A Reflection for Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
“You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Growing up, I was horribly afraid of the dark. Genuine fear ran through my veins everytime I ventured out into the dark kitchen of my childhood home after hours; every kitchen hum and creak sent chills down my spine, and I swore the slight sway of a curtain meant there was a strange man hiding behind them waiting for me to let my guard down. Many of these brave adventures ended with me all but sprinting back to the safety of my well-lit bedroom, my acquired cup of water half spilled.
My mom was quick to catch onto this, and in hopes of helping her very anxious daughter, she once stopped me before I tiptoed into the dark kitchen and taught me this prayer:
“Dios conmigo, quien contra mi?”
“If God is with me, who is against me?”
“Pray this anytime you are afraid,” she instructed. “If you believe it, that God is always with you, there is truly nothing to be afraid of.”
The prayer itself does not deny that there are evil and harmful threats in the world. The direct translation of “quien contra mi” could be misunderstood as in no one will come against me, so long as I am in God’s presence. That assumption would be incorrect. Instead, the prayer understands the possibility of persecution, and is yet confident in the protection afforded by God’s presence in our lives.
This prayer for me has now taken on a life of its own. From difficult exams in high school to awkward confrontations in college, I have found comfort in reciting the prayer to myself as a remidner of who is on my team. Standing before that dark hallway all those years ago, my mom grabbed my shoulders and told me that repeating this quiet prayer would protect every “hair on my head,” whether it be from the imaginary monsters of the dark or from persecution from real, more tangible threats in the future. Jesus does the same in today’s Gospel.
He does not deny that there will be evil and harm done to those that follow him. Grabbing our shoulders before the engulfing darkness, he warns us of the dangers to come as followers of Christ. He speaks of betrayal and persecution from those closest to us; but he also talks of being by our side at every step of the way.
There will be times of darkness and uncertainty in everyone’s life, even sometimes due to our Catholic faith. But let today’s Gospel remind you that in face of life’s troubles, we are called to put our trust in God and let our persistent trust in him grant us everlasting peace in this life and the next.
