JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).
THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 11:21-23
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
ISAIAH 33:8
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)
JERUSALEM DIVIDED
GENESIS 25:20-26
20 And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)
ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
Vatican Accord Recognizing De Facto Palestinian State Takes Effect VOA News-January 02, 2016 6:02 PM
The Vatican says its first treaty with Palestinians has come into force, more than two years after the Roman Catholic Church drew criticism from Israel for recognizing the existence of a Palestinian state.The accord, which technically covers church operations in parts of the Holy Land under Palestinian control, was signed in June 2015. It also reaffirms support for a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.A statement Saturday said the Holy See and what it recognizes as the state of Palestine had notified each other that all necessary procedural steps were completed and that the treaty was in effect.More than 130 other nations have also recognized a Palestinian state, backing a 2012 U.N. General Assembly resolution that recognizes it as an observer, nonmember state.Israel and the United States oppose such recognition, with Israel calling the pact premature and counterproductive.Both governments have insisted that the only way to end the deadly conflict is through negotiations, which have not progressed in years.
Vatican accord with Palestine comes into effect-Saturday, January 02, 2016 4:28 p.m. EST-WIN 98.5 MICHIGAN
MILAN (Reuters) - An agreement signed last year making the Vatican's de facto recognition of Palestine in 2012 official has come into effect, the Holy See said on Saturday.The Vatican signed its first treaty with the "State of Palestine" last June when it called for moves to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and backed a two-state solution."... the Holy See and the State of Palestine have notified each other that the procedural requirements for (the accord's) entry into force have been fulfilled, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2012 recognizing Palestine as an observer non-member state. This was welcomed at the time by the Vatican, which has the same observer non-member status at the United Nations.In October 2014, Sweden acknowledged Palestine, a decision that drew condemnation from Israel and led to tense relations between the two.Israel has previously called the Vatican accord a hasty move that could damage prospects for advancing a peace agreement and impact its future diplomatic relations with the Vatican.But the Holy See under Pope Francis is eager to have a greater diplomatic role in the Middle East, from where many Christians have fled because of conflicts in Syria, Iraq and other countries."The Agreement ... regards essential aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict in the region," the Vatican said.(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes, editing by David Evans)
Bishops on the EU: “2015 has thrown political leaders and officials into a spin”-The terrorist attacks in Paris, the Greek crisis, the influx of refugees to the old continent, the war against ISIS: these, according to COMECE, are just some of the serious emergencies that have put the Union’s governments to the test. It is time to rediscover the spiritual energy and humanism that lie at the heart of the integration process if we are to avoid becoming resigned-29/12/2015-francesco peloso-VATICAN INSIDER
vatican city-2015 was a year crammed with events that had a massive impact on old Europe, testing all of its political leaders; forcing them in fact to take key decisions in the face of very serious emergencies. But as is almost always the case, being forced to take action in particularly critical contexts, does not help make any decisions taken fairer. Hence it is vital to return to the original principles that led to European integration, to the spiritual drive and the humanism that inspired its first steps, so as to retrieve that hope for a better tomorrow that comes to shed some light on the current state of affairs, for believers and non-believers alike, in the period between Christmas and Epiphany.This was the essence of Patrick H.Daly’s end of year editorial published in the europeinfos newsletter issued by COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, in which Daly holds the role of Secretary General).In particular, Daly emphasised that many of the most shocking events of recent history witnessed during the course of 2015 were neither foreseen nor in the agendas of Europe’s various political leaders; from the Charlie Hebdo attacks to the new terrorist attacks on Paris, from the crises that struck Greece and the Euro calling into question the very unity of Union, to the explosion of the refugee problem and the war against the phantomatic ISIS. The warning signs of all the crises were probably ignored, as Daly explains, but the fact remains that these very events are the starting point from which Europe will need to find a credible way forward.“What is particularly alarming,” Daly writes in his editorial, “is that the unexpected, the event or the development that no one foresaw (or the warning signs of which were studiously ignored) and that has suddenly rushed its way to the top of the political agenda, is shaping public policy. Our political leaders and the officials, in both the European capitals and in the EU institutions scrambling to keep up with them, are taking policy decisions with enormous impact on our society literally on the hoof.”“There is a truism,” Daly points out, “that hard cases make bad law. By analogy, one could claim that knee-jerk policy making in response to situations which, however urgent, are still exceptional, is not a good either strategically or politically. As 2015 comes to a close, our European leaders find themselves confronted with not just one, but with a series of intractable problems. Few envy them their task. Mapping out the way forward has them all baffled.”“Christmas and Epiphany,” Daly states, “are an annual reminder that our God has visited our world, that there is an on-going solidarity between heaven and earth. Christmas is also about light appearing in the midst of darkness, transforming our world.” He adds that “for those who do not share our religious convictions, what are increasingly referred to as the Holidays or les fêtes de fin d’année still provide fresh hope that a better tomorrow is indeed possible. At Europe Infos this is a conviction we share. Moreover, we believe that a new appreciation of our foundational values as European project, a recovery of some of that spiritual and humanitarian energy which launched the European integration dream and inspired its founders, can rescue us today. We want a society that is open, free, welcoming and democratic. We,” Daly states, “aspire to a Europe in which all citizens who own its values have a role to play in the fashioning of our community. And whether they just arrived in our midst during the summer of 2015 or have been born here, their rights, entitlements and duties remain the same.”The Pope himself urged Europeans to be responsible bearers of an extraordinary wealth of values that are to be relived in the present. He encouraged them not to let the ongoing economic and social crisis or the many problems that have arisen on an international scale make them succumb to resignation or retreat into a shell. When the Pope addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg just over a year ago, in November 2014, he said amongst other things: “…This loneliness has become more acute as a result of the economic crisis, whose effects continue to have tragic consequences for the life of society. In recent years, as the European Union has expanded, there has been growing mistrust on the part of citizens towards institutions considered to be aloof, engaged in laying down rules perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful. In many quarters we encounter a general impression of weariness and aging, of a Europe which is now a “grandmother”, no longer fertile and vibrant. As a result, the great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions.”“The future of Europe,” the Pope added just a little further on in his speech, “depends on the recovery of the vital connection between these two elements. A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul and that “humanistic spirit” which it still loves and defends.”
Parolin: The Synod proclaimed the Gospel of the family despite what media reports said--According to the cardinal, too often, stories have sadly given biased accounts of the facts. The double synodal assembly communicated the good news in the context of “the difficult and complex conditions of our time”-30/12/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-iacopo scaramuzzi
vatican city-The double Synod on the family, the Extraordinary assembly of 2014 and last October’s Ordinary assembly, constituted “a great effort on the part of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of the Family, despite media reports which, sadly, have too often given biased accounts of the facts,” the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said, adding that the synodal assembly communicated the good news bearing in mind the context of “the difficult and complex conditions of our time” and “adopted the attitude of the good Samaritan in relation to all fragile, vulnerable and wounded family situations”. Last Sunday, on the feast of the Holy Family, the Schiavon-born cardinal celebrated mass in the parish of the Holy Trinity in Schio, in the northern Italian diocese of Vicenza, when he began his ministry. The cardinal went on to bless the new parish hall. Although there are no “perfect families, this must not discourage us: love is always born and develops, experiencing peaks and troughs. But one can learn to love, love can be lived and can grow if we “work at it”, depending on each family’s life circumstances,” Vatican newspaper reports Parolin saying.The Secretary of State urged people to pray for all “families to keep the doors to their hearts wide open, to let love in.” This love being first and foremost a promise, a decision, commitment, sacrifice. God managed to come into the world through a family,” he explained, quoting Pope Francis, “because its heart was open to love”. Of course, the cardinal said he was aware of the fact that in families “the mystery of the cross is ever-present”. But, he added, since “the cross and the resurrection are two aspects of love” and “this is so because the cross is the pinnacle of love” and so the family “is the place of the cross and the resurrection” par excellence “because it is a place of love: the place where we love and learn to love; where we gradually learn the meaning and the value of love, we learn to invest in others and we come to realise it was worth it”. This, Parolin said, “is precisely what God dreams about. The family is a living symbol of the plan of love the Father dreamed of one day”. So, “wanting to have a family means having the courage to be part of God’s dream”. Parolin went on to speak about the bishops’ double Synod on the family, to emphasise the fact that it constituted “a great effort on the part of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of the Family, despite media reports which, sadly, have too often given biased accounts of the facts,” the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said, adding that the synodal assembly communicated the good news bearing in mind the context of “the difficult and complex conditions of our time” and “adopted the attitude of the good Samaritan in relation to all fragile, vulnerable and wounded family situations”. The cardinal continued, saying that in order for this to happen, “the flame of love in the family” needs to be “constantly” kept alive “with prayer and forgiveness”. Pope Francis himself “never tires of reminding us of the importance of prayer in the family,” referring to the latter as “a school of forgiveness, a great gym where we practice reciprocal giving and forgiveness”.
LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).
THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS
Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
DANIEL 11:21-23
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
ISAIAH 33:8
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)
JERUSALEM DIVIDED
GENESIS 25:20-26
20 And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)
ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
Vatican Accord Recognizing De Facto Palestinian State Takes Effect VOA News-January 02, 2016 6:02 PM
The Vatican says its first treaty with Palestinians has come into force, more than two years after the Roman Catholic Church drew criticism from Israel for recognizing the existence of a Palestinian state.The accord, which technically covers church operations in parts of the Holy Land under Palestinian control, was signed in June 2015. It also reaffirms support for a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.A statement Saturday said the Holy See and what it recognizes as the state of Palestine had notified each other that all necessary procedural steps were completed and that the treaty was in effect.More than 130 other nations have also recognized a Palestinian state, backing a 2012 U.N. General Assembly resolution that recognizes it as an observer, nonmember state.Israel and the United States oppose such recognition, with Israel calling the pact premature and counterproductive.Both governments have insisted that the only way to end the deadly conflict is through negotiations, which have not progressed in years.
Vatican accord with Palestine comes into effect-Saturday, January 02, 2016 4:28 p.m. EST-WIN 98.5 MICHIGAN
MILAN (Reuters) - An agreement signed last year making the Vatican's de facto recognition of Palestine in 2012 official has come into effect, the Holy See said on Saturday.The Vatican signed its first treaty with the "State of Palestine" last June when it called for moves to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and backed a two-state solution."... the Holy See and the State of Palestine have notified each other that the procedural requirements for (the accord's) entry into force have been fulfilled, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday. The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2012 recognizing Palestine as an observer non-member state. This was welcomed at the time by the Vatican, which has the same observer non-member status at the United Nations.In October 2014, Sweden acknowledged Palestine, a decision that drew condemnation from Israel and led to tense relations between the two.Israel has previously called the Vatican accord a hasty move that could damage prospects for advancing a peace agreement and impact its future diplomatic relations with the Vatican.But the Holy See under Pope Francis is eager to have a greater diplomatic role in the Middle East, from where many Christians have fled because of conflicts in Syria, Iraq and other countries."The Agreement ... regards essential aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict in the region," the Vatican said.(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes, editing by David Evans)
Bishops on the EU: “2015 has thrown political leaders and officials into a spin”-The terrorist attacks in Paris, the Greek crisis, the influx of refugees to the old continent, the war against ISIS: these, according to COMECE, are just some of the serious emergencies that have put the Union’s governments to the test. It is time to rediscover the spiritual energy and humanism that lie at the heart of the integration process if we are to avoid becoming resigned-29/12/2015-francesco peloso-VATICAN INSIDER
vatican city-2015 was a year crammed with events that had a massive impact on old Europe, testing all of its political leaders; forcing them in fact to take key decisions in the face of very serious emergencies. But as is almost always the case, being forced to take action in particularly critical contexts, does not help make any decisions taken fairer. Hence it is vital to return to the original principles that led to European integration, to the spiritual drive and the humanism that inspired its first steps, so as to retrieve that hope for a better tomorrow that comes to shed some light on the current state of affairs, for believers and non-believers alike, in the period between Christmas and Epiphany.This was the essence of Patrick H.Daly’s end of year editorial published in the europeinfos newsletter issued by COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, in which Daly holds the role of Secretary General).In particular, Daly emphasised that many of the most shocking events of recent history witnessed during the course of 2015 were neither foreseen nor in the agendas of Europe’s various political leaders; from the Charlie Hebdo attacks to the new terrorist attacks on Paris, from the crises that struck Greece and the Euro calling into question the very unity of Union, to the explosion of the refugee problem and the war against the phantomatic ISIS. The warning signs of all the crises were probably ignored, as Daly explains, but the fact remains that these very events are the starting point from which Europe will need to find a credible way forward.“What is particularly alarming,” Daly writes in his editorial, “is that the unexpected, the event or the development that no one foresaw (or the warning signs of which were studiously ignored) and that has suddenly rushed its way to the top of the political agenda, is shaping public policy. Our political leaders and the officials, in both the European capitals and in the EU institutions scrambling to keep up with them, are taking policy decisions with enormous impact on our society literally on the hoof.”“There is a truism,” Daly points out, “that hard cases make bad law. By analogy, one could claim that knee-jerk policy making in response to situations which, however urgent, are still exceptional, is not a good either strategically or politically. As 2015 comes to a close, our European leaders find themselves confronted with not just one, but with a series of intractable problems. Few envy them their task. Mapping out the way forward has them all baffled.”“Christmas and Epiphany,” Daly states, “are an annual reminder that our God has visited our world, that there is an on-going solidarity between heaven and earth. Christmas is also about light appearing in the midst of darkness, transforming our world.” He adds that “for those who do not share our religious convictions, what are increasingly referred to as the Holidays or les fêtes de fin d’année still provide fresh hope that a better tomorrow is indeed possible. At Europe Infos this is a conviction we share. Moreover, we believe that a new appreciation of our foundational values as European project, a recovery of some of that spiritual and humanitarian energy which launched the European integration dream and inspired its founders, can rescue us today. We want a society that is open, free, welcoming and democratic. We,” Daly states, “aspire to a Europe in which all citizens who own its values have a role to play in the fashioning of our community. And whether they just arrived in our midst during the summer of 2015 or have been born here, their rights, entitlements and duties remain the same.”The Pope himself urged Europeans to be responsible bearers of an extraordinary wealth of values that are to be relived in the present. He encouraged them not to let the ongoing economic and social crisis or the many problems that have arisen on an international scale make them succumb to resignation or retreat into a shell. When the Pope addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg just over a year ago, in November 2014, he said amongst other things: “…This loneliness has become more acute as a result of the economic crisis, whose effects continue to have tragic consequences for the life of society. In recent years, as the European Union has expanded, there has been growing mistrust on the part of citizens towards institutions considered to be aloof, engaged in laying down rules perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful. In many quarters we encounter a general impression of weariness and aging, of a Europe which is now a “grandmother”, no longer fertile and vibrant. As a result, the great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions.”“The future of Europe,” the Pope added just a little further on in his speech, “depends on the recovery of the vital connection between these two elements. A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul and that “humanistic spirit” which it still loves and defends.”
Parolin: The Synod proclaimed the Gospel of the family despite what media reports said--According to the cardinal, too often, stories have sadly given biased accounts of the facts. The double synodal assembly communicated the good news in the context of “the difficult and complex conditions of our time”-30/12/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-iacopo scaramuzzi
vatican city-The double Synod on the family, the Extraordinary assembly of 2014 and last October’s Ordinary assembly, constituted “a great effort on the part of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of the Family, despite media reports which, sadly, have too often given biased accounts of the facts,” the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said, adding that the synodal assembly communicated the good news bearing in mind the context of “the difficult and complex conditions of our time” and “adopted the attitude of the good Samaritan in relation to all fragile, vulnerable and wounded family situations”. Last Sunday, on the feast of the Holy Family, the Schiavon-born cardinal celebrated mass in the parish of the Holy Trinity in Schio, in the northern Italian diocese of Vicenza, when he began his ministry. The cardinal went on to bless the new parish hall. Although there are no “perfect families, this must not discourage us: love is always born and develops, experiencing peaks and troughs. But one can learn to love, love can be lived and can grow if we “work at it”, depending on each family’s life circumstances,” Vatican newspaper reports Parolin saying.The Secretary of State urged people to pray for all “families to keep the doors to their hearts wide open, to let love in.” This love being first and foremost a promise, a decision, commitment, sacrifice. God managed to come into the world through a family,” he explained, quoting Pope Francis, “because its heart was open to love”. Of course, the cardinal said he was aware of the fact that in families “the mystery of the cross is ever-present”. But, he added, since “the cross and the resurrection are two aspects of love” and “this is so because the cross is the pinnacle of love” and so the family “is the place of the cross and the resurrection” par excellence “because it is a place of love: the place where we love and learn to love; where we gradually learn the meaning and the value of love, we learn to invest in others and we come to realise it was worth it”. This, Parolin said, “is precisely what God dreams about. The family is a living symbol of the plan of love the Father dreamed of one day”. So, “wanting to have a family means having the courage to be part of God’s dream”. Parolin went on to speak about the bishops’ double Synod on the family, to emphasise the fact that it constituted “a great effort on the part of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of the Family, despite media reports which, sadly, have too often given biased accounts of the facts,” the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said, adding that the synodal assembly communicated the good news bearing in mind the context of “the difficult and complex conditions of our time” and “adopted the attitude of the good Samaritan in relation to all fragile, vulnerable and wounded family situations”. The cardinal continued, saying that in order for this to happen, “the flame of love in the family” needs to be “constantly” kept alive “with prayer and forgiveness”. Pope Francis himself “never tires of reminding us of the importance of prayer in the family,” referring to the latter as “a school of forgiveness, a great gym where we practice reciprocal giving and forgiveness”.
