Today’s Office of Readings during Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours had this interesting passage from the beginning of Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians:

2 Cor 1:8-11

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction that came to us in the province of Asia; we were utterly weighed down beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.
Indeed, we had accepted within ourselves the sentence of death, that we might trust not in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
He rescued us from such great danger of death, and he will continue to rescue us; in him we have put our hope (that) he will also rescue us again,
as you help us with prayer, so that thanks may be given by many on our behalf for the gift granted us through the prayers of many.

The thing that struck me was that this was Paul talking, he and whomever was traveling with him preaching the Good News in Asia (what is now modern-day Turkey) had been enduring suffering and persecution almost beyond their endurance. They didn’t break, but survived whatever it was they were being subjected to.

Yes, they didn’t break, they trusted in God to deliver them from their peril and He rescued them. Paul also credits the prayers of others, probably the Corinthians he was writing to. Another thing to think about. We are a community, we pray for each other.

Remember this next time you feel that as a Christian you feel you should be secure from worldly attacks. If anything, being a Christian (especially a Catholic one) may make you a special target of worldly attacks. Some Christians feel that due to their Christianity, they should be rewarded with health and wealth, and given special treatment by God. His Son didn’t receive any, His Apostles didn’t, neither should we.

Same in our sobriety. We will probably feel the temptation to drink or drug or whatever until the day we die. Keep trusting in God.

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