Word to the Wise
Monday, September 17, 2007 - Twenty-fourth Monday in Ordinary Time [St. Robert Ballarmine]
[1 Timothy 2:1-8 and Luke 7:1-10]First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may live a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.
When my mother was in her last illness, a close cousin of hers from another town came to visit her. He was a very pious and observant Southern Baptist. On our way out of the house at the end of his visit, he asked me earnestly, "How do you pray for a Catholic?" I told him, "The same way you pray for anyone else!" I thought of this incident in terms of the challenge of praying for "those in authority." When we find ourselves completely at odds with decisions that we consider unlawful, unfair or unjust made by supposedly lawful authority, must we pray that they continue to make those kinds of decisions? To those opposed to the war in Iraq that would seem an obscene way to pray. It is clear that our civil authorities will often make decisions we disagree with, yet we are urged by St. Paul - in more than one place, cf. Romans 13 - to be law abiding citizens. Jesus tells us to give Caesar his tax and the temple its tax! It's one thing to pay taxes, but must we pray for the authority that imposes them? If the words of Jesus about loving our enemies and the words of St. Paul about God willing everyone to be save and to come to knowledge of the truth are to have any effect, the answer to the question must be YES. At least I pray that various governing authorities in my own life, with which/whom I have disagreed in varying degrees many times will indeed "come to knowledge of the truth" and become worthy of salvation. (Mind you, my judgment of their worthiness is not the determining one - for which, if they knew about it, they would no doubt be grateful! I'd like to think that included in my prayers for all there is that hope that all will "come to knowledge of the truth" and thus be saved. This means presidents, congressmen/senators, judges, provincials, priors, employers, co-workers, etc. How then do I pray for them? The same way I pray for everyone else! AMEN
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