"What has happened to our country, General?"

Right before the imposition of the infamous martial law in the Philippines in 1972, after the bombing of a political meeting, the vice president of the country, who was among those injured, asked a general who had rushed to his side and asked him:"What has happened to our country, General? This made headlines in the national press.

Nowadays, with the internet with its worldwide and instantaneous reach, we see and hear reports of events and happenings in our world, both good and bad. The preponderance of bad news is very evident, such that our present culture is often called the culture of death, where so-called "political correctness" is imposed even to those unwilling and consider it wrong, and itself effectively restricts the freedom of speech, where truth is considered hate because some people are offended by it.

Some news reported in the media show the evil, the chaos, the confusion, the lies, and the hate that characterize the present era. Now, good has become evil, and evil has become good. Consider some of the news we read about to the extent of graphic portrayals, as follows:

-- "8th grade boy sexually abuses nieces after viewing porn on iPhone he got for birthday

-- "Quebec doctors now ‘abruptly’ euthanize sick patients as first resort: study"

-- "Police investigate funeral home, find bodies of hundreds of unborn babies"

-- "Child murderer wants sex change so he can be moved to ‘cushier’ women’s prison"

-- "San Francisco creates ‘transgender cultural district’ to ‘empower’ the gender-confused"

-- "16-year-old charged with killing girlfriend, unborn baby: She ‘waited too long’ to get abortion"

-- "Young elementary school students are being forced to participate in Buddhist-based meditation in public schools."

-- "teacher from a primary school in Germiston forced her pupils to watch a pornographic movie."

-- "Satanist exhibit placed beside nativity scene."

-- "Clergy sex abuse scandal rocks the Christian world; Cardinal stripped of title for sexual assault of seminarians"

-- "3 Dead, 2 Injured After Woman Opens Fire In Maryland"

-- "Parents banned from criticizing objectionable sex education in schools"

-- and many, many more . . .

All these can make us ask the question: "What's happening to your world, dear Lord?"

Will you punish your sinful people like you punished Sodom and Gomorrah?

"I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and humiliate the pride of tyrants." (Isaiah 13:11)

Or will you give your sinful world and people a chance?

" . . . 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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Let us turn to God and pray . . .

Have mercy on your people and your world, Lord!!#