Lesson from Fr. Paulus | God's Providence is Real

My dear brothers and sisters, God hears the cry of the poor! That's what today's reading tells us. Jeremiah in the First Reading says: "Praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!" Then Jeremiah jubilantly proclaims God's power and faithfulness: "But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion," he says, "my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph."

These are beautiful words. But are they too good to be true? Does God really hear the cry of the poor? World Health Organization reported that around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year. Six out of 10 (61%) of all unintended pregnancies, and 3 out of 10 (29%) of all pregnancies, end in induced abortion. Moreover, a WHO report dated 2020 estimates that 120 million girls aged under 20 years have experienced some form of forced sexual contact. [Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/]

What about the countless victims of natural disasters, war, and poverty? What about the agonizing moral and emotional suffering hidden in our own hearts and our neighbour's? Is the Lord really with us? Is he really a mighty champion? The answer is YES!

Jesus tells us, not a sparrow alights on the ground without the Father's knowledge. Every hair on every head is counted. Jesus used those striking images so that there would be absolutely no doubt left in our minds: God is watching over all of us and guiding the course of history - nothing escapes his providential care.

And if it ever seems otherwise, that's only because we are not looking at the whole story. Reality, Jesus teaches us, includes eternity. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." God's Providence is real. It will never let us down. Every evil deed will be set right, and every prayer will be answered.

Exercising Christian Courage

God's providence is real. As the Catechism tells us in its very first paragraph, "For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. "He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. "He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church." Nothing escapes God's all-loving, all-powerful providence.

This should be a source of comfort for us. No matter how dark the tunnel of life gets, as Christians, we are always able to see a light ahead: our resurrected Lord. Today, when Jesus renews his commitment to us in this Mass, let's thank him for this great gift. But taking comfort in this truth is only half the story.

The reality of God's providence has another practical consequence: it gives us supernatural courage. Courage gives us strength to resist enemies and overcome obstacles. Believing in God's providence helps us do that, because it reminds us that we are never fighting alone. But courage also gives us strength to undertake worthwhile but difficult projects, to set out to do great things for God and neighbour.

Believing in God's providence helps us do that too, because we know that if we are striving to do great things for God, he will, as St Paul once wrote, make all things work together to help us. What great thing has God put on your heart? What project has the Holy Spirit planted in the back of your mind? Today, as we renew our faith in God's providence, let's claim that supernatural courage and move that project forward.