As reported by the ZENIT News Agency:
"...when the time came, perhaps inspired by the huge crowd which had followed every moment of the ceremony in an attitude of fervent prayer, the Pope set aside his prepared speech and spoke to them from his heart, improvising every word. He was visibly moved and began: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."Scripture teaches us that before saying "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" Our Lord had said "It is fulfilled". Furthermore, after commending His spirit to the Father, His earthly body expired."After a lengthy pause, continued: Today we would like to put these same words on the lips of all humanity and the end of the second millennium, at the end of the twentieth century. [and further] We would like to put them on the lips of all those who have been citizens of our twentieth century, of our second millennium. Because these words, this cry of the crucified Christ, does not only closes a life, but it is also an opening."
As the Eastern and Western Catholic Church teach: The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ.
The faithful may now draw its own conclusions after meditating upon the above words. Words which should be understood in the light of recent and upcoming world events.
Indeed "...the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it." but...
...if the physical body of our Lord Jesus Christ had to die, the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, will die too before it can be Glorified.Therefore, "...the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it." in the end, but as part of the journey to its Glorification, the Church will be crucified.
It seems that we are getting very close to such threshold.
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