Business as Usual - or Will We Be Facing Something Different This Year?
It's no secret that we're in grip of the biggest economic and financial crisis of any of our lifetimes. Some of us are unemployed, having a particularly tough time finding work. Some of us can find work, but it doesn't pay much - not close to what we were making, certainly not enough to support our families. Some of us labor with the anxiety of losing our jobs, or having to work for too little pay hanging over us.
Perhaps this comment of a neighbor of mine hits the nail on the head best. He thinks those of us who have decent jobs are still doing OK, but those who don't are "dead" (his word). The point is that there are lots of people out there facing financial distress like they've never faced before. Maybe some are losing hope too.
So I want to acknowledge what's happening. It makes no sense to ignore and make believe it's "business as usual." While I think we Catholic men should continue to work and pray as always, and keep the discipline we have developed to work for God's greater glory and grow in holiness, it's time to face the fact that we live in extraordinarily distressing times. And, I fear, things may get worse before they get better.
In that light, here's a passage from Psalm 118 (117): I came across that really struck me:
It's really important for us who may face tougher times in this New Year to turn to the Lord in our distress. It's critical for us to, first and foremost, call on Him, to ask for both His comfort and His guidance - and to listen for His response. Yes, I know we can't always hear Him, and sometimes it feels as if He doesn't hear us, but please keep listening. He is talking to you. If you keep listening, at some point you will "hear" what He wants you to do. At the very least, you'll have the comfort of knowing He hears you in your distress.
I hope I'm wrong about times getting tougher. I hope things pick up this year. But even if they don't pick up, even if things get worse in the economy, I hope even more that I continue to hope in the Lord - and that you do too.
Perhaps this comment of a neighbor of mine hits the nail on the head best. He thinks those of us who have decent jobs are still doing OK, but those who don't are "dead" (his word). The point is that there are lots of people out there facing financial distress like they've never faced before. Maybe some are losing hope too.
So I want to acknowledge what's happening. It makes no sense to ignore and make believe it's "business as usual." While I think we Catholic men should continue to work and pray as always, and keep the discipline we have developed to work for God's greater glory and grow in holiness, it's time to face the fact that we live in extraordinarily distressing times. And, I fear, things may get worse before they get better.
In that light, here's a passage from Psalm 118 (117): I came across that really struck me:
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can man do to me?
It's really important for us who may face tougher times in this New Year to turn to the Lord in our distress. It's critical for us to, first and foremost, call on Him, to ask for both His comfort and His guidance - and to listen for His response. Yes, I know we can't always hear Him, and sometimes it feels as if He doesn't hear us, but please keep listening. He is talking to you. If you keep listening, at some point you will "hear" what He wants you to do. At the very least, you'll have the comfort of knowing He hears you in your distress.
I hope I'm wrong about times getting tougher. I hope things pick up this year. But even if they don't pick up, even if things get worse in the economy, I hope even more that I continue to hope in the Lord - and that you do too.
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