10/31/2013 – Thursday of 30th week in Ordinary Time –Romans 8:31b-39

“If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Sounds warm and comforting, but when we are going through a lot of suffering and misery and turmoil in our lives, then it seems like a lot of going against us. Paul declares that nothing will separate us from Christ – not anguish or distress or persecution or famine. I think of how Paul wrote some of his letter when he was in chains in prison, how he turned from being a persecutor of Christians in his former life before his conversion to one who became persecuted.  The love of Christ we have in our hearts and the faith by which we live will bring us to eternal life, will lead us and guide us on our journey, even when all else seems to fail.  In our humility and in our lives of discipleship, we do not exalt ourselves or lift ourselves up, but rather seek to glorify God and live out our faith. May this give us encouragement in the trials we endure on our journey.