You may remember in the late 1980’s there was an anti-police song written put out by a gangsta rap group. It was a controversial song that ultimately was addressed by the then president of the United States, George H. W. Bush. One of the leaders of the group later said that when the President of the United States mentions your name, watch out, you end up being investigated from all kinds of government agencies.

I bring that up to give you a little bit of a background on today’s second reading. It has little to do with the story except this, when the emperor of the Roman Empire mentions your name, watch out. The time is  about end of the ’50s in the first century. There has already begun a persecution and the emperor demanded that this band of Jews who are followers of “Christus” must be excluded. What little we know, beyond this in light of the story above will tell  you that it must have been difficult for the early Christians in Rome. St. Paul is writing to them. He had not been to Rome at this time and will  only go to Rome once he is arrested in Jerusalem. However, he is aware of the difficulties they are suffering there. Remember, several years before  this letter there is already a demand that there be an expulsion of Christian Jews from Rome (NAB Intro to Romans). There is little known about this except that obviously the Emperor has mentioned their name and you can expect things are not going well in Rome for Christians.

Paul, throughout Romans, is instructing the Christians about perseverance and about Christian realities to help them hold on to their faith in Christ and remain as a community worshipping. Remember what is happening. They are meeting under the streets in Rome in secret catacombs. The Romans are trying to infiltrate the Church and there is a heavy persecution that is happening and building. Paul is encouraging them not to be afraid, to trust in the Lord and to grow in the faith.  Here he speaks about trusting in the Holy Spirit in their lives and knowing that He is leading them. He is teaching them that God is not distant, but actively involved in our lives. They may or may not see this, but one thing is clear. They may have already figured out that life was easier externally before they met Christ. It is here that Paul is encouraging them and teaching them that all they have to do is continue their walk with Christ and they will find their truth now and more so in the future. They are to remember that God is not distant but actively involved in our lives.

This is important because so many, maybe then but clearly now have this idea that they have to do all the work and offer themselves to God for better or worse throughout their lives. However, that is not the case. Paul is explaining to the Romans at the time that the Holy Spirit is with them and He is guiding them. Notice the words he uses, “in our weakness”. Here St. Paul is reminding them that they are doing all these things guided by the Holy Spirit. That even in their weaknesses the Holy Spirit is strong in them, even though: the emperor wants us them out of Rome,their families are hostile to them, they could be turned in at any moment and the Romans are infiltrating their liturgies.”

“However, behind  the scenes, the Holy Spirit is leading them every step of the way. They learn to trust in Him.”

Let us describe all these things. Everything they do for the kingdom, no matter how small or large. Every time they attend mass in secret, every time they seek to be generous in the name of Christ, every time they seek to love especially those difficult to love, every time they recognize a sin, when others embrace it as acceptable behavior; every time they repent of their sins. Every time they try again. Every time they pray alone and in a community. It is all guided by the Holy Spirit. This is the promise of Christ. This is what St. Paul is teaching. God is not distant, but actively involved in our lives

The Holy Spirit is actively involved in our lives and you and I must trust in this. We seek to do the will of God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. Why? Notice what is important: God is God and we are not. You and I cannot think as God thinks. Only God can do that, so we must allow God to inform us and many times that is done through the circumstances of life. However, trust that this is happening. Know that the Holy Spirit even when we do not feel His presence, which is usually the case, is actively involved in our lives. He is guiding us in all times and even the most difficult of times. Know and trust in this.

Think of your greatest difficulty and know that in the midst of this whether it is present or past the more you seek to live faithfully to Christ the more involved the Holy Spirit is in your life, regardless of what is going on. If you are not living faithfully in Christ then trust that the Holy Spirit may be involved in the things going wrong because you have turned from Christ. Take this as a call to repentance.

Let us not forget whom the Holy Spirit is, pure love. When this pure love is involved in our lives it is powerful and it is beyond anything you and I can understand. Trust in this love, trust in the Holy Spirit. God is with us at all times. Now there may be times where we don’t feel this. Maybe we have suffered a great failure and are asking ourselves how if the Holy Spirit is with us all the way could he  possibly allow this failure. I want to think of this in light of a lesson I  learned back when I was a child. We lived in an area where there was a large woods and some large fields. Once there was a fire and some blueberry bushes were destroyed. One of the older teens taught us that this was a good thing. The blueberry bushes would return even fuller because of this fire. However, on the surface, we saw total destruction, the older person taught us that it was because of  this destruction that things would get better.

It is because the early Christians suffered that we have our faith today. It is because of the many saints that did not give up that we have belief today. It is because of the perseverance of the people under the direst of circumstances that we have our faith today. What others saw as failure, the Holy Spirit brought even greater success.

Now, I want you to look back at your own life, this week, and ponder what parts of your life, good times and bad times formed you and changed you. Do you think that the Holy Spirit guided many moments, good and bad? I assure you this is true. Trust that you are being guided by him. Trust that this almost beyond you and trust that He is leading you at every moment. The more you trust the more you learn that God is not distant but actively involved in our lives.

God Bless You,

Fr. Robert J Carr

You can follow him on twitter as @frbobcarr
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