29 October, Thursday — Standing Firm in the Lord

Thursday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Eph 6:10-20
Lk 13:31-35

“Put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the Devil’s tactics.”

As the American presidential elections draw close, I am starting to discern a growing rift in opinion among my friends and acquaintances, whether they are American or not. On the one hand stand the liberals, many of whom decry the political style and policy decisions of President Donald Trump. On the other side stand the conservatives, many of whom are increasingly frustrated by an increasingly individualistic and pro-choice environment, which jars with their religious and moral beliefs.

But at the centre of this all stands our Lord. At the centre of the ideological tussling, much of it resembling a tug-of-war that involves much heaving and pulling, but does not result in any decisive shift in either direction of the median line, stands our Lord Jesus who, even in His time on earth, had dealt with similar political struggles.

In our readings today, we are told that our struggle is with ‘the principalities, the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness’ as well as the Pharisees who had supposedly killed the prophets and stoned those who were sent to them. While it is tempting to dwell on ‘principalities’ and ‘powers’, Jesus is in reality not asking us to take on any political positions. Rather, He is asking us to choose Him over all world powers, whether on the left or the right.

This is why He said that our struggle is with principalities and powers, not liberals and conservatives. In the heat of any election season, it is easy to get caught up and choose sides, in the process, condemning those who are on the other side. We do this often enough during a soccer match, much less a national election. But whether in sport or politics, it is important for us to keep our eyes on God and our hearts firmly rooted in love.  

(Today’s Oxygen by Jacob Woo)

Prayer: Lord, we pray for unity and community across the world, that no matter what transpires to separate us, You may, in the end, bring us all back together again.

Thanksgiving: We are thankful for the eternal presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who stands unchanging even as the world continues to be mired in chaos and confusion.