Today's Thoughts...

​Today’s Thoughts: “If God is for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8: 31b) This verse and the verses that follow in today first reading (Romans 8: 31b – 39) is one of my favorite passages in St. Paul’s letters. The verses Romans 8:38-39; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor present things, nor future things, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” sits on the wall over my desk. It is a passage in St. Paul that we should read every morning before we do anything and every evening as we close our eyes to sleep.
 
Think about it, Paul’s question to us is – “if God is for us who can be against us?” Paul’s answer is nobody and nothing! A second question is – “who or what can separate us for God’s love?” It seems that Paul’s answer to this question is the same, nothing and no one! However, that is not really true because for me Paul leaves out one thing – us. We are the only ones who can separate us from God’s love. We are the only ones who can get in the way.
 
Our challenge today and every day, if I can paraphrase Jesus in today’s Gospel, “[We] must continue on [our] way today, tomorrow, and the following day.” (Luke 13: 33) but we do it knowing that God is for us and nothing but ourselves can separate us from God’s love. Thus if we are true, faithful, joyful, hopeful and committed to our friendship with God it is always going to be a great day!
 
Have a great Thursday everyone!