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It’s another tough day for Saint Paul.
As it says in our first reading from the Book of Acts, “They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.”
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Imagine Paul covered in rubble and bruises, passed out on the ground.
Lifeless.
His message of salvation has been utterly rejected by the Jews to the point they try killing him.
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But he’s a tough old ox.
At some point, that pile of rubble starts shaking. A bruised and dusty Paul emerges victoriously from his makeshift tomb.
A man once considered dead is alive again.
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Isn’t this image a foreshadowing of Paul’s resurrection?
He endures such a brutal beating willingly; regardless of whether or not he lived or died, he knew that he would rise again.
His faith in the resurrection was the source of his persistence.
As he writes in his first letter to the Corinthians, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”
Death – and the fear of it – no longer had power over Paul.
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How many of us feel like Saint Paul, stuck under a pile of rubble?
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Whether we’re buried under the rubble of grief, the rubble of unemployment, stress, frustration, or boredom, Paul reminds us that Christians never give up.
When we get knocked down, we stand up again, dust ourselves off, and continue moving forward.
Because the same Lord who strengthened Saint Paul now strengthens us.
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