Lord God, stand by me and give me strength...

 
2 Timothy 4: 9-17
                                         
Nearing the end of his life while he waited in prison for certain beheading, St. Paul was unloading his heart to his protégé, Timothy. Looking back over his journeys as a missionary of the Gospel, Paul noted those who had deserted him, and the times when he was left alone to face torture, trials and persecution of all kinds. Did this human abandonment leave Paul distressed and depressed? Although he still felt acutely alone in his sufferings, Paul’s conclusion was far from a statement of resentment and accusation.  “May it not be counted against them!  But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed.” Paul’s forgiveness, that is, his release of his deserters, allowed him to notice beyond a shadow of doubt that his Lord Jesus Christ had stood by him and had definitely given him strength.  In my own life, where I have been abandoned by others, particularly in my sufferings, am I prepared like Paul to forgive their desertion so that I can notice the Lord standing by me and giving me his extraordinary strength? Am I willing to let my life become a witness to God’s plans and power in this way?  Lord God, stand by me and give me strength.  
 
The Lord is near to all who call upon him to all who call upon him in truth.       (Psalm 145:18) 
                                     
It is love alone that gives worth to all things.
St. Theresa of Jesus
 
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Soli ad gloriam Dei