Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
As summer begins, I know that I, for one, am thinking about travelling. The past few years, my summers have been filled with many trips, whether abroad or more locally. I really love travelling; growing up in an Air Force family meant that I got to see many different places as a child and I continue to crave new places to visit. But as much as I love travelling, I must admit that it is exhausting. It is mentally and physically demanding to be on the move. I wouldn’t miss my friends’ weddings, my academic conferences, or my new cultural experiences for anything, but it sure is nice to be home sometimes.
Today’s first reading continues the story of the Acts of the Apostles, which is the biography of the early Christian church. What stands out to me in this reading is all of the places that Paul and the other early missionaries travelled. They were always on the move. As exhausting as I think travel is today, imagine how much more exhausting it was for these early Christians. And yet, they kept travelling, even after Paul is almost killed by stoning!
I always look to these early stories for inspiration. Even though these Christians were closer in history to Christ, many of them had not seen Christ in the flesh. They had a tremendous faith, one that not only put them in great danger but also compelled them to share the Gospel so that others might share their faith. I wonder in what ways God is calling us to be “on the move,” either literally or figuratively, for the Gospel. For some of us, that does mean moving or travelling. For others, that may mean consciously moving our hearts and minds towards questions and people that we find difficult. The early Christians in the stories of Acts remind us that God’s grace never abandons us, even on the toughest of roads. As we continue to celebrate the Resurrection, may we be compelled to share God’s love with others, and find ourselves on the move for the Gospel.
- Katherine Schmidt