As Promised, He Remains

Several months ago, I was making a mild attempt to listen to the overpowering political discourse, if it can be called that.  As I heard one awful thing after another, I found myself seeking for something to hold onto, some hope or reassurance that things wouldn’t get as bad as some thought.  That is when I remembered–Christ said that He would never allow anything to overcome….Oh.  Yeah.  

Christ promised that nothing would overcome the Church.  Of the United States of America, Christ made no comment.  He didn’t prophesy that this nation would come in several centuries and would be indomitable.  Throughout Scripture, we hear about how the Lord will remain and endure.  Throughout history, we see nation after nation fall.  There are uprisings and reformations, divisions and unifications.  All is changing and all is temporal.

Except the Lord.

He remains.  He endures.  He is steadfast.  He is “I AM WHO AM.”  He is existence itself.  And He promised that His Church would remain until the end of time.  He promised persecution, the cross, and many difficulties, too.  But, He would always remain.

I don’t happen to think our nation is on the verge of dissolving.  However, I do think it is clear that we need prayer and that we need the Lord.  While I am fully aware of the separation of Church and state, I am also aware that one of the longest running institutions is the Catholic Church.  It isn’t such because the leaders have been flawless; on the contrary, they were deeply flawed from the very beginning.  The Gospels are replete with accounts of the fumbles and foibles of the Apostles.  If the Church has not endured because of the perfection of Her members, it must endure because of the perfection of the Lord.  

The permanence of the Church was promised to the fledgling institution nearly two millennia ago.  That permanence remains today despite factions, crises, arguments, confusion, and the ever-present imperfection of Her members.  Though Pope Francis is the visible head of the Church, it is not even in him that I place my hopes.  Jesus Christ remains as the head of the Church, His Bride, and I place my trust in His promises.  Even should all else crumble, His promises remain.

That is the hope I place my trust in.  In the midst of changes and inaugurations, I place my hope and trust in Jesus Christ.  As people clamor that the end is near or that all is doomed, I trust in Jesus Christ.  In a manner of speaking, this temporal world is doomed and its end draws ever nearer.  Yet, in the Eternal High Priest, King of the Universe, I place my hope and trust.  All else passes away, but the Lord remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  In this truth, I find my peace.