Italy Flourishes - The Coming Times

The Coming Times

Italy Flourishes

And I am at a roundabout

I seem to be in a major European city

Perhaps Rome

I do not know

And there is a wave of people surging up from the south

And an equally large wave of people surging in from the east

And there are traffic officers on the roundabout

But are overwhelmed by the sheer force of the numbers

And can do nothing to establish order

And yes I see the Pope come out onto his balcony in his white vestments

And immediately a shout arises from ALL of the people

No matter where they are from

El Papa! El Papa! El Papa!

And he greets them in their own tongues

He welcomes them

He hopes they find safe harbor and refuge

While their homes are inhospitable

Until their homes are restored

He greets them

He welcomes them

He blesses them

In each of their languages he does so

And there are so many languages to do so in!

And the people cry out in gratitude; they cry in gratitude

El Papa! El Papa! El Papa!

And they have renewed hope

Yes they are welcome

Yes they are here recognized as humans

Yes they are even spoken to in their own language

The relief they feel is overwhelming

, a

nd many break down in tears

In convulsive sobs and tears for truly they were tired

Truly they were feeling without hope

And now it is as though a ray of sunshine has beamed down upon them

And the people are given renewed hope

And the Pope reenters his office

And now there is more order in the boulevard

The people are now walking about at a calmer pace

ollowing the rules of the road

They have hope now

And I see the Italians welcoming the people

Sharing their food with them

Yes, even accepting them into their homes

And the people are so grateful

The tears stream down their faces as they tell their story to their hosts

Their almost unbelievable story

The story of Nature seeming to have turned its fury

n the humans upon her land

Either withholding water from them altogether

Or dumping it on them with a fury; with a vengeance

Either way; she has chased them off

And yes, she has won; for there was nothing they could do

Nothing!

And the Italians sit listening fascinated

And some of them wonder what these people have done

o earn such fury from

Nature

Is it the endless wars that they have been waging on their continents

Is it the corruption of their governments

Is it the extreme wealth of the few and the dire poverty of the most

Or is it simply Nature being Nature

And they sit and listen to the stories in utter fascination

They contemplate the stories

They marvel at them

What does it mean

For Mother Nature to suddenly turn against the humans on a continent

And chase them all away

Either they fled or they died

The choice was as stark as that

And the thought occurs to them

That if Mother Nature could do so to these two continents

The great land mass of Africa

And the whole of southern Asia

Then could it be possible that Nature would do the same to their home

And they look around their home with new and appreciative eyes

Yes how they love Rome

How they love their city; their countryside; their streets and boulevards

Yes, how much they love their home

Why they had taken it for granted

It was a given

Of course they had a home!

Everyone had a home!

And they had always had a special fondness

For their home above all others

For after all it was an expression of themselves

But now they find themselves looking around them with new eyes

With appreciative eyes

And yes with protective eyes

We must be careful that the same thing does not happen to us

And the Italians gather together and discuss and discuss and discuss

They sit in their beloved cafes and restaurants

And among them they share the stories the refugees have told them

And among them they share what they are interpreting these stories to mean

And their interpretations are not cast in stone

Yes, they are willing to listen to their neighbor

Each is willing to listen to the other

For truly such had never happened before

Not in their history

Not in the history of the past 3,000 years at least!

What do such things mean?

And more importantly, how do we respond

What must we do to assure that it does not happen here

And yes a general consensus forms

The 2nd step and the 3rd step are unclear

But the 1st step is clear; it is obvious; it leaves no room for discussion

And so the Italians

pray

They flood their churches and their cathedrals and they pray

They kneel in their own homes and they pray

They pray and they pray and they pray

They pray for these poor refugees

They pray that God has mercy and compassion on them

And may they find safe haven in Europe

And please God restore their land to them

And then they even more earnestly pray for themselves

Tell us God; tell us

What must we do to avert such catastrophes upon our heads

Tell us God; tell us and we will do

And the people pray

They even kneel down in the town squares and are on their kneels

Praying the Rosary

Out loud and in concert praying the Rosary

Beseeching the Virgin to protect their land

Beseeching the Virgin to protect their beloved home

Beseeching the Virgin to bestow mercy upon them

And the Italians pray and they pray and they pray

And the more they pray, the calmer they become

The more Peace reigns down upon them

And they arise steadily; calmly; at Peace

Yes they are at Peace

Their Faith is in God

They will do as God tells them to do

And what God tells them to do is so clear

For the message has been the same for the past few thousand years

Yes the message has not changed

It is clear what they must do

And so the Italians pray to God

And so the Italians in calmness and in gratitude go about their daily lives

And so the Italians gently and generously receive the refugees

As they pass by on to the more northern cities of Europe

And God looks down and notices the Italians and their response

And he is pleased with them

And so God sends them sunshine and gentle rain in equal proportions

In measure to what their land needs

And with each new sunny day; the Italians open their windows

And turn their faces to the sun and give joyful thanks to God

And with each new rainy day; the Italians open their windows

And turn their faces to the gentle rain and give joyful thanks to God

And the Italians understand that their prayers have been answered

They understand that their prayers have been understood

And they now understand what their 2nd step is

And they follow it

And with the same intensity that they had originally prayed

For the flood of refugees keep arriving

Reminding them daily of the precious gift that their home is

With the same intensity that they had originally requested mercy

So with that intensity do they now give prayers of thanks and praise to God

They give thanks and praise to God for the mercy he is bestowing upon them

For truly the weather

Their climate had not been as ideal for their land in decades

Just the right amount of rain – gentle rain

Just the right amount of sun – gentle sun

And their crops are blooming and abundant

The soil is rich

The air is fresh and clean

And they breathe this air in deeply

And they give thanks to God for sparing their home

And the people are again on their knees in the town square

Praying the Rosary

Fervently thanking the Virgin for her intercession on their behalf

Thanking her and praying for her continued intercession on their behalf

And now there is the 3rd step

For there is always a 3rd step

And what is the 3rd step

And as the people pray; they understand

The understanding comes to them gradually

But it comes

For yes, they are growing tired of the refugees for their numbers do not diminish

They keep coming and coming and coming

They do not stop

Who knew there were so many people in Africa and southern Asia

Who knew

The sheer numbers overwhelm

But the Italians had not stopped praying

The Italians have not stopped praying

And they know what the 3rd step is

And in humble gratitude to God

In obedience to God

And in request to God for his continued mercy upon them

For they do understand that they must back up their prayers

With their actions

With their lives

And so they follow the 3rd step

And they continue receiving the refugees with the same welcome

And the same warmth and the same generosity

That they had received the original wave

And they persist at this the Italians do

And some of the refugees stay in Italy

And are allowed to do so

They are allowed to mainstream into Italian life

They are allowed to help in the fields and in the farms

Where the crops are growing more abundantly than they have in decades

And yes additional help is actually needed

And so the Italians have more food

They have more food to share with the refugees

The refugees are there to help them work the crops

And it turns out to be a win-win situation as Italy flourishes

Italy flourishes

For as she gives; so does she receive

As she gives; so does she receive

And the Italians are no fools

They are able to connect the dots

They know full well that their land has never been this fertile

They know full well that it had never yielded such abundance

Such rich abundance

The soil itself is rich and fertile

The Italian farmer holds the soil in his hands and tears stream down his face

And yes, he gives thanks to his God

And yes, he does connect the dots

And since the Italians see the never-ending flow of refugees

They do not forget the lesson they have learnt

And so they continue to practice the 3 steps that have saved them

The precious 3 steps are clear in everyone’s minds and hearts

They know it experientially

It is not the media that informs them of these 3 steps

They themselves have figured out these 3 steps

And with the continual flow of refugees with their stories of complete devastation

In sharp contrast to the mercy that has been shown them

The Italians are daily reminded of their 3 steps and daily, daily, daily

They take the time and the time and the time

To perform the 3 steps

Yes each and every morning; they arise and face the new day in gratitude to God

Yes each and every lunch hour; they get on their knees and pray the Rosary

And continue to ask the Virgin to intercede on their behalf

Yes and as each wave of refugees flood into their home

The Italians do not grow weary

On the contrary

Their hearts continue to swell in compassion

For these poor and exhausted citizens of the Earth

And they treat their brothers and sisters as their brothers and sisters

And show them gentleness; show them kindness

Share their food and their home with them

And ironically Italy is not depleted by her generosity

But on the contrary; flourishes

She flourishes; she flourishes; she flourishes

And the land is rich with harvest

And the people have become a people of Peace

A people of gratitude

A people of calm and humble Joy

And Italy flourishes