Being Prepared for What's Coming

Being prepared for what's coming is pretty important. So what's coming?

Well, lots really. But where to start? Do we focus on the stock market correcting lately? Do we commiserate about inflation, whether it's on its way out, whether it'll hang on, but not be such a bit deal, or whether it's going to continue for a while (perhaps a long while) and get worse again? 

These two items alone can and will impact our lives. And not just our finances. Unless you're rich-rich, your finances taking a hit will cause changes in how you live everyday, sometimes big changes. Indeed, financial problems are the #1 cause of marital difficulties (assuming anyone's married these days anymore!). 

Anyway, aside from markets and inflation, some folks tout "climate change" as paramount: The world's going to boil over and kill us all, or at least most of the nature that surrounds us or...something like that. How do we prepare for this? Well, there's all sorts of schemes out there, many of which we assume you've at least heard of in some way, some of which may have caused you to do things like buy an electric car, or install solar panels on your house, or demonstrate against Big Oil or other traditional energy companies, etc., etc. ad nauseam.

There's retirement - preparing for that (which too many folks don't really do very effectively). Or aging in general: Some change their living arrangements in anticipation of not being able to walk up stairs, or not being too remote from needed services, etc.

The list goes on. Each affects us all in different ways to different degrees.

But here's one that affects us all: war. We've talked about this a bit in the past.

We heard a rather harrowing assessment of what's coming by a "cycles" expert. We've followed this particular guy for long enough to know that he's been pretty accurate in calling various market cycles. And he's logical in his approach to bigger items like cycles that show us when wars - big ones - show up on our doorstep. And we're in one of these now. What was disturbing this go-round was his comment that this decade could result in 2 billion people dying because of war. 2 billion!

He did take the trouble to explain how he came up with the number. Don't quote me, but it seemed he looked at past wars - primary example WW I and WW II. From these he culled available stats on how many died as a result of these. He compared this to the total population of the world. (He looked at other wars too.) Hence the 2 billion number - based on total population of our world today. 

Now, should we lose sleep over this? It's up to you. Some of us worry more than others. Besides maybe none of us will be part of that number. Who knows? One thing to consider is something I've learned from my religious studies. Being Catholic, I can only share what I know as explained by what we Catholics think is the one true Church that can trace its ancestry directly to Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Son of God. If you're not Catholic you may not understand the following. If you are, you may want to consider it seriously.

• Strive to be in the state of grace: examine your conscience daily and GO TO CONFESSION
• Use the sacraments and sacramentals well.  You are baptized, which means you are incorporated into Christ’s Person. You are confirmed with the seal of the Holy Spirit.  Are you sacramentally married, ordained?  Call upon those sacraments with confidence.
• Do not forget that God called YOU into existence HERE and NOW, not somewhere else or in some other time.  You are part of “His team” whom He knew and chose before the creation of the cosmos.  God will give you all the actual graces you need to do His will according to His plan.
• God makes His works our own and gives us the strength to carry them out.  We live by grace and elbow grease.  Get to work.   Get to work and and let God judge your successes, because He know more than you do.  You cannot fathom in the moment of the doing what fruits your grace-informed efforts will bear down the line.
• You cannot love or give what you do not know or have.  Therefore, you must learn your faith well.  Read a) Scripture, b) lives of the saints c) sound catechisms, d) tried and true spiritual and devotional writings and prayer books.  Always be ready to GIVE reasons for your faith.  This is the work of a lifetime, not just early years and then coast.

It's good advice. It's serious; and it requires us to take action.

Meanwhile, it's early on a Saturday morning, before the sunrise. And, yes, I'm reading some Scripture and devotional writings, reciting some prayers. And it does take a lifetime of such activity to even scratch the surface of knowing and truly understanding my religion, practicing my faith, and growing closer to God. One hope is the typical baby steps we take will add up to something. But, frankly, it's all in God's hands. His grace alone will be responsible for whatever does result from our efforts.

As for the 2 billion, that's in God's hands as well. Would He permit such a thing. Well, it does seem He's permitted big numbers to be killed in wars in the past. Why He did this is a subject that many have pondered. Some answers make more sense than others. Few really console, though.

In the end, it does seem this world, and our lives in it, are just something like a way station on the way to an ultimate destination. War or no war, we're all headed there some day.