(Listen to this homily here).
Paul has another powerful line this morning: “It is necessary for us to undergo
many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”
But
did you notice what Paul had just experienced? “They stoned Paul and
dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead”! Now I don’t want to paint too grim of a
picture, but remember what happened with a stoning. A mob surrounded the guilty and rocks—not little pebbles—were
thrown. The purpose was to kill. In fact, they thought Paul was dead!
Paul
backed up what he said about suffering with his own witness through brutal
persecution.
I
can’t help but thinking that similar stuff happens today. Christians are being beheaded in the
Middle East—just for being Christian. We are in 2015 and this is happening! We could theoretically be on a plane
and be in these areas in fourteen hours.
Could we endure the same?
Hopefully none of us will have to shed
our blood for our faith, but we can face any tribulation with great hope. Countless men and women throughout all
of our history have paid the ultimate price. Certainly we can have the strength to face whatever abuses
we face for being Christian today.
When
the necessary hardships come our way, be confident and courageous!
No comments:
Post a Comment