Monday of the 2nd week of Easter year A
Theme: Trust in God
In the 1st reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles, after the release of Peter and John, they shared their experiences with their friends and the warning they were given before they were released. Interestingly, the faith and position of the followers of Christ was not shaken by their story, rather they were all firm in their decision to continue to preach the resurrected Christ, irrespective of what the leaders of the people have said to them; they had faith and trusted in God. In their action and resolve, we see courage and a very resolute faith and trust in God. They did not allow fear to take the better part of them, rather they trusted in God and are willing to pay the supreme price for their call to discipleship.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, the action of the Apostles of Christ is challenging us as followers of Christ in our own time. They did not allow the difficulties and challenges presented by the leaders of the people to stop them from doing what is good and right. In the same way we are all encouraged to be resolute and stand firm for what is always good and right, irrespective of the challenges that are associated with speaking up for what is good and right. This type of decision is very important in our lives as a people today. In the past, when issues of justice come up, people are confident, and they say let us get the opinion of the elders who will tell us the true situation of things. However, in recent times all that has changed because most of the elderly have eaten sour grapes and their teeth are on edge. Simply put, many of them are compromised and can no longer stand for what they know to be the truth and right.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, sometimes standing for the right thing may seem difficult, but the African proverb that says that “A good name is better than riches” should always guide us in our actions. None of us will take our wealth to the grave and none will influence God because he or she is wealthy. But our good name will continue to live even after our demise. The choice is yours to make my brothers and sisters in Christ. The actions of Peter and John since the resurrection, should be a great source of strength to Christians all over the world, taking into consideration the fact that they deserted Jesus before his death and now preach about him with a lot of courage and conviction.
May the Lord continue to always strengthen our faith and trust in him, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.