We know that all things work for good for those who love God

If God is for us, who can be against us?

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, you may be feeling a sense of anxiety today. There is a palpable air of uncertainty filling the world right now. Unfortunately for humanity, this political turmoil is nothing new. Throughout history, regimes have come and gone, and the humble citizen is often caught in the changing tide. In times of great upheaval, wise men and women of history have turned inward and relied on their faith to sustain them. The Bible is full of the revelations that these wise people of history found in times of trouble. They documented for us in their writings exactly how they coped with wars, famine, disease, and persecution. We can then turn to these ancient texts for guidance on how to deal with the impending changes and turbulence in our world today. For as the wisdom writer of Ecclesiastes said, “What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!”

The writings of St. Paul make-up a large portion of the New Testament. In his life, he went from being a persecutor of Christians to the Persecuted. He experienced many life-threatening situations. In the end, the government of Rome executed him for his religious faith. Yet, so much of what he wrote during his lifetime were words of encouragement to people in turmoil. So for today, and maybe the next few days, it may be wise for us to reflect on St. Paul’s words of consolation:

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 35, 37-39)