Relying on God’s Grace

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To say that the recent election results have me concerned would be an understatement. Seeing how many people voted ‘for change’ with no real clear definition of how that change will happen is amazing. What truly disturbed me is how many people who profess to be Catholic (or really any Christian) could vote for someone that does not respect life at all stages is mind blowing. I am all for social justice, but saying that government has to mandate how it will happen is just not right. Becoming a socialist country is not my dream, nor that of many other Americans, but it appears we’re headed there. So much for learning from history for some people. Or maybe they feel past failures were due to incompetent individuals. Ah, the arrogance which abounds….

Enough lead in for this post. This year is the Year of Saint Paul in the Roman Catholic Church and we are encouraged to study his letters. Our parish decided to mass purchase the book Praying with Saint Paul: Daily Reflections on the Letters of the Apostle Paul so parishioners could make this journey. Each day has a quote from one of Paul’s writings and a reflection on it. I have not been good at reading it daily as intended, but the page for November 19th just jumped out at me in this aftermath of the election.

The quote for that day’s reflection was “So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1) The message of the reflection was basically that we are NOT to conform to society and give up our principles. Instead, we should be strong in grace which can only come from God. Hmmm… so this current peer pressure from our culture to water down the faith or push some things aside to appease society is not a new problem. Realizing, like Paul did, that we are weak but can be made spiritually strong when walking in faith is easy on the surface. However, I find that sometimes walking the walk can be difficult. Allowing our faith to permeate all aspects of our life in a society where it is discouraged is challenging. Finally, trusting that God sees things we do not and has plans we have yet to see unfold grates against the message of being in charge of destiny that permeates aspects of our culture.

Through our day to day living, we best express our faith. After reading that passage, I was struck at how I, too, will sometimes hide my own beliefs and practices for fear of offending others. In the end, though, I can see that the one most offended is myself.

Maybe this walk with St. Paul will lead to transformation in our spiritual lives. If nothing else, I hope to be a better example for the boys as they learn and grow in faith.