An Eschatological View of the Catholic Church’s Battle Against Perfidious Error and the Prophet Saint Elias’s Role in Destroying the Antichrist's Works The Carmelite Religious Order traces its origin to St. Elias who lived in humility as a holy hermit on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Carmelite Spirituality has been loved by all sectors of Holy Mother Church from time immemorial. Miss Maria del Carmen Tapia, a former upper echelon member of Opus Dei, was the personal attendant/secretary whom Monsignor Escriva “hand picked” to follow him at all times to record his every utterance. His rationale for this, according to Miss Tapia, was that he (Msgr. Escriva) thought it was a mistake that the people who were around certain Saints in the past did not write down their (the Saints) statements for others to read at a future time. (One must keep in mind that Msgr. Escriva must logically be thinking himself well on the road to Sainthood or possibly even a “Living Saint,” by “hiring” a full-time human tape recorder in Miss Tapia. This display of presumptuous vanity is the antitheses of humility and Carmelite thought, which teaches that the foundation of the spiritual life is the firm conviction that you are nothing and God is everything.)

[Painting of Old Testament Prophet St. Elias who is regarded as the Father of the Carmelite Religious Order]

St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, The Embodiment of Unwordliness

In her book *Beyond the Threshold (Continuum Publishing Co., 1999) which is an expose of the formative years of Opus Dei, Miss Tapia documents that Opus Dei members were forbidden by Monsignor Escriva to read the writings of the Doctor of the Church and most famous Carmelite ever, St. John of the Cross. This “attack on the supernatural” demanded by Monsignor Escriva, gives even more evidence of his totally un-Catholic and Liberal agenda. Upon further reflection it is quite clear why Monsignor Escriva’s absurd command is imposed upon Opus Dei members. St. John of the Cross, who is regarded as the greatest mystical writer ever, teaches detachment from self, detachment from the world and love of the virtue of poverty (in a word Holiness). Monsignor Escriva teaches self-promotion, worldliness and the love of unbridled luxury (in a word Hell).

ST. ELIAS WILL DESTROY THE WORK OF SATAN

Catholic Tradition teaches that St. Elias never died, but was taken up to heaven alive and that he will return at Christ’s Second Coming. The Church, who alone has the Divine right to interpret Sacred Scripture, cites the prophet Malachi (3,23) in alluding to this reality about St. Elias:

‘Lo, I will send you Elias, the prophet, before the Day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible Day, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their sons, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…’

In fact, for this reason, the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church, in its hymns, calls Elias the ‘Second Forerunner’ of Christ, the first one being, of course, St. John the Baptist. Catholic Tradition foretells that St. Elias will physically do battle on earth against the Antichrist, near the end of time. The ominous ramification of this “Final Conflict” is the eternal destination [Heaven or Hell] for numberless souls.

Throughout Church History the enemies of the Church have tried to assail the Body of Christ with erroneous teachings. These false creeds such as Talmudism, Arianism, Lutheranism, Modernism … are precursors to Antichrist. If the person of the Antichrist is not on earth now, his advent is surely well underway.

His [the Antichrist’s] milieu of current lies such as Liberalism, Ecumenism, and Escrivaism (i.e., Opus Dei-ism), make it that much more imperative for Traditional Catholics to redouble their prayers now for the hope of victory on all fronts against the Evil One. It is wise for every Catholic who is fighting for his soul’s salvation to always bear in mind the maxim of Father Scupoli from his classic book, The Spiritual Combat, in regards to the spiritual life, “Either Fight or Die.”