The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life

This was no less true in the late nineteenth century, when Father Charles Arminjon, a priest from the mountains of southeastern France, assembled his flock in the town cathedral to preach a series of conferences to help them turn their thoughts away from this life's mean material affairs-and toward the next life's glorious spiritual reward. His wise and uncompromising words deepened in them the spirit of recollection that all Christians must have: the abiding conviction that heavenly aims, not temporal enthusiasms, must guide everything we think, say, and do.

Father Charles Arminjon (1824-1885) was a French priest who gained great renown for his ability to inspire in his listeners a deeper and more ardent love for Christ. A sought-after homilist and spiritual director, throughout France and abroad he delivered sermons, ran retreats, and preached conferences-the most famous of which form the basis for The End of the Present World.