Encyclopaedia of Hard Times

Saint Paul spent some thirty years in missionary labour and all that goes with it – difficult journeys, the frequent attacks of thieves,  raging torrents,  shipwrecks on the high seas,  imprisonment,  passing  the  night  awake,  in pain and in constant endurance. His endeavours are an encyclopedia of hard work. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that the Lord said of him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my  name  before  the Gentiles,  and kings,  and the children of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." (Acts 9:15-16) 

Throughout   his  life   Paul  committed  himself  to  the  proclamation of the Good News – the kerygma – because it was this that he had received from the Lord. "Woe to me if I do not proclaim."  And what is the secret at the very heart of Paul’s capacity to endure all these hardships that he truly counts as an honour?

It is the Cross! (I Cor 2:2) The Cross brings righteous pride to those who bear the name of Christ, and, power and joy and hope and salvation to those who believe that the Christ has been crucified for our salvation and for our inheritance of the glorious Kingdom. "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Gal 6:14)

In today’s epistle (I Cor 16:13-24), St Paul urges us  to stand firm in the Faith. What does this mean? There are many things in our daily lives that cause us to doubt, to hesitate and to question! This is good and natural –but the important thing is that our hearts remain constant in the Lord and in the love of God. This same love will make of us fertile ground whence it will yield a rich harvest. The love of God is indeed like a fire that needs constant care and attention to be always burning brightly as it purifies and empowers us.