It's one of those books that come out of nowhere — almost literally — just when the world needs it most.
Is it all correct — what it reveals about the future, both for the world and the soul? From the vantage point of earth, who can say? It is written by a human.
But a great saint — Thérèse of Lisieux — was so taken by this book that it spurred her entry into the convent. “Reading this book was one of the greatest graces of my life,” she says in her autobiography. “The impression I received from it is too sweet to express. All the great truths of religion and the mysteries of eternity plunged into my soul a happiness not of this earth.”
Completed in 1881 by an aged French priest, this remarkable book surfaced long enough to draw Thérèse into the convent and then, for more than a century, plunged back into obscurity.
Now we offer you the very first English translation of this hope-filled, chilling work.
In it, Fr. Arminjon gets right to the point: “The end of the world, Christ says, will come when the human race, sunk in the depths of indifference, is far from thinking about punishment and justice. It will be as in the days of Noah, when men lived without a care, built luxurious homes, and mocked Noah as he built his ark.”
“Civilization will be at its zenith, markets overflowing with money, and stocks will never have been higher. Mankind, wallowing in unprecedented material prosperity, will have ceased to hope for heaven. Crudely attached to pleasures, man will say 'My soul, you have goods to last for many years. Eat, drink and be merry.' ”
Doesn't that sound eerily like America just a year or so ago?
Fr. Arminjon insists that we “steer clear of every perilous opinion and make no assertion that is not justified by Tradition and the doctrine of the Fathers.” Yet it's precisely his sober reliance on Scripture and Tradition that makes this book so convincing . . . and so chilling!
But Fr. Arminjon doesn't merely sketch the darkness ahead; he also shows how Jesus will fill that darkness with light; and he details the rich bounty Christ has in store for all who stay faithful.
That's what caught Thérèse up in such fervent love of God, nourished her impatience for Heaven, and confirmed her decision to choose a life wholly consecrated to Divine Love.
The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life: let it show you how to read the signs of the times and prepare you to bear yourself as a Christian (as it did Thérèse) . . . no matter what the future holds!
Father Charles Arminjon (1824-1885) was a priest from the town of Chambéry in the French Alps. After years as a seminary professor, Father Arminjon took up the mission of full-time preacher, and he went on to gain great renown for his ability to inspire in his listeners a deeper and more ardent love for Christ. Throughout France and abroad he delivered sermons, ran retreats, and preached at conferences - the most famous of which form the basis for The End of the Present World.
Susan Conroy is co-translator of Fr. Charles Arminjon's The End of the Present World: And the Mysteries of the Future Life
Peter McEnerny is the co-translator with Susan Conroy of Fr. Charles Arminjon's End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life .
