Catholic Candle note: This article below was written by one of Catholic Candle’s more senior editors, who has a wealth of experience and wisdom.

The Comfort and Security of the True Catholic Faith and God’s Providential Care, Living During Our Perilous Times

It’s a pretty scary world out there.

Nuclear war, cancer, street crime, heart attacks, the steady decline of public morals, the decaying of educational standards, the subversion of the human element of the Church … there are so many other things that could be added to this catalogue of perils in our modern life.  

If one chose to dwell on what could happen to us at any time, he might be paralyzed and unwilling to even get out of bed in the morning.  And to carry this a step further, he may then wonder how he could possibly survive the dangers that threaten to prevent his death from being a happy and holy death – which would be the ultimate tragedy for him.

That is, and should be our biggest concern: whether we have the fortitude to make it safely through the “minefield” of our life on earth to the safe harbor of heaven.

Some time ago, I found the answer.  Not that it was unique to me.  Undoubtedly many of you have long known what it is:

Nothing that happens to me today can hurt me because God allowed it to happen.¹ And if the God who loves me allows it, then it must be for my good.²

How can we argue with that?  This is comforting and reassuring, especially when we lose a job, get unhappy news from the doctor, are deceived by a friend or relative, suffer a financial loss, or experience any other of the wide variety of the travails of this life. 

Of course, this trust in God pertains to all things – including all evils – which are out of our control, as shown by the few examples listed above: (e.g., nuclear war, cancer, street crime). It should “go without saying” that we should not rashly suppose that God will protect us from all of the consequences of our own sins and the decisions which we make without seeking His will.

For example, it would be folly to get drunk and, because of this, to miss work and be fired from our job, on the excuse that “Nothing that happens to me today can hurt me because God allowed it to happen.” Rather, we are speaking of the complete trust we should have in God regarding what happens to us beyond our control and through no culpability on our own part.³

Conclusion

Let us have complete security and confidence in Divine Providence!⁴ He will take perfect care of our needs, both spiritual and temporal!