally British, or at least some variant of that.

What makes matters confusing is the modern phenomenon of multiculturalism and the historical reality of Yankee imperialism. We could argue America's empire actually began just before the American Civil War (1861-1865), in what we know as the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). This resulted in the large annexation of previously held Mexican territories, as well as their people and culture. Having once been a resident of Southern California, I can attest to the heavy Spanish-Mexican influence on this region to this very day. Thus, in the Southwest corner of the United States, there exists a very Spanish-Mexican culture, punctuated by enclaves of other cultures that have immigrated from all over the world. In this region of the United States, it seems that the English language is optional, and as a result of this (as well as massive immigration from Mexico in recent years), much of the businesses and local governments in the United States have essentially become bilingual (English and Spanish).

I bring this up because to understand America's future, we must understand America's history. The United States of America is a proposition nation, made up entirely of a propositional republican form of government that was heavily based on a culture of British imperialism. The creation of the United States of America is the result of a secession from the British empire, followed by a political imitation of that same empire. The American hegemony is very British, very Protestant and very imperialistic. It is also an aberration. For had it not been for the abuses of King George III, the original thirteen colonies that started the United States might have never seceded from the British Empire. Had this secession from the crown never happened, it is likely the United States would exist much in the same way Canada does today. In fact, I dare say, the United States of America would exist today as part of the British Commonwealth, and her borders would stop at the Mississippi River, (France having sold the Louisiana Purchase to Spain instead), while Canada would occupy most of the American Northwest, and Mexico would likely occupy much of the American Midwest and Southwest. This is just speculation to be sure, but the point of such historical speculation is to further understand what America is. Had it not been for the British-Protestant-Imperialist heritage of the United States, coupled with the unrestrained nature of republican politics, it would not exist today as we know it.

History being what it was however, the United States consists primarily of English-speaking Anglo-Celtic peoples, with the exception of the Southwest corner of the United States, which is heavily Spanish-Mexican in language and culture. That being clarified, let's get into what we know to be the prophecies of the coming era, especially as they relate to private revelation and the future of the United States.

Above I briefly mentioned the devotion to Our Lady of America. This was canonically approved in 1963 by the Archbishop of Cincinnati, the late Paul Francis Leibold. Because of some concern over this, the canonical approval was reviewed by canon lawyer Archbishop (now Cardinal) Raymond Burke in 2007. (Cardinal Burke is now Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican.) Cardinal Burke's letter of canonical review can be read here. Cardinal Burke determined that Archbishop Leibold did indeed canonically approve the apparition and message according to the canonical norms of the Catholic Church, and that because of this, Catholics are free to practice what he described as this 'beautiful devotion.' The message of Our Lady of America is long, but essentially simple in nature. Basically, it involves a commitment to the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity within the hearts of every Christian, and an absolute commitment to chastity and spiritual purity. We are told in this message that this is God's will for the people of the United States, to lead the world in chastity and spiritual purity, and that failure to embrace God's will on this will only result in our national misery. Not many details are given as to what this 'misery' entails. We can assume that much of it is our own doing, since it is obvious that we Americans, as a nation, have not heeded the warning and reformed our lives accordingly. We have seen American society unravel before our very eyes. In just the course of one generation, the United States of America has gone from the apex of human civilisation to a nation that is fighting to stay above third-world status. Morality is virtually a thing of the past in America. Teen pregnancy is rampant. Unwed mothers are the norm. Couples are far more prone to just 'live together' than enter into marriage, and as a result of this, artificial contraception and abortion are considered 'reproductive rights' protected by the government. America is the world's number-one producer of pornography which is exported around the globe. In some places, prostitution is legal in the United States, and protected by state law. Strip clubs and 'gentlemen bars' can be found in every American city. 'Ladies clubs,' where men strip for entertainment, can be found in the larger cities. Many revealing fashion trends are created in the United States, and exported around the world for material consumption. The United States government is also the chief promoter of abortion, artificial contraception and 'homosexual rights' in the whole world. At home, both our federal government, and many state governments, have directly persecuted the Catholic Church for its stand on sexual morality, especially as it relates to the administration of its own ministries. Whatever God had planned for the United States as revealed through Our Lady of America, it is painfully clear beyond all shadow of a doubt that Americans have soundly rejected it. So according to the private revelation, now comes the 'misery.'