“Never discuss religion or politics at social gatherings.” This has always been the sage advice given to ensure civility and avoid conflict. With the rise of social media—Instagram, Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter and 24 hour television news programs—we are bombarded with everyone’s political opinion all of the time. It’s usually not polite, and it’s certainly not pretty. If there was ever a political climate with more negativity, I can’t remember it.
I wish with all my heart that we could eliminate all the nastiness and ill-will.
What drives so much of the negative rhetoric is simple fear. One side demonizes the other side because they fear what will happen if their opponent wins. Fear is a strong force and has been a part of the human condition since the beginning of time. It is no wonder that our good God so often tries to reassure us to “Fear not!” We have all heard that the phrase is mentioned over 365 times in the Bible – at least once for every day of the year! But we still struggle not to fear the unknown.
What consoles me is my belief in a loving Father who has promised us life and abundance. I read a book once entitled Love Wins by Rob Bell. I love that title. As Christians, our hope and belief is that all things will ultimately be brought to perfection through Christ. Love will win in the end. The challenge is to make that understanding a part of our day-to-day life. So how do we do that?
Follow another common refrain in the Bible – “pray always”! It is truly the best way to fight the fear that is always around us. Set your sight on the goodness found in your life. Don’t give in to the fear-mongers who constantly see the end of the world around every corner. Prayer helps set our vision on a better world.
Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. One of the characteristics of prayer we as Catholics believe is that, with the right intention, every moment of the day—all our hopes, works, joys, and sufferings—can become our prayer. Prayer arises from the heart. "True prayer," wrote St. Augustine, "is nothing but love."
We need only to love. We need only to pray. It can be praying a Rosary, meditating on a scripture passage, or simply spending some quiet time in the presence of our loving Father. Prayer will force out the fear, it will strengthen our resolve to live with hope and to remember that God knows what is best for His creation. We need only trust and pray … always!
— Mrs. Kathy England, Pastoral Associate