Will It All Hold Together After The Inauguration?

Question: Will the economy and the financial markets all hold together after the inauguration? We ask because, as you may have noticed, there has been a kind of mystical "glue" that seems to have penetrated the economy and the markets despite the many measures that tell us that there's trouble brewing.

Over and over again we read the competing views: "Everything's great, or basically/fundamentally great" vs. "We're in for some big trouble this year" and everything in between.

So will the glue stick? Or has it finally dried up and lost its sticking power?

Whatever the future holds, many of us will either endure or celebrate the Presidential Inauguration coming up. And, let's face it, things will change in some way, shape, or form in government, in the economy, in the markets. Whether that change is for better or worse and in what timeline things unfold remain unknown for the time being. 

Meanwhile, those of us who understand that all this pales in comparison to the whole purpose of life would do well to turn our hearts and minds to God and spend some time away from the swirl of politics, economics and financial markets. Maybe even more than just "some" time.

And for those who aren't too sure about God, or who might think of God as some sort of spirit or power way out there, far from the ordinary lives we all lead, we've got something today that can provide some  ballast to hold God - at least our understanding of Him - closer to us. 

It might serve as well as a ballast to keep our feet firmly planted as the coming days and weeks unfold, whatever lies in store.

This comes from the clear traditional teaching of the Catholic Church. Its roots are in the words of Jesus Christ Who clearly advanced the notion that God is "Our Father." If you've never considered the possibility, maybe now is a good time. And if you're not sure about specifically what it might mean that God is our Father, well, this could provide some missing detail:

Warning: These words were written in the 16th century, albeit translated into modern English. So there's your context. 

Another warning: If you're of the ilk that Catholicism preaches a harsh judgmental message, be prepared to reconsider. A religion that sees God as a Father really does hold its arms open to all of good will. (Of course, the "good will" part makes a difference - but that's a discussion for another day.)

Dispositions That Should Accompany the Words, “Our Father”: Fraternal Regard

How sincere should be the manner in which we ought to utter the word “our”, we learn from St. Chrysostom. “God”, he says, “listens willingly to the Christian who prays not only for himself but for others; because to pray for ourselves is an inspiration of nature; but to pray for others is an inspiration of grace; necessity compels us to pray for ourselves, whereas fraternal charity calls on us to pray for others.” And he adds: “That prayer which is inspired by fraternal charity is more agreeable to God than that which is dictated by necessity”

In connection with the important subject of salutary prayer, the pastor should be careful to remind and exhort all the faithful of every age, condition and rank, never to forget the bonds of universal brotherhood that bind them, and consequently ever to treat each other as friends and brothers, and never to seek arrogantly to raise themselves above their neighbors.

Though there are in the Church of God various gradations of office, yet this diversity of dignity and position in no way destroys the bond of fraternal union; just as in the human body the various uses and different functions of our organs in no way cause this or that part of the body to lose the name or office of an organ of the body.

Take, for instance, one who wields kingly power. If he is a Christian, is he not the brother of all those united in the communion of the Christian faith? Yes, beyond all doubt; and why? Because there is not one God giving existence to the rich and noble, and another giving existence to the poor and to subjects. There is but one God, the Father and Lord of all; and consequently we have all the same nobility of spiritual birth, all the same dignity, all the same glory of race; for all have been regenerated by the same Spirit through the same Sacrament of faith, and have been made children of God and coheirs to the same inheritance. The wealthy and great have not one Christ for their God; the poor and lowly, another; they are not initiated by different Sacraments; nor can they expect a different inheritance in the kingdom of Heaven. We are all brethren and, as the Apostle says in his Epistle to the Ephesians: “We are members of Christ’s body, of his flesh and of his bones.” (Eph. 5.30) This is a truth which the same Apostle thus expresses in his Epistle to the Galatians: “You are the children of God, by faith in Jesus Christ; for as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Greek nor Jew, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3.28)