Florida is called “The Sunshine State.” That doesn’t mean it doesn’t rain. Forecasts these summer days often have showers. However, the sun does shine. There are many sayings related to rain. Like, “Let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy day.” That’s a good line to remember these summer days.
The word of God takes us back to the Wisdom literature attributed to Solomon, a series of biblical books collected a century or two before Jesus. Today’s word was written to inspire people undergoing hardships to persevere in fidelity to God’s Covenant. God, the author says, is mighty and powerful, the source of all good, and a patient judge. And for such a mighty and caring and forgiving God, we should be grateful. Think of the beautiful brief prayer of St. Clare of Assisi: “Blessed be you, O God, for having created me.”
Don't we wish we always had the wisdom to distinguish what's really important? Our faith proclaims that our ultimate purpose is to live in relationship with God forever. The Bible gives many splendid images of God. A walking companion. As tender as a mother. The parables of the Good Shepherd and the prodigal son are balanced with the image of the last judgment, when we finally assess ourselves and see God. All the splendid images cannot capture the inexhaustible reality of God.
Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr captured a nugget of wisdom in his well-known prayer: “God, give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time...trusting that You, God, will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will.”
St. Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Rome speaks about the Spirit or energy of God dwelling within us. When we pray “Come, Holy Spirit,” for example, we are praying for an increased sense of that presence of God in us. God is present everywhere, yet we do not always sense it. Paul asks us to be aware in our daily lives. We are “living temples of God.” We might pray, as Paul and Barnabas did in the Book of Acts chapter 13, that God will give us the courage to live the “good news” boldly.
In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds. good and evil, vice and virtue, live together. And yes, God is patient. But we know the harvest will come, when we will be accountable for our attitudes and behavior. In that judgment, we will see clearly our true from our false self. Jesus proclaims loudly that good will triumph.
One big obstacle to faith is the suffering of the innocent. If God loves us, why so much suffering in the world, so much injustice and violence? The Book of Job grappled with this. There are no easy answers. Yet God meets us in the midst of our struggles. People who have gone through great suffering often have strong faith. They testify to the presence of God within, strengthening and comforting them.
In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom describes how her sister, dying in a concentration camp, said, “We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been there.” These sisters trusted in God despite the ugliness they witnessed.
How do we respond to injustice? The biblical psalmist trusted that God ultimately will put things right; God’s got the whole world in his hands! It is a great blessing to have a system of justice. It is a terrible ordeal to live under a corrupt system. But ultimately, God will call us to account. In the meantime, we are called to do everything we can to right wrongs.
There are times when we face major challenges to our faith. St. Paul, for example, was shipwrecked three times. In one scenario, a life-threatening storm appeared. Luke writes that they finally gave up all hope of being saved. Yet, Paul kept on trusting in God, telling those on board that God was still in charge. Extraordinarily, the imprisoned Paul stops the sailors from jumping ship.
The crisis gave Paul an opportunity to speak about his faith. He knew that God wanted the best for him, as he does for us. Paul assured them, “Not a hair of the head of any one of you will be lost.” And, “when he said this, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat...and they took some food themselves.” Miraculously, all safely reached shore.
Paul surely must have prayed: Lord, thank you that you protect me even when disaster strikes. Help me not to fear but rather to keep up my courage and to have faith in you.
Today, whatever challenges we are facing, let’s put our trust in God, believe that God will be with us in whatever God asks us to do. I close with a few lines from a favorite prayer of Thomas Merton:
My Lord God…I trust you always
Though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Paul surely must have prayed: Lord, thank you that you protect me even when disaster strikes.
