Kirkepiscatoid

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in
the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us.

This particular stanza has a great deal of personal meaning to me, as it is one of the prayers I use when I engage in repetitive prayer, and for an odd reason...it’s that line of “in all time of our prosperity.”

It is incredibly comparatively easy to ask for God to deliver us in our times of tribulation.
It is absolutely understandable to ask for God to deliver us from the fear of that moment of transition from life to death.
It is almost a natural reaction to ask God to deliver us from judgments we fear will be harsh.

But to “deliver us from our times of prosperity?” Hmmm.

I am probably no different from anyone else when it comes to the times of my own prosperity. “When it’s all goin’ good for me,” I am sometimes so caught up in the business of enjoying these times, that I strap on an incredibly large pair of blinders to the tribulations of others. The problems of others just don’t seem to be such a big deal when my life is good. I am less likely to want to carry others’ pain when my life is seeming easier. I am more fearful of risking the possibility that the trials of others might rain on my own parade.

The problem, of course, is those are the times I probably ought to reach out and “give till it hurts a little,” whether that is to open up my checkbook and help in that fashion, or to give of myself to the point I feel the cross someone else is bearing just a little keener.

Obviously, I’m not saying to emotionally martyr oneself. We all recognize situations and personality types where we know, deep down inside, we would be in danger of allowing ourselves to be swallowed up in the depth of emotional parasitism. But we also know the situations where we can reach out a little harder, let go of our own egos a little more loosely, and give up a little of our own creature comforts a little more generously. But for some reason, our own times of prosperity can get in the way and cause us to engage in “protectionism” a little more.

Our bishop likes to emphasize “living Eucharistically.” It is an attractive phrase and an attractive concept for me. But it’s always important to remember that “living Eucharistically” means to give of our own body and blood!