"and there they continued to preach the gospel." — Acts 14:7 (ESV)
Our reflection is taken from the Acts of the Apostles which telling us about the courage of Apostles Paul and Barnabas in proclaiming the word of God to the Greeks and the Jews. In carrying out their missionary duties, of course there were risks they had to bear because not all the people accepted them. Some people received the good news with happiness, but some received it with jealousy, anger and hatred. Most of the apostles of Jesus were not only unsupported by those who hated them but also were slandered, threatened with torture and even put to death. Facing those realities, they who were filled with the Holy Spirit, fully believed in God's protection and keep walking forward.
In daily life, we find that not everyone supports our works, service and struggles. Sometimes without realizing it, our closest friends or family who we think could be asked for advice, suddenly turn out to be secretly jealous of the success of our work. They then try to slander and stab us in the back.
Faced with people like this, our first reaction must be surprised because we didn't expect it. However, we should not give up on the situation but surrender completely to God. As long as what we are fighting for does not deviate from the real path, then we do not need to be afraid of anyone who dares to destroy us. For God always be with the people who are treated unfairly and who are weak.
Reflection on Acts 14:1-7 by Sr. Yanti Purnawati SFSC
(Listen to the Podcast here)
No comments:
Post a Comment