A Time to Take the Long View

There is a famous prayer that is closely associated with St. Oscar Romero that begins, “It helps now and then to step back and take a long view.” To continue our series on There is a Time, it does help, given the pandemic we have been facing to step back and take a long view. While that certainly could be difficult when we are faced with adversity, sickness, struggle in whatever form; financial, emotional, spiritual; and maybe even mortality; ours or someone close to us; it does help to see that God is present during those times.

A basic tenet of our faith is that God created the universe and that He did so in a loving way. This is a constant for us and we know and believe that God is right here with us; embracing us and guiding us with whatever we are facing.

When we look at ourselves and we take the long view, while it doesn’t diminish the present, it does provide us with a sense of hope and being grounded. The circumstances we face can certainly contribute to our hope being dimmed or even extinguished. But if we remember in our prayer and in our thoughts God’s loving presence, that helps maintain that sense of hope. That is certainly a grace and gift of our faith.

I know for myself and my family, we have talked about how far we have already come during these past weeks. While we all wish to return to normal, we also can feel a sense of hope that we’ve come this far, and we can certainly continue on. That is because we have the support of a loving God, first and foremost; but also, the work of God being accomplished by the people in our lives. We can also be a beacon of hope for others who might struggle with this at times.

Let’s continue to pray for one another, support and check in with one another, and realize that we will get through this.