When I first found out that I would preach this weekend, I wanted to focus on St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians because, as Father Szatkowski mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it is rich with material worth reflecting on. This Sunday wraps up our journey through the letter which has been presented to us for not only the last 4 Sundays at Mass but which was the heart of the readings each day from the Liturgy of the Hours’ Office of Readings a week ago, and I find it one of the most uplifting and joyful of all his letters. And with coming off retreat last weekend and the wonderful weather we have been experiencing, it has truly seemed to be an uplifting and joyful time in the world.
But that was before the horrendous events which occurred in the Middle East, and I’ve struggled to reconcile the feelings of joy and peace that I get from Paul’s letters with the negative emotions which have assailed me because of world events in the Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as day-to-day problems in my personal life.
And yet, if we listen closely to what Paul has to say to us, we will understand that God is still active in our world despite the conflicts of today, and God remains with us even in the personal problems we face.
To understand that, we should first look at the circumstances at the time in which Paul is writing. First and foremost, he’s been persecuted for proclaiming the Good News. He’s been stoned, run out of towns, and faced obstacles from both man and nature, and he has given up all that he owned and his position among the Jews in order to proclaim the Gospel. Now, Paul is in prison. He’s been there for a while, and he has been abandoned by those who were near to him. It would be understandable if he were depressed or anxious or even questioned the faith he professed.
We see in his letter a life that reflects the circumstances of life which we all have experienced: of being hungry and of being well-fed; of having everything we thought we needed and of having to do without. Of feeling accepted and of feeling abandoned or persecuted.
But he doesn’t. He describes his life as one of joy and peacefulness of heart, one of gratitude and confidence.
The beginning of Chapter 4 has what is one of my favorite of all Bible verses from Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (4:4) He follows that with a challenge for us in light of what which we face today: “Have no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” (4:6)
In light of the circumstances of the last week, we too are now called to make our requests known to God through prayer and fasting. The Latin Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has called for a day of prayer and fasting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land. He has urged Catholics to organize times of prayer with Eucharistic adoration and recitation of the rosary “to deliver to God the Father our thirst for peace, justice, and reconciliation.”
He further said, “In this time of sorrow and dismay, we do not want to remain helpless. We cannot let death and its sting (1 Cor 15:55) be the only word we hear. … That is why we feel the need to pray, to turn our hearts to God the Father. Only in this way we can draw the strength and serenity needed to endure these hard times, by turning to him, in prayer and intercession, to implore and cry out to God amidst this anguish.”
In response to his request to the Universal Church, we will have a day of prayer and adoration at St. Paul’s, beginning with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament immediately after the 8am Mass, and concluding with Benediction at 9pm. Fr. Szatkowski hopes that everyone will stop by at some point during the day for quiet prayer and to recite a rosary. If your circumstances prevent you from coming, please pray a rosary as a family at home. Also, consider offering some sort of fasting or sacrifice that day for peace.
I would like to offer one final thought. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of tragic events in our own lives, and the feeling of helplessness in light of events happening half-way around the globe is understandable. But we are NOT helpless. Paul today gives us the line which should be our motto:
“I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.”
Through Christ we DO have the strength to face whatever the challenges that may arise in our lives. And the most important, the most powerful weapon that we have in the face of any adversity is prayer. Come Tuesday, PRAY.
And in spite of adversity, remember Paul’s words: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”
Or, as I quoted a few weeks ago, “Remember to play after every storm.”
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