This weekend in our second reading from the first
letter of St. Paul to Timothy, we are told, “Beloved, first of all
I ask that prayers be offered for everyone, for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and
dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who
wills everyone to be saved and come to knowledge of the
truth.”
When we think of prayer, we usually think of praying for
something or someone. So our private prayers are most often
focused on ourselves and our immediate family, our friends
and those especially close to us. We much more seldom think
of praying for others far removed from us. Sometimes when a
tragedy hits, official prayer is requested from all churches.
During our liturgy, too, we announce special intentions and we
join everyone else in the Church in praying for this. But
privately, until something really traumatic happens, we rarely
think of broader concerns. Consequently, we do not often
include political figures in our ordinary, everyday, prayers.
Yet, St. Paul, this weekend, makes these people a matter
of urgent and extreme concern. The point of his concern is
that if we are to have undisturbed and tranquil lives, the
people who can basically try to bring this about for us are
those in authority. In their hands are, finally, the means of
peacefulness and dignity that can enable us to live together in
this troubled world without anger and dissension.
Stated another way, we need order in the church and in
society so that we may have peace! The people in responsible
positions of authority, therefore, are our agents and God’s
agents to bring about the means of peace and dignity for us.
We can have no tranquility as individuals in a nation, or as
nations of the world, unless those in authority are helped to
bring this about!
Prayer of this kind is good and God our Savior is pleased
with it for he wants all of us to be saved and to come to know
the truth. Therefore, in our private prayers, we need,
especially at this time, to keep in mind all those people we can
sometimes scornfully dismiss as “politicians.” Their positions
in politics are the very reason St. Paul urges us to respectfully
remember and help them by our prayers. Furthermore, at this
time, we must also extend these prayers to the leaders of all
other countries. If we are ever to live in tranquility, without
anger, violence and dissension, we need their cooperation too!
Their decisions and policies are also significant in determining
whether our lives will be peaceful or filled with even more
destruction and wrath. Because they shoulder this grave
responsibility, they surely deserve our concerned prayers.
All leaders in the world, therefore, benefit us if their
authority is wielded wisely, justly and with vision. As these
people do their work well, during these most difficult times,
under the guidance and wisdom of Almighty God and with the
help of our prayers, only then can we truly hope to lead the
undisturbed and tranquil lives that St. Paul wishes for all of us.