Saturday of the 7th week of Easter
Acts 28: 16-29.30-31 John 21: 20-25
Theme: The zeal for Gods work
In the 1st reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we continue to hear about the difficult situation on which St. Paul found himself in Rome, while he was placed on house arrest, so to say. The zeal for the work of God continues to propel him. He did not allow the situation he found himself to stop him from preaching the Good News of Christ. We are told that even though his movement was restricted, he continued to preach the word of God unhindered and without fear. Dear friends in Christ, the action of Paul in today’s 1st reading is a wonderful encouragement to you and me as Christians. He did not allow his situation to become a barrier to his preaching of the word of God, rather he went beyond it and continued to preach the word of God while he took care of himself.
We can learn from Paul’s situation to go beyond anything that wants to stand as a barrier between us and our worship of God. Examples of such situations abounds, for instance, for some of us when it rains and there is mass, many of us will not attend the mass; with the excuse that the rain stopped them from attending the mass. For some others, the kind of friends we keep, make it difficult and sometimes impossible for us to get closer to God. Sometimes we allow the situation and challenges of life to keep us away from God, forgetting that it is God who has the power to bring us out of the situation we have found ourselves. We are all encouraged today to stand firm in our worship of God and never allow anybody or situation to take us away from God. The action of Paul in today’s 1st reading is a challenge to all of us; nothing should stop us from worshipping and serving God.
In the gospel reading, we see the testimony of John, who points out the fact that he can testify to the sacred scriptures, and he also pointed out the fact that there are so many things which Jesus did that were not written down. This simply invites us in a very special way to take seriously the word of God as seen in the scriptures and our sacred traditions in the church. May God continue to inspire us through his word, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.