Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
(Acts 18:9-18; John 16:20-23)
Today’s gospel reminds us of the trauma of giving
birth. Prolife advocates must be
sensitive to what they are asking of pregnant women. Although there is no legitimate defense for a
direct abortion, giving birth to a child requires great patience.
Jesus compares the difficulty of giving birth to the
challenge of following him. It is as
true today as ever. Schoolboys will mock
their classmates who refuse to look at pornography. A large part of society will frown in
disapproval on large families. We may
even become irritated with ourselves for passing by an opportunity to take a
holiday because of a standing commitment to take Communion to the sick. Do not fret -- Jesus is telling both ancient
and contemporary disciples – he will more than compensates for any sacrifices for
his sake.
He is offering more than promises for the future. He gives all his disciples the assurance of
the Father’s ongoing attention. Like having a service
guarantee on a new computer, he says the Father will provide if anything goes wrong.
