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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.
Athletes train, diet, and exercise extensively – even in the offseason – for that coveted shot at victory.
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As is true with athletics, in 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… [Athletes] do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.”
Christians work hard now for the sake of the life to come.
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In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter and the others had been flogged and imprisoned as punishment for preaching the Good News.
Suddenly, the earth shook beneath them, their chains were broken, and the door to their cell was thrown open.
So, they rushed right back into the temple area praising God, knowing it would only lead to further pain and suffering. As it is written, the authorities, “became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”
Why were they willing to suffer so much?
Like professional athletes, the Apostles believed 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 Christ?
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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, if only we do our part now.
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Image credits: (1) Simply Psychology (2) Humble and Faithful Co. (3) Fredrick Tumusiime, Medium