Battered and Bruised for Christ

. . .  they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name. Every day they went on ceaselessly teaching and proclaiming the good news of Christ Jesus, both in the temple and in private houses. (Acts 5: 40-42)

As I was pondering this passage, the wind was howling and everything that was not tied down was being blasted. The wind of the Spirit blows us in directions and places we don't anticipate. At times we feel like we are being blasted on every side. As we make our way through these passages of life, we emerge battered and bruised and much worse for wear. Driven by the Spirit, the apostles spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. It was this proclamation that got them beaten and ejected from the Temple. They did not cower under the lash. Rather, they rejoiced to be found worthy of being battered and bruised for the sake of Christ and His kingdom.

In a world that seems to be adrift for want of a moral compass, we are called to announce the Good News of salvation. Like the apostles, we must be open to the movement of the Spirit and not closed in upon ourselves by threat of persecution. It is important that we submit our wills to the love and care of God. Guided by the Spirit, it must be our constant business to proclaim Christ: Christ crucified and risen from the dead; Christ who is the love of the Father made tangible. Should we experience persecution because of the Gospel we proclaim, we should rejoice in the grace that enabled us to do so. It is a grace to be battered and bruised for the sake of the name of God and Jesus.

The Holy Spirit was the apostles' comfort and support in times of adversity and challenge. Paul reminds us of this in the Letter to the Romans. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8: 31) No matter what we have to endure, God is at our side. Our only responsibility is to be faithful to our calling. If we are willing to offer the Lord our meager resources, He can and will take care of the needs of the multitudes. We must never forget that it is the Lord who blesses our efforts and builds up His Body which is the Church. Seeing ourselves as members of the Body of Christ, we can know ourselves as loved and able to love others as we are loved. When The Lord Jesus returns again in glory, may He bring us all together into everlasting life.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO