If we believe in Christ and then share that faith in Him with others, then all shall be well, in fact it will be perfect for our journey toward eternal life. Listen again the closing words in today’s first reading from Daniel: “But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the starsforever."

Spiritual battles and the end times are part of the human condition and are a topic of concern for theologian Scott Hahn who writes that we should not fear the “end times,” but be hopeful… “for God will gather us to Himself” and that can only mean good things to come, good things beyond all understanding. You see, the end times are a transitioning toward a new life, the Kingdom of God. Faith teaches us that belief in Christ provides us hope in tribulation, all is not lost after all, for God is with us, He is Emmanuel, God with us.

Dr. Scott Hahn reminds us that consistent prayer strengthens us in tribulations. That being a practitioner of prayer leads us into consistent conversations with God, and in those consistent conversations we come to know God and to understand His meaning for our lives. But do not make the mistake that this consistent prayer is some sort of a crutch, that faith is nothing more than a “prop” to get us through difficult times, a wishful self-help system to get through the hard times. Prayer is much more than that. Our first reading again talks to us about the help of God, His angels. In fact, today we hear of Michael, the Prince of Peace and the defender of faith sent to us by God to keep us ever in His Providential care.

The St. Michael Prayer, known as the ‘Leonine Prayer,‘ originated in 1884, when Pope Leo XIII ordered certain prayers to be said after Low Mass, in defense of the independence of the Holy See. God’s help was sought for a satisfactory solution to the loss of the Pope’s temporal sovereignty, which deprived him of the independence felt to be required for effective use of his spiritual authority. The Pope’s status as a temporal leader was restored in 1929 by the creation of the State of Vatican City, and in the following year, Pope Pius XI ordered that the intention for which these prayers should be said from then on were to be offered “to permit tranquility and freedom to profess the faith to be restored to the afflicted people of Russia”. The practice was then officially suppressed by the 26 September 1964 Instruction Inter oecumenici, which came into effect on 7 March 1965. In the Archdiocese of Hartford, Archbishop Blair has now restored the practice of reciting St. Michael’s prayer for peace and tranquility in our Church, Nation and world.

Throughout the history of the Church, when trials and tribulations prevailed, hope in Christ was and is the only antidote to these difficult times, and such consistent prayer builds our right relationship with the Lord, which grants us Hope in this life and in the life to come. Our readings on this 33rd Sunday remind us that the world is temporary…and so where will you place your trust and hope? Last weekend’s readings presented two widows who gave us direction: Trust in the Lord, which demands action in the lived-experience of faith, which then seeks the excellence of the other. This means that the good we do in the world must bring about the Kingdom of God now. That is the meaning of faith: motivation from the heart leads to action in the world. The Catholic faith is a fantastic example of that “motivating factor” which leads to change. Just look at the lived-faith of the Catholic Church: hospitals, food shelters, homeless shelters, work training centers, elementary and high schools, colleges and universities, pontifical research centers, the Knights of Malta and the Knights of Columbus and so much more…all meant to bring about the excellence of all others.

The gospel this week assures us that no one but the Father in Heaven knows when the End Time will come, but that it will come and the heavens and the earth will pass away, but the Lord will provide…He will make all things anew and restore the world to His Righteousness. Will we be prepared when The Day comes? Will we be faithful? Will we be in consistent conversations with God, in prayer, and be able to stand before Him not in fear but in great confidence?