St Peter Chanel, priest & martyr
2nd Week of Easter : Thursday 28th April 2022
Acts. 5:27-33; Ps. 33:2,9,17-18,19-20;
Jn. 3:31-36 (Ps Wk II)
The Apostles boldly proclaim: “Obedience to God comes before obedience to man!” They have indeed travelled a long way in their faith journey from that moment when Peter first professed: ‘You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!’ at Caesarea Philippi (Mt. 16:13-19). Peter was told then that his belief did not spring from himself but from the Father, who had revealed this truth to him. From being a cowardly, frightened group of disciples, who abandoned their Master in the Garden of Gethesmane, the Trial and Golgotha, they are now ‘inspired” men ready to die for their Master and Lord.
They have arrived at the ultimate testing time of their friendship, discipleship which they had enjoyed with Jesus while He was walking with them. Now, they stand resolutely ‘attesting to the truthfulness of God’ (Jn. 3:33). They had left the security they once enjoyed to journey into a life of absolute insecurity, where there is even the prospect of martyrdom.
We, who have become comfortable with the facilities we enjoy in our public worship and the practice of our Faith, have the unspoken challenge to testify to our faith ‘boldly’ …
Would we have the courage to obey God more than man at all times? To stand alone and apart from the crowd and be willing to witness in our lives like in the way Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela did.
Lord, help me to surrender my life totally to You.
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