Thursday of the Second Week of Easter(Click here for readings)
The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
We must obey God. Life would be so less complicated if we would just shut up and never take a stand. In fact, it might very well be rewarding, for as the sayings go, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue" (Prv. 17:28), and "Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble" (Prv. 21:23).
Sounds good to me, but apparently not so much for the Lord's Apostles. They couldn't shut their mouths to save their lives! They were men on a mission, driven by the truth of their Savior, Jesus Christ. Nobody was going to stop them. No threat was going to scare them. No beating was going to stop them or keep them silent or at bay. They would gladly go to prison and even die for the one who died for them. Their hearts and minds were burning out of control. THEY WERE SWEPT OFF THEIR FEET BY THE EXPERIENCE OF CHRIST'S LOVE.
They were in love, period.
This is not crazy. This is what victory and unconditional love does to people.
If it's worth dying for one's country, then it is definitely worth dying for one's God. And if it's worth saving all your pennies for some earthly treasure, then it is worth giving them all away for goodness sake, which is another way of saying for heaven's sake.
"Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the Lord delivers him" (Ps. 34:19). The Apostles were prepared to take whatever the world threw at them because they knew the Lord would throw it right back! And He did. As empires collapsed, the kingdom of God expanded.
The times they are a changin.
Time to cause some trouble to the trouble makers. With the exception of Judas, the Apostles were not the real trouble makers, even if they appeared to be. Rather, they were the real life witnesses of the great things God had done for them. Unfortunately, the real trouble makers were the powerful individuals who wanted to push God out of His own world and did not want to hear the Word or have anyone speak it. Has much changed?
It's time we share His Word in person, on the Internet, on the radio waves and on TV. It's also time we share Him with our family, friends and work associates. As St. John XXIII would often say, "The secret of everything is to let yourself be carried by the Lord and to carry the Lord.”
"They were in love with God"... this statement says it all for me and my peaking interest to become a sister. When life is merely the thing that happens as you search for God in everything you do, you long to make it a life style of commitment.
ReplyDeleteWhile saying tonight's prayers, Father, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I asked 'Where I would be without Him?' Alone, unloved as I know myself to be by Christ. Tears formed...I thanked Him for embedding His love, hope and inspiration in me. For a life that dwells outside of this earth. Can we imagine what it would be like to be without Him? I prayed for those who were. May we take every opportunity given to us on earth to introduce God's amazing Love into the fiber of their beings.