Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

There are times when we will feel abandoned by family, friends, co-workers, and others. We feel alone in the world and tempted to despair or even anger at those who have forsaken us. However, we must remember the people in our lives, no matter how much we love them are imperfect, like us. They will not always do what is good or avoid what is wrong. Thankfully, we do not need them by our sides in our darkest hours. We can instead put our trust in God and allow Him to lead us out of the night and into the dawn. When we trust God in such a way, we allow Him to sanctify and bless our lives so they bear good fruits even among the worries and woes of the world. We are given strength by these gifts to go forth and proclaim the Good News to all who will hear it. When we choose to believe in the promises of Jesus Christ, we will be rescued from every evil, resurrected in spirit, and brought safely to God’s Heavenly Kingdom where we will glorify God forever.

Are we willing to forgive those who abandon us in our times of need? How can we place our complete trust in God? What can we do to proclaim the Good News even in the midst of our own trials?

O Lord, to you be glory forever and ever.

Amen.