Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28:20

Everyone has had successful and discouraging experiences; energetic and sluggish days; hot and cold friends. But no matter how badly off we are we are never without the presence and strength of God. He is always there for us to call upon Him for whatever we need. We might feel completely alone at times; our energy and enthusiasm level might hit rock bottom; we might feel like throwing in the towel; but we aren’t finished yet. As God was with all the apostles, and early Christians, He is also with you and me. When we don’t feel God’s presence, that’s just God testing our faith and giving us a chance to make it grow.

St Paul was tested like us and he openly admits it in 2 Timothy 4:9-17. Thus He wrote with much frustration and sadness: “Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; at my case in court no one took my part. In fact, everyone abandoned me.” The thing that kept St Paul going was his trust in God who stood by his side when everyone else let him down. We should derive hope from St Paul’s story of betrayal. Being a Christian was just as much of a struggle for St. Paul in his day as it is for us in our day.

At times, you may feel washed up. And, why shouldn’t you! Mother Teresa felt like this, and some people thought she lost her faith when she wrote about her rock bottom feeling of abandonment. But, God was only testing her and purifying her the way a refiner purifies silver in order to remove the impurities.

We should never expect too much from ourselves and others. God is in charge of our lives and we need to trust in Him. He is always by our side to give us what we need in good times and in bad.

Fr. Hugh Duffy