It seems odd to put this in prayer requests, but this is the bullet that will be heard around the world...I could not remember which thread it was that we were talking about the economy, so I am starting this thread here. You want to know when you should start preparing?? NOW! Pope Francis claims global economy is close to collapse and describes youth unemployment rates as an ‘atrocity’ in damning message Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-atrocity-damning-message.html#ixzz34dQSPu6N
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” ― John Paul II
The two aren't mutually exclusive, unfortunately ... Have just tracked down the Vanguardia interview in the original Spanish at http://www.lavanguardia.com/interna.../entrevista-papa-francisco.html#ixzz34VC9wXkh , of which there is a pretty rough-and-ready English translation at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-interview-with-la-vanguardia---full-text-45430/ Pope Francis didn't exactly say that the economic system is on the point of collapse in so many words, but he certainly describes it as both unsustainable and unjust, as money is idolized at the expense of human beings: 'I believe that we are in a world economic system that isn’t good. At the center of all economic systems must be man, man and woman, and everything else must be in service of this man. But we have put money at the center, the god of money*. We have fallen into a sin of idolatry, the idolatry of money.[...] The rate of unemployment is very worrisome to me, which in some countries is over 50%. Someone told me that 75 million young Europeans under 25 years of age are unemployed. That is an atrocity. But we are discarding an entire generation to maintain an economic system that can’t hold up anymore, a system that to survive must make war, as the great empires have always done. But as a Third World War can’t be done, they make zonal wars. What does this mean? That they produce and sell weapons, and with this the balance sheets of the idolatrous economies, the great world economies that sacrifice man at the feet of the idol of money, obviously they are sorted' [out] (*Take a look at the recent alleged message to Luz de Maria Bonilla on another thread on this forum which speaks about the imminent fall of the 'god of money'...)
It's crucial to remember that some things actually do need to collapse for our own ultimate benefit. This morning I asked the Lord to open his Word to me, and this is what stood out for me from Hebrews 12: 'See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?' [that was nearly 2000 years ago: I think all of us agree that we've been deluged with heavenly warnings since] At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." [Haggai 2:6] The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken - that is, created things - so that what cannot be shaken may remain.' (Hebrews 12: 25-27) We are witnessing this being played out on so many different levels in our time, one of which is economic: the present configuration is being brought down because it was built on sand (i.e. debt) in the first place, but God works in terms of redemptive judgement, His objective being the establishment of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken. The industrialized nations have been given ample time to reform the financial system - on a human level, the Brandt Report about global inequality is 40 years old, while some of the first clear warnings from Above came back in the 1980s with, for example, the remarkable near-death experiences of Howard Storm and Ned Dougherty. Yet Western society has by and large persisted in its idolatry of Mammaon and hearts have become increasingly hardened... This leaves Heaven with no choice but to allow us to reap what we have sown. In the long-term this is definitely for the good of humanity - it's just that in the short-term it's going to be extremely messy. Particularly as certain forces we all know about are waiting eagerly in the wings to play economic saviour when things fall apart, making an offer that the world can't refuse...
What is coming, must come. We can pray that what can be mitigated will be mitigated, but I'm convinced it must come. The scripture that keeps popping up in my prayer is Isaiah 64: Wouldst thou but part heaven asunder, and come down, the hills shrinking from thy presence, melting away as if burnt by fire; the waters, too, boiling with that fire! So should the fame of thee go abroad among thy enemies; a world should tremble at thy presence! Of thy marvellous doing, we ourselves cannot bear the sight; so it was when thou camest down, and the hills shrank away before thee, long ago. I'm also praying against the temptation, in advance, to get angry at God for all the calamities that will come. I love his Divine Mercy, but I need to respect his judgments and his justice. I have to remember that it all comes from his wisdom and love. Studying the old testament prophets has really helped me in this. God has a habit of using disasters and the enemies of His people to purify them and bring them back to obedience.
Peter, I'm very grateful to you for taking the time to track down the original report. And making the point I suspected. MS7 : The Daily Mail newspaper is hardly the best source of information on which to base the words attributed to Pope Francis. There is enough problems with uncertainties as to what Pope Francis said or did not say.
Along this line, we have started to add the Flame of Love prayer within our daily family rosary. It was relayed to Elizabeth Kindelmann that it would "blind Satan". In reflecting on this, it occured to me that St. Peter (could have been St. Paul) walked out of prison undetected by the gaurds there and it made me ponder whether he was the first person to blind Satan and he followers through prayer. Secondly, I also wonder whether adding this prayer within the rosary will blind Satan to the homes of refuge where this prayer is being said? Just food for thought for those that are saying this prayer as well.
I love the scripture quotes. Scripture is such a rock we can rely on. I have thought of the words of Jesus. Matthew 6:34 Do Not Worry …33"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. I think when we worry about what is to come we are a little like kids who go out of their water depth. We get grace for our needs , not wastefully about things that have not yet happened. So we worry. But we do get graces for things as we go along. I think that is why I am often so saddened and concerned about the huge crosses people pray for on the forum. But they are not my crosses, we get the graces for where we are at not for where other people are at or where we imagine we might be at. As far as graces are concerned they will come when they are needed, not for tomorrow but for today. Most people suffer at the moment the hunger and distress today that we may or not suffer tomorrow. They have suffered this all their lives. Missionaries tell us they are often amazed by the joy of the poor and hungry. We may get a chance to share in this joy and happiness.
It's astonishing how often Pope Francis is being misunderstood, it reminds me of Padre Pio. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/com...dern-saint-was-being-treated-like-a-criminal/
