Saturday of the 4th week of Easter year A

Theme: Jealousy is evil

In the 1st reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the challenges that was encountered by Paul and Barnabas in their ministry, because of the jealousy of the Jews, when they saw the multitude of people that was giving attention to them. One would have expected that the Jews will appreciate the good work they were doing, taking into consideration the fact that they were followers of Christ. The death and resurrection of Christ is enough to change any hard-hearted person, knowing fully well that God was involved in the ministry of Christ and his followers. It is important that as children of God we must make honest and sincere effort to live a life that is devoid of envy and jealousy, because it is evil and very destructive.

 Jealousy will often make you take decisions that are not objective, but rather self-centered and evil. Your decisions will be tainted with hatred and bitterness and will never be objective. We see that in the todays 1st reading, they had to lie against Paul and Barnabas and incite the people against them, just to discredit them and their work. What they did not know is that they were fighting God, and no one fights God and come out victorious. The fact that they were chased away did not stop them from continuing to preach the good news of Christ where they found themselves. They have already sown a seed among the people that continued to grow.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, we must try to be contented with what we have and celebrate the good things that is happening in the lives of our brothers and sisters. God created us in such a way that we all have something we can share with other people to the greater glory of God and for our own God. Be appreciative of what God has given you and celebrate what he has equally given to others. But when you allow jealousy to take over your life because of the success of other people, you may end up losing your joy and peace of mind, while the person is living his or her life happily without any problem. We are all encouraged today to trust in God at all times and live our lives in a very appreciative way and the blessings of God will continue to abound in our lives. May the good Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.

Saturday of the 4th week of Easter year A, by Fr. Jude Ifeanyi Ifezime, C.S.Sp