The only hope for the Philippines

by Father James Reuter, S.J.


By her own admission, GMA rightfully assessed that "over the
last decades,our republic has become one of the weakest, steadily left
behind by its more progressive neighbors." Forty years ago, we were
only second to Japan in economic stature, and way ahead of
Singapore,Hongkong,Malaysia, and Thailand. Today, at our present
growth rate, it will take us 30 years to get to where Thailand is today.

1. A population of 160 Million;

2. Of those, 70 to 90 million (equivalent to our current
population) will live below the poverty line;

3. Our national debt is estimated to be at US$200B (compared to
US$28B when Marcos fled, and US$53B today);

4. We will be competing, not against Thailand or even Vietnam,
but against Bangladesh;

5. We will be the most corrupt nation in Asia, if not in the
world (we're already ranked 11th most corrupt nation by
Transparency
International).


The signs are clear. Our nation is headed towards an irreversible
path of economic decline and moral decadence. It is not for lack of
effort. We've seen many men and women of integrity in and out of
government, NGOs, church groups & people's organization devote
themselves to the task of nation-building, often times against
insurmountable odds. But not even two people's revolutions, bloodless
as they may be, have made a dent in reversing this trend. At best, we
have moved one step forward, but three steps backward.

We need a force far greater than our collective efforts, as a
people, can ever hope to muster. It is time to move the battle to the
spiritual realm. It's time to claim GOD's promise of healing of the
land for His people.

It's time to gather GOD's people on its knees to pray for the
economic recovery and moral reformation of our nation. Is prayer
really the answer? Before you dismiss this as just another rambling
of a religious fanatic, I'd like you to consider some lessons we can
glean
from history. England's ascendancy to world power was preceded by
the Reformation, a spiritual revival fuelled by intense prayers. The
early American settlers built the foundation that would make it the
most powerful nation today - a strong faith in GOD and a disciplined
prayer life. Throughout its history, and especially at its major turning
points, waves of revival and prayer movement swept across the land.

In recent times, we see Korea as a nation experiencing revival and
in the process producing the largest Christian church in the world
today,
led by Rev. Paul Yongi Cho. No wonder it has emerged as a strong nation
when other economies around it are faltering. Even from a purely secular
viewpoint, it makes a lot of sense. For here there is genuine humbling
and seeking of GOD through prayer, moral reformation necessarily
follows.
And this, in turn, will lead to general prosperity. YES, we believe
prayer
can make a difference. It's our only hope.

Today, we launch this email brigade, to inform Filipinos from all
over the world to pray, as a people, for the economic recovery and
moral reformation of our nation. We do not ask for much. We only ask
for 5 minutes of your time in a day, to fwd this email to your close
friends
and relatives.

This is the kind of unity which can make a big difference. Of course,
if you feel strongly, as I do, about the power of prayer, you can be
more involved by starting your own prayer group or prayer center. We
have
tried people power twice; in both cases, it fell short.

Maybe it's time to try prayer power. GOD never fails. Is there hope?
YES! We can rely on GOD's promise, but we have to do our part.
If we humble ourselves and pray as a people, GOD will heal our land.
By GOD's grace, we may yet see a better future for our children.

GOD bless and GOD save our country ....!


"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves
and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will
I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their
land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

PLEASE PASS THIS ON....AND KEEP IT GOING!!

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