What do you do with this?

"There will be a sudden false peace in Iraq, Israel, and even Iran, but this is the calm before the storm. Russia will be returning to inflict its dark ways on the world, by attempting to recapture and re-admit the independent provinces that broke off after their collapse and align with many other countries around the world. The signs will be when Russia will see a period of weakness in the United States and its allies (financial), and together with its support from certain Muslim radical organizations (Hamas, Taliban), Korea, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Iran, they will further affect the energy markets in the world. People will need to know what will occur so they can know what to pray for."

It came from a source about which we have great questions, and yet it also came in 2009 -- five years ago. We read it back then. Considering what's occurring in Ukraine (and elsewhere, including Venezuela), it gives one pause. (Russia is seeking to install a military facility in South America, specifically Venezuela; meanwhile, it has threatened energy disruptions to Europe). It may be a prophetic "hit." Yet, we have questions about whether it was concocted.

This occurs quite frequently in the realm of the prophetic, which is always controversial and subject to question because it plays outside the field of rationalism. It is also subject to questioning because mysticism sometimes veers toward the esoteric (and sometimes to what we take to be New Age). Just because a prediction comes to be doesn't mean it is not from a dark source.

It often comes, prophecy, when legit, in a way that is not conscious. Years ago was the book, Sent To Earth. It was published just before 9/11. In it was a chapter about future events, including in New York, called "Ground Zero." You may find some startling forecasts on weather in there.

Years before that, in his book Witness, Ukrainian Catholic activist Josyp Terelya related a vision in which he "saw" eight men plotting to overthrow the leader of the Soviet Union, and days after the book came out, a group of eight in Russia led a coup against Mikhail Gorbachev (causing the book to bolt to bestseller status).

Immediately after September 11, Venezuelan mystic Maria Esperanza had said that a "roaring lion" was behind the terror. This was days before al Qaeda was even mentioned publicly as possible suspects. It turned out that the name "Osama" means "lion." (Cryptically, she had also once remarked, in referring to Venezuela and world events, that "it will start here.")

In the "1990 prophecy" was a "hit" when it came to genetic breakthroughs and also a cryptic statement that New York City was under a dark cloud and would be for twelve years and the "pride" there would be "broken" (September 11 occurred eleven years later; the World Trade Center was constantly described, in the early reports, as the "pride" of Manhattan).

At the Church-approved site of Kibeho, Rwanda, was an exact prediction of a genocide that followed later -- a prediction that was documented.

Somehow, skeptics stay away from that one.

(That genocide was preceded, one might note, by a massive campaign desecrating statues of Mary across Rwanda; prophecies can come in actions as well as words.)

A prophecy in Puerto Rico back in 1953 of a Church crisis due to wayward clergy was made at an alleged apparition that the Church has rejected for various reasons of credibility (there was a "magical tree") there.

It is interesting that the same source initially cited in this article included a comment pertaining to degradation of nature: "God knew this would occur and was deeply saddened by it; however, He knew this was part of the evolution of free will. When God engineered the planet, He secured its existence through self-protective mechanisms, including tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes, and climate change." Is such occurring around us? Let us discern. Let us also pay heed to today's Mass reading.

This was the alleged deathbed insight of a former atheist and anthropological pathologist who, if nothing else, causes us to reflect inwardly during Lent. "Man is continually being given the opportunity to develop cures for fatal illnesses, but not enough scientists and laypeople are praying with fervor and performing acts of unconditional love to allow our needs to transpire," he supposedly said. "In fact, we are falling prey to our own laws. Just look at the handful of people who have successfully removed prayer from schools. We are not fighting back, because we are too concerned with trying to make money, vanity, and just mere complacency. Despite millions of people belonging to faith-based churches, only a few are truly praying and carrying out unconditional acts of love and kindness to balance the opposite forces. Just one person praying unconditionally and suffering willingly can raise the level of humanity forever and thus give us the courage to regain our losses."

[resources: Michael Brown retreat: spiritual warfare, healing, prophecy; Richmond, Virginia]

[see also: Witness, Sent To Earth, and The Bridge To Heaven]

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