***
Acts 5:27-33:
When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The Word of the Lord.
***
***
I was quite the “nerd” in college. I remember sitting in class on the first day of school, scanning the syllabus for each course. What were the research paper topics? The exam dates? Did we have mid-terms?
Immediately afterwards, I’d rush to the library – as if there’d be a long line in a college library the first day of class! – and check out all of the books I needed for the semester.
The journey back to my dorm room felt like an eternity; my muscles ached from carrying all those books.
But I didn’t care. As soon as I was seated at my desk, I could dive into limitless amounts of information.
You might say the “weight/wait” was worth it.
***
In our first reading, the Apostles have run into trouble… again.
The Sanhedrin – the same group that put Jesus to death – has had the Apostles flogged and imprisoned for preaching about the resurrection.
Now they want to kill them because they see the results; people are starting to believe in Jesus. In fact, Peter converts some crowds by the thousands.
Although the Apostles are in grave danger, they remain undeterred; this is their opportunity to suffer for Christ. He suffered for our sake, now they will suffer for his.
Like carrying a stack of books across campus, the ache of suffering is worth it; the Apostles see the end goal.
As Saint Paul later writes, “If we have died with Christ, we shall also live with Christ. If we endure, we shall also reign with him.” Their suffering is a way into his kingdom.
***
Are we willing to suffer for Christ?
When a difficult choice is placed before us, do we seek the easy way out? When our faith or the Church is ridiculed do we speak up? When our morality is tested, do we give in?
***
Our crosses may feel heavy at times, much like carrying a stack of books. But the “weight/wait” is worth it. Like the Apostles, those who are faithful to the Lord will surely enter his kingdom.
***
