Signs: the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 and Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel With Fire and Sword
In the winter of 1989, during the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist dictatorship, the days leading up to the terrible events known as the Romanian Revolution were unusually strange. The weather had turned peculiar. Unseasonably warm temperatures were recorded in various cities. The epicenter of the events, the city of Timișoara, saw temperatures reach 17–18 degrees Celsius at the very “zero hour” of the uprising—December 16. The situation was similar in other cities. In Calafat and Drobeta Turnu-Severin, temperatures hit 21 degrees on December 18, and in the mountains, at Predeal, it was nearly 17 degrees. In Bucharest, the nation’s capital where the bloodiest confrontation took place, it was 19 degrees. A friend who was in a mountainous area in Northern Moldova near the town of Câmpulung Moldovenesc told me that on the night of December 15, the temperature reached nearly 16 degrees Celsius—at an altitude of 1700 meters! In short, the temperatures seemed to mirror the intensity of the fiery events happening in Romania during those strange times.
If God, through His Holy Providence, more frequently allows great calamities nowadays, we should not allow such events to become mere sensational news fueling politically manipulated “naturalist” theories.
Throughout human history, such natural disturbances have often been linked to great catastrophes. With Fire and Sword (1884), the first volume in one of the masterpieces of world literature, the historical trilogy by Polish Catholic author Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916), begins with a detailed account of similarly epic happenings:
“The year 1647 was that wonderful year in which manifold signs in the heavens and on the earth announced misfortunes of some kind and unusual events. Contemporary chroniclers relate that beginning with spring-time myriads of locusts swarmed from the Wilderness, destroying the grain and the grass; this was a forerunner of Tartar raids. In the summer there was a great eclipse of the sun, and soon after a comet appeared in the sky. In Warsaw a tomb was seen over the oaty, and a fiery cross in the clouds; fasts were held and alms given, for some men declared that a plague would come on the land and destroy the people. Finally, so mild a winter set in, that the oldest inhabitants could not remember the like of it. In the southern provinces ice did not confine the rivers, which, swollen by the daily melting of snow, left their courses and flooded the banks. Rainfalls were frequent. The steppe was drenched, and became an immense slough. The sun was so warm in the south that, wonder of wonders! in Bratslav and the Wilderness a green fleece covered the steppes and plains in the middle of December. The swarms in the beehives began to buzz and bustle; cattle were bellowing in the fields.”[1]
Faithful to the mindset of people from those sinful yet glorious times, the Polish author faithfully captures the spirit of the chronicles of that era. Whether we read the chronicles of King Alfred, or those from the “Romanian Land” (i.e., Wallachia) of the 17th century—Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin, and Ion Neculce—we find that all perceived in such celestial signs the manifestation of divine Providence. For the Christian world of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, catastrophes and notable astronomical events were genuine epiphanies of divine will. Accustomed to deciphering in everything around them the hidden words of the Divine language, people of the Christian civilization had a vastly different view of nature than we, citizens of the digital age, do.
Contemporary Catastrophes, naturalistic Theories, and the Supreme Cause
Not long ago, we watched in horror at the massive devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, and now a similar event has struck Europe. Recently, several regions in Spain were hit by large-scale floods caused by torrential rains. Entire areas were submerged, and millions suffered the consequences of nature unleashed. To date, Spanish authorities report at least 155 deaths. Predictably, newspapers and mainstream media never miss an opportunity to discuss the effects of the highly doubtful “global warming.” For example, The Guardian featured the news prominently, linking it to current scientific theories: “Spain floods: number killed passes 150 as scientists say climate change ‘most likely explanation’ – as it happened.”[2]
Just as we’ve grown used to the endless repetition of evolutionist clichés, we’ve also become accustomed to those about “climate change.” Overpopulation, pollution, the effects of large-scale industrialization, and other similar references have become the unavoidable “mantras” of mainstream journalism. Political parties eagerly adopt them, while certain smart guys seek to exploit these opportunities, profiting billions. Setting aside the political and social aspects of such painful events, I will focus on the most important aspect: the complete disregard of the true cause behind all these events—God.
Now more than ever, as we face the greatest calamity in the Church’s history, we must fulfill without hesitation the exhortation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima to cease offending God through our sins.
The Holy Scriptures repeatedly emphasize the omnipresence of divine Providence. In simple words, the Savior Christ left us the most eloquent example, meant to underscore the discreet presence of God in every aspect of the created world’s existence, a world governed by Him:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).
If even the lives of small birds and animals are known to the Heavenly Father, then everything concerning our human existence is much more important to Him. We can, therefore, be certain that catastrophic events, like those mentioned above, are known to God Himself. Disturbed by such things, people have always asked themselves what they mean. Over the centuries, both pagans and believers of the Judeo-Christian Tradition have given answers that pointed to the unseen world as their essential cause. Thus, while the former interpreted such catastrophes as expressions of the gods’ anger, Christians of earlier ages saw them as manifestations of God’s wrath and, especially, His warnings about the terrible consequences of sin. Today, such simple and clear ideas are consistently ignored.
In fact, they have been replaced by all sorts of non-moral explanations that deny or, at best, ignore the existence of the unseen world and of God. Clearly, such an attitude can only be the result of the unbelief of those who propose “scientific” explanations. I want to be perfectly clear. When I talk about catastrophes, I do not ignore their natural causes. I accept those explanations which, when not ideologically and politically manipulated, try to explain how a hurricane forms or why an earthquake occurs. At the same time, however, I completely reject limiting explanations of this kind solely to natural causes. To clarify my point, I’ll offer an example I’ve used in various discussions.
Let’s suppose two friends are discussing the serious accident of a mutual acquaintance. The first tells the second that their mutual friend was injured by a metal bar that suddenly fell onto his right shoulder. Shocked, the second friend asks how such a thing was possible. The first friend explains by pointing out that a warehouse was under construction at the spot where their mutual friend happened to be passing, and the bar, left on the edge of a scaffold, rolled off—likely due to vibrations from a nearby subway. The first friend might be satisfied with this explanation. And yet, it is incomplete and insignificant because it doesn’t actually answer the question “Why?” Instead, it merely describes how the event occurred, pointing to the vibrations that caused the bar to fall. In other words, it doesn’t address the truly serious questions that could be asked: Why did their friend pass under that scaffold at that exact moment? And why did the bar fall at precisely that moment? Why didn’t it slip off—like it might for luckier people—five minutes before or after he passed underneath? With their minds filled by pseudo-naturalistic explanations, most modern people no longer ask such essential questions, which could lead us to much deeper reflections on the true cause of everything that happens: God. They cut short the “causal chain,” confining their responses to a specific set of secondary causes, which are ultimately non-essential.
From the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is clear why God permitted such tragic events, which had deeply frightened the Jews of that time: to prove that His warnings were indeed serious.
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and the Interpretation of Calamities as Divine Warnings
One of the last great minds in Christian theology, Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, often reflected on catastrophes and unusual events in his sermons and writings. Without exception, the framework of his explanations was the theological and metaphysical perspective of Christian Tradition: God. For instance, certain large earthquakes that devastated Italy were attributed by him to liturgical sacrileges. Calamities like floods and hurricanes, he considered as signs sent by God to call and urge sinners to repentance. His approach, of course, follows the pedagogy of Holy Scripture. A similar approach was used by Heaven to send the most serious warning in the entire history of the modern world: the vision of hell at Fatima. All of it was intended as a call to penance.
According to Saint Alphonsus’s interpretation, grounded in numerous biblical quotes and testimonies of the saints and Fathers of the Church,[3] God first issues serious warnings aimed at guiding sinners toward repentance, moved by the fear of eternal punishment.
“God only desires to terrify them by his threats, in order that they may depart from sin, and thus be saved.”
Only when these warnings fail does He allow certain catastrophes to reveal the real possibility of punishment. This was the case with the Tower of Siloam as related in the New Testament by the Apostle Luke:
“And there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things? No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew them: think you, that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).
From the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is clear why God permitted such tragic events, which had deeply frightened the Jews of that time: to prove that His warnings were indeed serious. And again, at the end of His words, He renews the call to repentance. The same happened at Fatima: the Blessed Virgin Mary presented to the child witnesses a terrifying vision of hell to show us how serious the stakes of eternal life are—not to turn us into people obsessed with anxiety about hell, but to lead us toward a truly happy life at the end of a path of penance.
If God, through His Holy Providence, more frequently allows great calamities nowadays, we should not allow such events to become mere sensational news fueling politically manipulated “naturalist” theories. On the contrary, we must always remind ourselves of their true meaning, namely our call to heartfelt and sincere repentance. Now more than ever, as we face the greatest calamity in the Church’s history, we must fulfill without hesitation the exhortation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima to cease offending God through our sins. Surely, we have often heard complaints about the difficulty of living a virtuous life and overcoming certain sins and vices. This is true. Like any other trait of a heroic life, virtues are not easily attained. That is why God has left us the most accessible means, one that we can always use with confidence: prayer. Thus, no matter how sinful we may be, we know where to start. I have seen deeply sinful individuals, burdened by severe vices, who, by praying, managed to overcome the most terrible passions and vices. And if we add to this the Sacrament of Confession, I assure you that we are on the right path.
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us, who have recourse to you!
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[1] Henryk Sienkiewicz, With Fire and Sword, Translated from Polish by Jeremiah Curtin, London, 1898, p. 1.
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/oct/31/spain-floods-valencia-malaga-latest-news [Accessed: 31 October 2024].
[3] Entitled “Calamities, Chastisment, and the Love of God” and excerpted from The Ascetical Works (Vol. VII, London-Dublin, 1890, pp. 320-420), Saint Alphonsus’ text can be read in its entirety online here: https://archive.org/details/CalamitiesChastisementAndTheLoveOfGodBySt.AlphonsusLiguori/ [Accessed: 31 October 2024].
