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Wrestling with God

by Jul 6, 2021Friar Reflection

You are sympathetic to a charity and would like to help, but money is tight right now (which actually it isn’t). Should I write a check or not?

You can make a case that you were not responsible, but in your gut, you know that it was indeed your fault, and you should apologize and make amends.

You find yourself torn between moral decisions. How do I provide for myself and my family while acting justly and fairly? How do I live a life of integrity while taking advantage of every opportunity for advancement and profit?

You believe that a decision made by your neighborhood association is not just, but you are afraid to speak up because your opinion is in contrast to what the majority of the neighbors think.

There is a supervisor at your workplace who is treating some of the employees in a discriminatory manner. Should you speak up or not?

There are few if any of us who have not at times in our lives been faced with the challenge of speaking our conscience, of living the principles we say that we are about as disciples of Christ. It is in these moments that we can hear the voice of Jesus encouraging us to do the right thing.

Like Jacob we often see ourselves wrestling with God. Wrestling with God over what is right and wrong.

The famous author Nikos Kazantzakis in one of his books writes of a man who visits a holy monk on a deserted island. He asked him, “How is your life is going? Do you still wrestle with the devil?” The Monk responds, “No, the devil and I have grown tired of each other long ago. The devil no longer wrestles with me. Now I only wrestle with God.”

The visitor asked, “And you hope to win that wrestling match?” The Monk responds, “No I hope to lose!”

May we lose our wrestling matches with God!