Just as the question says.
Even from my corner of Southeast Asia, the media coverage (especially coming from overseas) has been 24/7 doom-and-gloom. Economies shut down, fears of Italy's seeming "demise' writ large, sustained panic...while hysteria hasn't happened, you have sections of the population that are just afraid, whether for their lives or their livelihoods. I'd imagine something similar, if not MUCH MORE PRONOUNCED in the US, as foreign coverage is almost non-stop "AMERICA IS DOOMED FUCK TRUMP RECESSION NO HOPE"
How do you respond to the Doomers seemingly "vindicated" by such fearmongering and the overall sense of pessimism being cultivated?
EDIT: Curiously enough, you also have the People's Republic of China doing its spin in trying to present itself as the generous "savior." Meanwhile, Japan and Taiwan's examples, as well as Singapore's, tend to be downplayed.
On the one hand, my Filipino countrymen still hold Catholicism firmly (to varying degrees of piety). On the other hand, the fear of the unknown and the rumor mills tend to either distort "place our trust in God" or override it, never mind the old adage of "God helps those who help themselves."
God didn't cause this mess. People, especially CCP-affiliated, did.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me;"
The 23rd Psalm isn't a mystical spell which prevents bad things from happening, it's a seed for a contemplative practice which bolsters hope, strengthens resolve and focuses the will. It's through the discipline of prayer that we find the power to conquer the darkness which discourages our hearts and veils our minds, liberating us from the chains of terror and doubt and enabling us to act as necessary to overcome, or at least endure, the trials we face. Faith isn't about wielding an occult magic that allows you to master the world, it's about learning how to master yourself. It's not about gaining a power that comes from somewhere else, it's about unlocking the potential that was in you all along. And it works. It changes lives for the better, in a very real way, with ripples that echo across the world. When we are mired in the pits of despair we have but to give ourselves to God and He raises us up on eagles' wings. There's no sensible reason why that should happen, yet it does. Some folks may brush it off as a placebo, but what is more miraculous than an effect without a cause? Don't promise that God will do this or that, just tell your countrymen the good news that there is still hope when all other lights shall fail. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22
Thank You!