TRUMPETS OF WARNING!

A Catholic Answer to the Refugee Crisis

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Refugees, courtesy Associated Press

 

IT is one of the most volatile topics in the world right now—and one of the least balanced discussions at that: refugees, and what do with the overwhelming exodus. St. John Paul II called the issue “perhaps the greatest tragedy of all the human tragedies of our time.” [1]Address to Refugees in Exile at Morong, Philippines, Feb. 21st, 1981 For some, the answer is simple: take them in, whenever, however many they are, and whomever they may be. For others, it is more complex, thereby demanding a more measured and restrained response; at stake, they say, is not only the safety and wellbeing of individuals fleeing violence and persecution, but the safety and stability of nations. If that is the case, what is the middle road, one that safeguards the dignity and lives of genuine refugees while at the same time safeguarding the common good? What is our response as Catholics to be?

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Address to Refugees in Exile at Morong, Philippines, Feb. 21st, 1981

The Last Trumpet

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trumpet by Joel Bornzin3The Last Trumpet, photo by Joel Bornzin

 

I have been shaken today, literally, by the voice of the Lord speaking in the depths of my soul; shaken by His inexpressible grief; shaken by the deep concern He has for those in the Church who have utterly fallen asleep.

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Trumpets of Warning! — Part I

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LadyJustice_Fotor

 

 

This was among the first words or “trumpets” that I felt the Lord wanted me to blow, beginning in 2006. Many words were coming to me in prayer this morning that, when I went back and re-read this below, made more sense than ever in light of what is happening with Rome, Islam, and everything else in this present Storm. The veil is lifting, and the Lord is revealing to us more and more the times we are in. Don’t be afraid then, because God is with us, shepherding us in the “valley of the shadow of death.” For as Jesus said, “I will be with you until the end…” This writing forms the backdrop for my meditation on the Synod, which my spiritual director has asked me to write.

First published on August 23rd, 2006:

 

I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. (Jer 4:19)

 

I can no longer hold in the “word” which has been welling up within me for a week. The weight of it has moved me to tears several times. However, the readings from the Mass this morning were a powerful confirmation — “a go ahead”, so to speak.
 

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Missing the Message… of a Papal Prophet

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THE Holy Father has been greatly misunderstood not only by the secular press, but by some of the flock as well. [1]cf. Benedict and the New World Order Some have written me suggesting that perhaps this pontiff is an “anti-pope” in kahootz with the Antichrist! [2]cf. A Black Pope? How quickly some run from the Garden!

Pope Benedict XVI is not calling for a central all-powerful “global government”—something he and popes before him have outright condemned (ie. Socialism) [3]For other quotes from popes on Socialism, cf. www.tfp.org and www.americaneedsfatima.org —but a global family that places the human person and their inviolable rights and dignity at the center of all human development in society. Let us be absolutely clear on this:

The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3) – a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, n. 28, December 2005

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Benedict and the New World Order
↑2 cf. A Black Pope?
↑3 For other quotes from popes on Socialism, cf. www.tfp.org and www.americaneedsfatima.org

Trumpets of Warning! — Part V

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Set the trumpet to your lips,
for a vulture is over the house of the Lord. (Hosea 8:1) 

 

PARTICULARLY for my new readers, this writing gives a very broad picture of what I feel the Spirit is saying to the Church today. I am filled with great hope, because this present storm will not last. At the same time, I feel the Lord continually urging me on (despite my protests) to prepare us for the realities which we face. It is not a time for fear, but for strengthening; not a time for despair, but preparation for a victorious battle.

But a battle nonetheless!

The Christian attitude is twofold: one that recognizes and discerns the struggle, but always hopes in the victory attained through faith, even in suffering. That is not fluffy optimism, but the fruit of those who live as priests, prophets, and kings, participating in the life, passion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For Christians, the moment has arrived to free themselves from a false inferiority complex… to be valiant witnesses of Christ. —Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, LifeSiteNews.com, Nov. 20th, 2008

I have updated the following writing:

   

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Trumpets of Warning! — Part IV

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Exiles of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans

 

FIRST published September 7th, 2006, this word has grown in strength in my heart just recently. The call is to prepare both physically and spiritually for exile. Since I wrote this last year, we have witnessed the exodus of millions of people, particularly in Asia and Africa, due to natural disasters and war. The main message is one of exhortation: Christ reminding us that we are citizens of Heaven, pilgrims on our way home, and that our spiritual and natural environment around us should reflect that. 

 

EXILE 

The word “exile” keeps swimming through my mind, as well as this:

New Orleans was a microcosm of what is to come… you are now in the calm before the storm.

When Hurricane Katrina struck, many residents found themselves in exile. It did not matter if you were rich or poor, white or black, clergy or layman—if you were in its path, you had to move now. There is a global “shake up” coming, and it will produce in certain regions exiles. 

 

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Trumpets of Warning! — Part III

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AFTER Mass several weeks ago, I was meditating on the deep sense I’ve had the past few years that God is gathering souls to himself, one by one… one here, one there, whoever will hear His urgent plea to receive the gift of His Son’s life… as though we evangelists are fishing with hooks now, rather than nets.

Suddenly, the words popped into my mind:

The number of Gentiles is nearly filled.

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