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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.”
When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.
The Word of the Lord.
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Throughout the year, there’s some professional sport being played. In the spring and summer, there’s baseball. In the fall and winter, there’s football and hockey. Year-round, there’s golf.
Now we’re in the NBA playoffs.
Athletes train, diet, and exercise extensively – even in the offseason – for that coveted shot at victory. Raising the trophy at the end of the season is their top priority.
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In both physical athletics and the spiritual life, there’s the element of delayed gratification. Work hard now, receive the reward later.
As Saint Paul says, “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win… [Those athletes] do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.”
Christians work hard in this present life for the sake of reaching eternal life.
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In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter and the others have been flogged and imprisoned as punishment for preaching about the resurrection.
Suddenly, the earth shakes, their chains are broken, and the door to their cell is thrown open. So, what do they do? They rush right back into the temple praising God, knowing it will only lead to further pain and suffering.
Why are they so willing to suffer?
Like professional athletes, they believe in the principle of delayed gratification. As Saint Paul says, “If we suffer with him, then we shall also reign with him.”
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In what ways do I suffer – or expend energy – for the sake of Christ?
Perhaps I’ve tried to rid myself of a particular sin; spoken publicly about my faith; studied the Word of God at home; or gotten involved in a time-consuming ministry.
Like the Apostles, we do these things for Jesus because we know what the reward will be: life with Him forever.
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Image credits: (1) YouTube, ajzprod, 8:40, Christian Athletes (2) Redeeming God, The Teaching of the Apostles (3) Our Sunday Visitor