Don’t despair: God’s love is greater than natural disasters, war, disease

Published: January 14, 2006

By Msgr. Richard Oswald

“Paul is saying that wars, disease and natural disasters are real but the love and fidelity of God are more real than anything that can harm us or cause us anxiety. God is more dependable and trustworthy than anything that can cause us to suffer.” Since December 2004 extreme tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes have assaulted our world. Millions suffer from terrible diseases and we are told that a flu pandemic is a possibility in the near future. Wars rage and we live under the threat of terrorism. Many find it easy to give in to the temptation to lose hope in the future and to focus on the worst aspect of everything. When tempted to join the pessimists of the world we should recall the words of the Apostle Paul who urges us to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks …” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) At a time when the Church is a despised minority living under the cloud of the Roman Empire, Paul has the audacity to tell the faith community at Thessalonica to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances. He dares to call them to joy. He is not speaking merely of a good feeling or a sense of pleasure. He is not encouraging them to pretend that everything is fine or to put on a smile and make everything all right. The joy of which he speaks is the joy that is ours because Jesus, the Son of God, has become one of us and has revealed that God loves us more than we can imagine. Our joy, our hope is rooted in our relationship with the God who loves us. Paul is saying that wars, disease and natural disasters are real, but the love and fidelity of God are more real than anything that can harm us or cause us anxiety. God is more dependable and trustworthy than anything that can cause us to suffer. Even if everything and everyone should fail you, he says, rejoice and give thanks anyway because God is faithful. And continue to pray. Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7) Paul was well qualified to speak about a joy and peace stronger than the darkness of the world. He suffered rejection, beatings and imprisonment, all the while clinging to his faith in Jesus. He had encountered the darkness but never gave in to living in darkness. Paul never lost sight of the light of Christ. He asks us to do the same. The next time you are tempted to engage in some gossip about God, tempted to revel in how much God hates and despises creation and the human race and how God is always looking for new ways to unleash his wrath upon us, remember the advice of St. Paul and the words of Pope John Paul I who wrote, “The strength to see the good side of things should be characteristic of the Christian. If the Gospel really means ‘good news’, then being a Christian means being a happy person — one who spreads joy.” Msgr. Richard Oswald is pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers.

This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic January 14, 2006. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.