Take courage

Though we're not as holy as Jesus the Divine Son, our Divine Father remains with us always; our baptisms guarantee it.  Take a look at Acts (19:1-8), where Paul meets a group of people who have received the baptism of John.  He completes their initiation into the Church by giving them the sacramental baptism as instructed by Jesus Himself.

There’s a difference between the two baptisms: The first one had been an act of repentance, which is something we do every time we overcome sin.  In the second one, because it's a sacrament, it's something that God does.  God comes to us in the fullness of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Thus, we can never be abandoned.  Even when we lose people through death or separation or some other form of scattering, we never lose God.  If we seek God, we’ll discover that He’s already right here with us.  But when we insist upon handling life our own way, we look past Him and miss Him.  We abandon Him.

How much we accept God's presence is entirely up to us.  That’s free will.

To feel the Father's nearness, we need to spend time in meaningful prayer and examination of conscience, repent of our sins, surrender to Him our will and desires so we can make room for His will and desires, and refuse to settle for any substitute that the world offers.

We need some words of encouragement today.  How about, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (John 16:29-33)

Jesus never said believing in Him would make life easy.  With Covid-19 and the social and political polarization occurring, not just in the United States, but around the World, our faith is the key to weathering the storm.  To have hope and courage through prayer.  To be able to tap into the gifts that have been given to us, through the Holy Spirit, to bring hope and courage to those who need us.  We all have our part in building up the Kingdom of God in our country and our world. It’s not easy, but God gives us the graces we need.