There are very few mountaintops where you graduate from school, or you get married, or have a child, or go on vacation. The high times are few and far between. Don't get stuck living for the mountaintops. Learn to enjoy the path you're on. Learn to enjoy the people in your life. Learn to enjoy the simple blessings of walking in the path the Lord has prepared for you.

Saturday in the Fifth Week of Easter

Acts 16:1-10

Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 5

J ohn 15:18-21 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. (19) If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the  world hates you. (20) Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. (21) But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me.

Meditation by Edward Morse

And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. --John 15:21

T oday’s gospel speaks of divisions that arise on account of being united with Christ when others do not know Christ.  Stephen immediately comes to mind as one who experienced this division in a dramatic way when people stoned him in response to his preaching about Jesus. (See Acts 7:54-60).  Paul also demonstrated the truth of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel passage, as he endured much hardship for his fidelity to Jesus. (See II Cor. 11:24-27).  Of course, Paul was once on the persecuting side, too, before he had his own encounter with Jesus.

Most of us living in the West today do not encounter such extreme hardships as Stephen or Paul on account of our fidelity to Christ.  But like our predecessors in the faith, we often face difficult questions about how we choose to adapt and get along -- or confront and stand against – the patterns of life in our world.  In today’s passage from Acts, it seems odd that Paul, who elsewhere taught that circumcision was a matter of the heart rather than the flesh (see Romans 2:28-29) nevertheless sought a fleshly circumcision for Timothy (who presumably acquiesced in this matter), presumably so that Timothy could minister more effectively.  Would any of us go this far to spread the Gospel?

Although we may be disposed to see the theme of division in today’s Gospel in terms of a dichotomy between those who believe and those who do not, there is another dimension of this passage that suggests circumspection among those who believe. Sadly, believers are not immune to errors that cause hardship for others, which may also be rooted in our own failure to know and follow our Lord.  How many times have we failed to forgive others for their wrongs to us?  Do we hold on to our grudges as treasures because we do not know and treasure the forgiveness and mercy of God toward us?  Can we truly claim to know the Father who sent Jesus the Son when our lives do not reflect His love and mercy?

We all have a journey ahead of us as we seek to know God.  As Father Bill Harmless has written, “the way one becomes a Christian is the way one remains a Christian – that is, by conversion—the journey of conversion is lifelong, communal, and required of all.” I know my conversion journey is still ongoing. But isn’t it fun to be on a journey when you know you are going somewhere?  And even moreso when there are fellow travelers to help and cheer us along the way?  Thanks be to God that, even when we feel that our progress is slow, “the Lord is good; his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.”

Supplementary Reading

Enjoy the Journey

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day... Proverbs 4:18

S ometimes it's easy to become so goal-oriented and so focused on our dreams that we overlook the simple things that we should be enjoying in our everyday life. But we have to remember that life is not really about the destination, it's about how we live all along the way. It's about the path we're on that shines brighter and brighter.

In this life, there is no such thing as a finish line. Once you accomplish one dream, God will give you another. When you overcome one challenge, there will be another. There is always another mountain to climb. If we make the mistake of just living for the destination, we'll look up one day and realize we've missed out on the biggest part of life because most of life is routine. Most of us get up every morning, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and do it again. There are very few mountaintops where you graduate from school, or you get married, or have a child, or go on vacation. The high times are few and far between. Don't get stuck living for the mountaintops. Learn to enjoy the path you're on. Learn to enjoy the people in your life. Learn to enjoy the simple blessings of walking in the path the Lord has prepared for you.

Father God, thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for the good plan You have for me today and for my future. Teach me to enjoy the journey of life, to embrace each day with joy and enthusiasm. Help me to see the blessings of every moment You have given me. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel & Victoria Osteen)

  
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GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.