Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This time of year can be extra challenging for people for many reasons. Some people find it difficult to trust that God cares for them when they are facing things like poor health, loneliness, failure, or rejection. Trusting that God has a plan for them, much less even cares for them, can be a challenge. If that is your situation, then read on. If that is not your situation, then read on because someone you know may need to hear from you how to trust that Our Lord is with them.
Trust includes the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith rejects doubt and unbelief and strengthens our trust in God. Hope anticipates God's help and the ultimate union with Him, avoiding despair and strengthens our trust in God. Charity expresses our love for God and our neighbor which strengthens our trust in God. In essence, trusting in God is about recognizing His unwavering presence and support, allowing this relationship to transform one's life into a life filled with joy, peace, and a sense of purpose and meaning.
St. Paul expresses very succinctly what trust in God looks like when he says to the Philippians, “God who has begun the good work among you will bring it to completion.” To put it another way, when God begins something in your life, He will see that good thing through all the way to the end. God does not love you one minute and then forget you in the next. God’s plan and God’s goal for us are close to His heart and He always wants what is best for us even if it doesn’t feel like it. Trusting in God’s Divine providence enables us to live with greater peace and confidence.
Yet worry comes knocking and robs us of our peace. Fear is one of the main reasons we give up and give in to sin. It is easy to fret about what the future might bring and what will happen in the days, weeks, and months ahead. It is easy to be consumed by worry. We may worry about health, family, school, job, addiction battles, growing old. This situation (and a myriad of other things) are all reminders that we are not completely in control. So, we worry. Trusting that God has you - your cares, your fears, your hopes and all your dreams safely in His Heart fades with each mounting concern.
St. Paul is reminding us today about something we can easily forget. All the blessings you have in your life - your family, friends, achievements, opportunities, are all from God. Blessings are reminders of His never-ending love for you. Pride says that all you have is the result of your own intelligence and effort. Arrogance says that blessings are the result of your own wisdom and worthiness. A humble response is that acknowledgement that blessings come from God. Could God, who so loves you and blesses you with everything, ever forget you? Why would such a generous God leave you in the desert to die? He will never abandon you. “God who has begun the good work within you will bring it to completion.” God will always be faithful.
As we prepare to welcome the Christ Child, let us ask Our Lord to strengthen our trust in Him. God will never give up on you. Trust that what God has begun in you, will be completed through Him, with Him and in Him. God created you in love for love. God has blessed you with infinitely more than you could ever imagine. St. Paul says to us today: “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”
God Bless,
Fr. Don Kline
BACK TO LIST