Tough Times Call For Tough Measures
Tough times bring out the best in us. It may not feel that way now, but you'll see.
If you're unemployed, or struggling financially, join the club. Unemployment's as bad as it's been since the Great Depression. And it's sad to see so many of us out of work, looking for gainful employment.
What I'm going to say isn't meant to minimize the seriousness or difficulty of the situation. I've been talking a bit about our current tough times and about being unemployed or struggling financially, so I'm following up on that theme.
Here's a simple idea for us Catholic men struggling right now to make ends meet from Psalm 91:
You know and I know that we should always trust in God. That's what Psalm 91 is telling us too. It's good to remember these basic ideas, especially if you're struggling now. When times are tough, when you get caught up in the anxiety that hardships - most especially financial hardships - can cause, it's important to take a deep breath and remind yourself to trust in Him.
Why should we get so anxious over financial difficulties? After all, we all know that there are worse things in the world than living on a tight budget. There are even worse things than losing your home because you can't pay the mortgage (as difficult as that may be - and I'm not trying to minimize this).
For whatever the reasons, financial anxiety really wears us down - can even harm our marriages and wreck the peace in our families. Sometimes I think that it's exactly because we Catholic men know that financial stuff shouldn't be so important - in the greater scheme of things - that it becomes so hard to deal with.
A lot of us don't want to really talk about how tough it is to lose a job or face the fact that you're not making enough money, or you don't have enough to pay the bills this month. It's embarrassing for a man to be in this position. Maybe that contributes to the anxiety - not being able to really talk about it with anyone.
Anyway, this is no time to let anxiety overwhelm us. The fact is, many of us are facing financial difficulties. That's why I'm quoting Psalm 91 - to remind us of the most basic fact: It's time to really trust in God.
These tough times call for tough measures. We're being challenged now to really live our faith. And to really live our faith, we have to face the fact that we're not the ones in charge. God is.
Now does all this mean that God put you out of work? Has God made the stock market crash? Did He cause the economic crisis we're living in right now?
Well, as a Catholic, you surely know that, in some mysterious way we don't fully understand, everything that happens is part of God's plan. And as a Catholic, you know that we need to trust Him - totally.
I know it's not easy to think this way. Maybe you're thinking about where you'll come up with money for your next rent or mortgage payment. Maybe you're wondering whether your company's going to lay you off next. But it's just in times like this - tough times - that our faith is tested. And it's just in times like this that we Catholic men need to really step up to the plate and show that we really do believe in God the Father Almighty - and all the rest of those words we say every Sunday when we recite the Creed.
Tough times aren't going away. I don't know why God might have permitted them to come to us right now. But here we are and there He is, waiting for us to acknowledge Him as our Father, and to trust Him totally. What are you going to do now?
If you're unemployed, or struggling financially, join the club. Unemployment's as bad as it's been since the Great Depression. And it's sad to see so many of us out of work, looking for gainful employment.
What I'm going to say isn't meant to minimize the seriousness or difficulty of the situation. I've been talking a bit about our current tough times and about being unemployed or struggling financially, so I'm following up on that theme.
Here's a simple idea for us Catholic men struggling right now to make ends meet from Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord,
"My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord,
"My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
You know and I know that we should always trust in God. That's what Psalm 91 is telling us too. It's good to remember these basic ideas, especially if you're struggling now. When times are tough, when you get caught up in the anxiety that hardships - most especially financial hardships - can cause, it's important to take a deep breath and remind yourself to trust in Him.
Why should we get so anxious over financial difficulties? After all, we all know that there are worse things in the world than living on a tight budget. There are even worse things than losing your home because you can't pay the mortgage (as difficult as that may be - and I'm not trying to minimize this).
For whatever the reasons, financial anxiety really wears us down - can even harm our marriages and wreck the peace in our families. Sometimes I think that it's exactly because we Catholic men know that financial stuff shouldn't be so important - in the greater scheme of things - that it becomes so hard to deal with.
A lot of us don't want to really talk about how tough it is to lose a job or face the fact that you're not making enough money, or you don't have enough to pay the bills this month. It's embarrassing for a man to be in this position. Maybe that contributes to the anxiety - not being able to really talk about it with anyone.
Anyway, this is no time to let anxiety overwhelm us. The fact is, many of us are facing financial difficulties. That's why I'm quoting Psalm 91 - to remind us of the most basic fact: It's time to really trust in God.
These tough times call for tough measures. We're being challenged now to really live our faith. And to really live our faith, we have to face the fact that we're not the ones in charge. God is.
Now does all this mean that God put you out of work? Has God made the stock market crash? Did He cause the economic crisis we're living in right now?
Well, as a Catholic, you surely know that, in some mysterious way we don't fully understand, everything that happens is part of God's plan. And as a Catholic, you know that we need to trust Him - totally.
I know it's not easy to think this way. Maybe you're thinking about where you'll come up with money for your next rent or mortgage payment. Maybe you're wondering whether your company's going to lay you off next. But it's just in times like this - tough times - that our faith is tested. And it's just in times like this that we Catholic men need to really step up to the plate and show that we really do believe in God the Father Almighty - and all the rest of those words we say every Sunday when we recite the Creed.
Tough times aren't going away. I don't know why God might have permitted them to come to us right now. But here we are and there He is, waiting for us to acknowledge Him as our Father, and to trust Him totally. What are you going to do now?
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