So many news stories, from near & far, tell the story of wicked people doing terrible things, and many innocent people - such as the wormen & children of Gaza, or the passengers shot down over Ukraine, or the victims of the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 - suffer.
In this troubled world, how can we respond?
St. Paul also lived in a troubled world, and many Christians faced persecution and hardship. The Roman Caesar was the increasingly mad Nero. And yet Paul wrote the following.'Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8.35-39)
Death looks powerful and we shall all face it. But stronger than death is the love of God, which has conquered death, decay, ruin and chaos. Today, we can all find ways to share that overwhelming victory with the troubled and worn people all around us.
Best wishes,
Richard
No comments:
Post a Comment