Friday of the 6th week of Easter year A
Theme: “Do not be afraid”
In the 1st reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles, the Lord appeared to Paul and gave him wonderful words of encouragement, not to be afraid but continue to preach the word of God. This experience I believe was very necessary for Paul as a human being, situation around you can sometimes elicit fear. But the fact that the Lord came to him and assured him that he was not alone, strengthened him and the fear also disappeared and his work among the people flourished.
This experience that was encountered by Paul in Corinth can happen to any of us, and when this happens, let us draw strength from the 1st reading of today. Each time we decide to stand out for God, I want you to know that you are not alone, the Lord is always by your side and will present men and women of faith who will always stand for you when the need arise. In the same way, the Lord is encouraging us today, that we should not allow fear to stop us from carrying our good work for God. I want you to always remember that fear is one of the greatest weapons of the devil, when you are overwhelmed by fear, you can no longer be yourself or do things in a very good way like you would have done.
The fact that you are working for God and doing what is good and pleasing to God, should always strengthen your faith and remove any form of fear or doubt, because you are not alone, God is with you. Like we already know, when God goes with you to any battle, you are sure of victory. Let us remain strong and resolute in our worship of God, no matter the situation we find ourselves. However, this does not mean that we will not encounter challenges and difficulties in our journey of faith, it simply means that whatever we encounter, God will always be by our side.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, the assertion of Jesus Christ in today’s gospel throws more light on this fact. There will be pain and difficulties on our journey of faith, but joy will come at last. This simply means that when we are faced with these difficulties, we must remain steadfast and trust in God. That is not the time for us to begin to grumble because of the challenges in our life or for us to give up and loose our faith in God. Always remember that it is those who remain steadfast until the end that will get that price of unfading glory. The good news is that God will not allow the situation to overwhelm as at the end. Dear friends in Christ, may the 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.