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Week 2

When Things Fall Apart

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change,

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Psalm 46:1–3

These are troubling times. We face war, terrorism, deep political and ideological divisions, and a host of struggles that tear at the fabric of our society and challenge our Catholic faith. It can be overwhelming at times. As men, we wish we could face these fights head on and find real solutions and lasting peace; but no matter what we do, things seem to be getting worse.

It is difficult to see how struggles are a part of the legacy we will leave behind.

No matter what happens, God is in control of our lives. He is the rock upon which our faith stands. Keeping this truth in focus allows us to let go and accept our need for God. This week, we will reflect on five core truths about God’s presence and action in our lives.

1. The shaking of the earth does not shake God.

Psalm 46 contrasts the rock-steady strength of the Lord with the raging “temper tantrum” of the earth. Even when it seems that all is falling apart around us, we can always look to the One who never is shaken.

2. God’s presence remains rock-steady.

Not only is God powerful, he is powerfully present in our world and in each of our lives. He never leaves us, for he is the rock that can never be moved. No matter what we face today, God remains our refuge in the storm.

3. God brings stillness to our troubled times.

Even in our greatest moments of struggle, God’s promises can bring an overwhelming sense of peace to our hearts. He is our refuge, and in his arms we find rest from our weariness and recovery from our sorrow.

4. With a word, God can bring the fury of our fight to an end.

The daily battles we fight, some serious and some less so, can cause us to become caught up in a spirit of conflict and forget that we are traveling to a hopeful future where all wars and all conflicts will cease. If we listen carefully, we can hear the Lord whispering a word that will bring our restless fight to a peaceful resolution.

5. We live in the City of God.

Even in the chaos and violence of the world, we can look to the City of God, where we hope to live for all eternity. We begin our communion in the heavenly city even now, as members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

This Week’s Call to Action

When we are struggling with loss, illness, division, sin, or pride, and when the world and its institutions are crumbling before our very eyes, we can rest in the perfect truth that God forever remains our refuge and our strength. This week, strive to find your steady place in the midst of life’s storms. Find ways to invite the power and presence of God into the chaos of life. Spend time with your Father, talking about your fears and struggles.

Knowing that God brings good out of our trusting surrender — not just for us, but for everyone in our lives — helps us to move forward along the stream of salvation to the place where all the noise and clamor of life will give way to the voice of our Savior calling us home. This week, let surrender guide your steps every day. Allow God’s eternal will to draw you closer to Christ and his Church. Reflect on the future happiness to which you are called by your faith in Jesus, and let God show you the role he wants you to play in bringing souls to this same happiness.

Sunday

This week, we will consider God’s faithfulness in our lives, no matter the circumstances we face. God remains a rock of refuge who causes the battles of our lives to give way to peace and surrender. God has a heavenly city in store for all who follow him. As believers, we live within that city right now. God loves his people, and that love shines before us to light our way and manifests itself perfectly in the life of the Church, leading us on to our heavenly inheritance.

This Sunday at Mass, listen for the conflicts in the story of salvation, the struggles the People of God faced. As you celebrate the Eucharist, remember that Jesus went to the cross to bring us salvation and to complete our story. Pray about this story, thank God for the good he has done for humanity from the beginning, the good he has done in your life, and the good that is to come when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. Let these awesome truths guide you as you go forth to love others and leave a legacy of faith for all the world to see.

Questions for reflection

When in your life have you seen most clearly that God was your rock?

What chaos and upheavals in the world (and your small part of it) cause you the most distress, and how can you draw nearer to God for support and hope?

Praying with Scripture

“The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; / he is their refuge in the time of trouble” (Ps 37:39).

Monday

The Shaking of the Earth Does Not Shake God

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

in your righteousness deliver me!

Incline your ear to me,

rescue me speedily!

Be a rock of refuge for me,

a strong fortress to save me!

Yes, you are my rock and my fortress;

for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,

take me out of the net which is hidden for me,

for you are my refuge.

Into your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Psalm 31:1–5

Trials and earthshaking tribulations do not shake the Lord, who is our rock of refuge. Though this world is full of sin and falsehood, acts of evil and human misery, God remains our deliverer and our stronghold. He cannot be moved by the forces that work to undermine the Church and our freedom in Christ. Yet his heart is moved by compassion and mercy to rescue his people from the persecution of enemies and the worship of worthless idols. God knows our distress and lifts us up, guiding us into the kingdom of his Son.

We know all too well that our lives can be shaken by the smallest difficulties. When we feel oppressed and distressed, we can be confident that we have refuge in the One who always remains the same. Our confidence is an integral part of what it means to be men who leave a lasting legacy. How we rest on the rock-solid promises of Christ leaves a powerful example for those around us, particularly our children and our family of faith. It stands as a testimony of the strength and faithfulness of our good God.

Questions for reflection

What are some of the trials you face (or see) that trouble you the most?

When have you experienced God’s strength and guidance in the midst of trials?

How can you share the strength of Jesus Christ with another who is struggling today?

Praying with Scripture

“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” (2 Sm 22:32).

Tuesday

God’s Presence Remains Rock-steady

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Exodus 13:21–22

God remains ever-present in the midst of chaos and disaster. Our all-powerful Savior goes before the Church, guiding her in strength toward the promised land. He is our beacon of hope, our powerful protector, by day and night. He will never fail nor forsake his people.

No matter what we face in our individual lives or as members of the Body of Christ, we know that God is with us. He will see us through this journey of salvation until the day we share our lives with him forever in heaven. His strength, his Spirit, his light, and his love become ours as we carry on the legacy of other faithful followers who have shown forth the presence of God through their lives. Let us remember that God will keep us from falling and lift us to heights of joy. He will remain our rock of refuge forever!

Questions for reflection

Where do you experience God’s guiding presence in your life and in the life of the Church?

How does the knowledge that God will neither leave nor forsake you give you strength and hope?

How can you respond to someone who feels God has abandoned them or the Church?

Praying with Scripture

“For he has said, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you’” (Heb 13:5).

Wednesday

God Brings Stillness to Our Troubled Times

Open the gates,

that the righteous nation which keeps faith

may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord for ever,

for the Lord God

is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26:2–4

All of us at some point in our lives will face personal struggles, whether they be physical, emotional, financial, or relational. It’s not something we can avoid. In fact, Jesus warned us that we would face such trials; but he also promised that we could rest cheerfully because he has overcome the world (cf. Jn 16:33). Such promises help to sustain us when we face the tough times and fear we will falter under the pressure. God opens the door to his powerful presence and brings us to a place of peace.

God may not remove our troubles right away (or at all), but we can believe that he loves us and is working out our salvation through each and every circumstance. As we weather the storms of life and strive to seek the face of God when life throws its worst at us, we become caught up in the peace of Christ. We can then focus our minds on the place where those who trust in God come to dwell. We become part of the ongoing story of recovery, righteousness, and rest, a story that shines upon the world and lights the way for all those who will come after us.

Questions for reflection

When have you experienced the perfect peace of God in the midst of a difficult struggle?

Why is it important to keep our faith strong and focus our minds on the peace of God when we are facing trials and tribulations?

How can you bring the precious presence of Christ into the life of a brother who is struggling today?

Praying with Scripture

“And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mk 4:39).

Thursday

With a Word, God Can Bring the Fury of Our Fight to an End

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 14:27

May the Lord give strength to his people!

May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29:11

When we struggle with conflict in our lives, it can lead to a spirit of anger, resentment, fear, or despair. These things can overwhelm us and shut down the good we are called to do. We need to remember that Jesus longs to speak peace into our hearts. When God speaks a word to us, it has the power to come alive. When he tells us to “Be not afraid,” we can truly lay aside all fear. When he says, “Peace be with you,” peace enters our hearts. He wants to lift us up from our struggles and conflicts and bring us to a heavenly place where we see these conflicts for what they are. From heaven’s heights our earthly struggles seem small indeed.

We who have experienced the perfect peace of Christ know that we have the strength to overcome the obstacles of life and turn the journeys through our struggles into a living sign of the power of God to bring peace to our souls. Like the mighty saints of old, our faith stories become a testament of wisdom that we can pass on to those who will go through similar struggles in their lives.

Questions for reflection

When has God caused you to stop struggling or to give up your conflicts in favor of his lasting peace?

When you face trials, do you seek the Word that will bring the fury of your fight to an end?

What word can you speak to someone dealing with conflict in his life?

Praying with Scripture

“When the cares of my heart are many, / your consolations cheer my soul” (Ps 94:19).

Friday

We Live in the City of God

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God!

His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,

is the joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

the city of the great King.

Within her citadels God

has shown himself a sure defense.

As we have heard, so have we seen

in the city of the Lord of hosts,

in the city of our God,

which God establishes for ever.

Psalm 48:1–3, 8

Through the storms of life, believers can take comfort that in the future we will enter the eternal City of God. No matter how much we struggle, God promises us that the violence and chaos of life will give way to eternal life in a city so beautiful, so secure, that we will never worry or experience sin or sadness again.

Even now on earth, Catholics experience the City of God within the Church. She is our beautiful refuge from the struggles of life, a fortress of righteousness and joy, the source of our nourishment in the sacraments. We can be assured that she will stand from now until the time when Our Lord comes again to judge the living and the dead. In her we see the victory that is ours in Christ, and we can share this Good News with generations to come.

Questions for reflection

How does this vision of our heavenly Jerusalem help you to live in freedom today?

What is the most beautiful aspect of the Catholic Church that gives you comfort and peace?

What are you passing on to future generations of believers to give them the hope of heaven?

Praying with Scripture

“For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10).

Saturday

Go Deeper

Do I trust in God’s power when things in my life seem to be falling apart, or do I try to weather the storms on my own?

Have I surrendered my trials to God this week? If not, what do I need to lay at his feet?

Do I realize that heaven is my inheritance, and live my life for that goal, or have I allowed storms and troubles to distract me?

How has God shown me his love and power this week? Have I thanked him for his providence?

Do I live with an eternal perspective, knowing that God can cause the chaos of my life to give way to the perfect peace of his kingdom?

How can I accompany a brother who is undergoing trials or storms right now?