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Fr. Manfred Badum Dear brothers, the Corona-Pandemic is bringing so much infection to people all over the world, and thousands are dying. We are praying for the dead, that they will reach the eternal kingdom of God. At the same time we know, that millions of people who are not infected are suffering very badly. Workers are losing their jobs, business people have no income and don’t know if their company will survive, families and relatives cannot get together, loneliness is growing, even sick persons are dying because the hospitals are reserved for Corona-patients (I am aware of this in Germany), and there was no liturgy for many weeks. The consequences of the pandemic are much larger than the number of infected persons. My reflection is about what the background of this pandemic may be. Did this virus come from animals? Was it made by human beings? Is there a plan in the background? What will God teach us with this event? Some conservative Christians are seeing a punishment of God in that which happens. In death everybody can find a lot of sins of the world, of the church, but also of himself! The Holy Bible reflects on this question in two books:
The book of Job tells us, that Job was not punished, but there was an examination of his faith trough his sickness and suffering. In the book of Jonah the prophet is expecting the destruction of Nineveh, but God forgives the population because they have repented and turned away from their sins. Jonah was angry, but God answered : “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” And don`t we teach in our preaching, that Jesus died for our sins, that he took our sins to the cross? Is not the center of our faith salvation? Salvation as the revelation of God's Mercy? Jesus gave us some important advice; “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10, 16). That means, if we trust in God and wait for his help, we also have to use our mind to analyze the situation and find solutions. Archbischop Carlo Maria Vigano and Cardinal Mueller with other theologians, virologists, and psychologists published a warning paper and video “A call for the Church and the world” on May 7, 2020. There they express their fear that the Corona pandemic is only an instrument to create a “New world order” with a world government, not controlled by democracy but with infinite power of police and military. https://insidethevatican.com/news/newsflash/letter-10-may-7-2020-appeal-for-dignity/ I don’t know, from where they have the information. But I saw a lot of videos about the organization of the Masons and the richest people of the world. This secret organization since the very beginning strives for a world government and tries to win the most powerful persons as members. The problem is, we don’t know who of the leaders in politics, economy or church are members. But they are following their own plan. Another saying tell us “Money makes the world go round“. And really the situation of the poor is not becoming much better, but the rich are collecting money and don’t share. You know this in your own country. Is it not like in nature? The lion defends his territory and his females and cubs. But another one will fight against him to be the owner of this territory and family of lions. Many different persons, organizations or families try to get the power of more and more in the world. We must not forget this. We as Christians and the church are not outside of this struggle, but we are a part of this. We need the power and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, to fight for the kingdom of God. I remember a day in the year of Saint Paul, a professor explained to us the aims and the life of this great apostle. He told us, that Paul knew the power of the Roman Empire. But he was convinced that the Risen Lord will be the King of the Kings. His travels were not fortuitously, but he walked in the capitals of the most important provinces to prepare them for the return of Christ. In all capitals there should be Christian communities who are following Christ, who were prepared for the New World Order. Is it not now our thing to prepare people for the New Christian World Order! An Order, where every person is respected as loved by God, where everybody takes care that there is enough to live for human beings, where we assess every decision to see if it harms the environment, where we do not cease praising God for his wisdom and the wonder of life! In the Pentecost reading we heard that people from many nations came to Jerusalem, understood the apostles and asked to be baptized. Our Opus family, spread over many nations, is a good instrument to prepare this new world order of Jesus Christ and to strengthen us for the Christian struggle . So let us trust the Holy Spirit, who is living and working in us, like the apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Comments are closed.
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