Make All Things Work for Our Good
I had a conversation recently with a couple who told me that they were thinking about giving up their prayers because of all the lingering problems that they were having among their children and grandchildren. There were experiencing divisions, sibling rivalry, alcoholism, abandonment of the faith, marital problems, career difficulties, malice, etc. “Why keep praying?” they asked.
My first response was to encourage them to keep on praying because things could be worse without their prayers. But I also reminded them that some things in life are not meant to be taken away by prayer alone. Prayer with the right disposition is always efficacious but there are things that cannot be prayed away.
We must remember that there are things in our lives that Divine Providence uses to make us more like Jesus Christ. These are Christ-forming events and situations that allow divine grace to mold us into the heart, mind and attitude of Christ. Prayer is not meant to take these things away but to bring us to face them appropriately in such a way that they mold us more into the image of Jesus Christ.
St. Paul states thus: “For those who love God, all things work for good.” As long as we have an active and dynamic love for God, a love initiated and sustained through prayer, our life experiences, no matter how unfavorable they may be, are eternally beneficial for us.
But what is our eternal good? Our eternal good is first to be like Christ now, “He (God) predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Ultimately, our eternal goodness lies in life with Christ in heavenly glory, “For those He predestined He likewise called, and those He called He also justified and those He justified He in turn glorified.” We cannot have the glorious life with Christ if we are not being conformed to Him now here on earth. This is what God wills for us in everything we experience, and no amount of prayer can change that purpose.
On a personal level, as an ordained priest, I have to perform my sacramental duties while experiencing many things that are not favorable in any way. I have to face the reality of fewer priestly vocations, challenges in community life and in my family of origin, unending scandals in the Church, suffering of those whom I serve, departure of many from the Catholic faith, my own personal struggles, criticisms, loneliness, etc. I just cannot pray these away. But I must pray and face them out of love for God for my own eternal good – to become more like Christ.
The same applies to any vocation in the Church. Whether we are parents, grandparents, religious or single, the goal of our vocation is Christlikeness through Christ-like charity. Our calling is much more than merely fulfilling the duties of our state in life and offering prayers to God and then expecting to be preserved from unfavorable and challenging moments. Do we realize that our journey to become like Christ began at baptism and involves our response to all the events of our lives? We too must pray fervently and continuously to have the grace to face all these out of love for God for our own eternal good.
