Some light reading for you...

OK, for those who will only use the Douay-Rheims Bible, this may not be in your book, but I understand it can be found in the vulgate as 4 Esdras? The following quotes are from the Revised Standard Version, which was the only version I could find. Link here. In this version, the following excerpts are listed as 2 Esdras chapter 15 and 16. I highly recommend reading the whole thing, but here are some particularly interesting quotes:

“…Do not fear the plots against you, and do not be troubled by the unbelief of those who oppose you. For every unbeliever shall die in his unbelief."
"Behold," says the Lord, "I bring evils upon the world, the sword and famine and death and destruction. For iniquity has spread throughout every land, and their harmful deeds have reached their limit. (2 Esdras 15:3-6)

Let the farmers that till the ground mourn, because their seed shall fail and their trees shall be ruined by blight and hail and by a terrible tempest.
Alas for the world and for those who live in it!
For the sword and misery draw near them, and nation shall rise up to fight against nation, with swords in their hands.
For there shall be unrest among men; growing strong against one another, they shall in their might have no respect for their king or the chief of their leaders.
For a man will desire to go into a city, and shall not be able.
For because of their pride the cities shall be in confusion, the houses shall be destroyed, and people shall be afraid.
A man shall have no pity upon his neighbors, but shall make an assault upon their houses with the sword, and plunder their goods, because of hunger for bread and because of great tribulation. (2 Esdras 15:13-19)

The nations of the dragons of Arabia shall come out with many chariots, and from the day that they set out, their hissing shall spread over the earth, so that all who hear them fear and tremble.
Also the Carmonians**, raging in wrath, shall go forth like wild boars of the forest, and with great power they shall come, and engage them in battle, and shall devastate a portion of the land of the Assyrians with their teeth.
And then the dragons, remembering their origin, shall become still stronger; and if they combine in great power and turn to pursue them, then these shall be disorganized and silenced by their power, and shall turn and flee.
And from the land of the Assyrians an enemy in ambush shall beset them and destroy one of them, and fear and trembling shall come upon their army, and indecision upon their kings.
Behold, clouds from the east, and from the north to the south; and their appearance is very threatening, full of wrath and storm.
They shall dash against one another and shall pour out a heavy tempest upon the earth, and their own tempest; and there shall be blood from the sword as high as a horse's belly and a man's thigh and a camel's hock.
And there shall be fear and great trembling upon the earth; and those who see that wrath shall be horror-stricken, and they shall be seized with trembling. (2 Esdras 15:29-37)

Behold, provision will be so cheap upon earth that men will imagine that peace is assured for them, and then the calamities shall spring up on the earth -- the sword, famine, and great confusion.
For many of those who live on the earth shall perish by famine; and those who survive the famine shall die by the sword.
And the dead shall be cast out like dung, and there shall be no one to console them; for the earth shall be left desolate, and its cities shall be demolished.
No one shall be left to cultivate the earth or to sow it.
The trees shall bear fruit, and who will gather it?
The grapes shall ripen, and who will tread them? For in all places there shall be great solitude; one man will long to see another, or even to hear his voice.
For out of a city, ten shall be left; and out of the field, two who have hidden themselves in thick groves and clefts in the rocks.
As in an olive orchard three or four olives may be left on every tree, or as when a vineyard is gathered some clusters may be left by those who search carefully through the vineyard, so in those days three or four shall be left by those who search their houses with the sword. (2 Esdras 16: 21-31)

As Holy Week approaches, we should be mindful that our Lord says, “Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise. Be zealous therefore, and do penance.” (Apocalypse 3:19) Then let us remind ourselves to rejoice in all circumstances, as our Lord chastises us for love’s sake.

**Carmania was located in what is now Iran. Assyria at its height covered everything from Iraq westward to the Mediterranean sea and part of Egypt, Arabia and Turkey.