Tuesday, May 4, 2021

 Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

 (Acts 14:19-28; John 14:27-31a)

 Abraham Lincoln steered the United States through its most perilous moment.  He is often considered strong as a bull and clear-sighted as an eagle.  In truth he suffered from severe depression that made him consider suicide.  But he refused to allow himself that way out.  He rebounded from his melancholy to think himself through personal difficulties and to give due attention to the great challenge of his time.  In the first reading today we see Paul responding to a crisis with similar resiliency.

 Paul deeply wants his fellow Jews to believe in Jesus.  He knows that they will find salvation only through him.  He preaches Jesus’ lordship in the synagogues of Asia Minor, but the assemblies continually reject his message.  In today’s reading from Acts he is beaten and left for dead by the Jews in the town of Lystra.  But Paul rises from the setback to redirect his message.  If he cannot convince the Jews of Jesus, he surmises that the pagans may heed him.  Then, he will reason later, the Jews might convert from a sense of missing out on something glorious.

 We too may feel defeated at times.  Perhaps our friends don’t believe in Jesus or are at best lukewarm about their faith.  Still to us Jesus not only is our destiny but our joy in attaining it.  We must not lose heart.  Rather we can find in Jesus the wisdom and strength to overcome the indifference of friends.  Also, we will meet others with similar experiences and convictions as ours to support us along the way.