hard times are good times
“Saul, for his part, concurred in the act of killing. That day saw the beginning of a great persecution of the Church.” —Acts 8:1
We can be witnessing for the risen Christ by preaching (Acts 2:14ff), healing (Acts 3:7), rejoicing (Acts 3:8; 8:8), worshiping (see Jn 20:28), suffering (Acts 5:40), and dying (Acts 7:60). We can also witness for the risen Christ by continuing to serve the Lord, especially during hard times. For example, “devout men buried Stephen, bewailing him loudly as they did so. After that, Saul began to harass the Church. He entered house after house, dragged men and women out, and threw them into jail. The members of the Church who had been dispersed went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:2-4). In terrible times, the Church continued to focus on its work of preaching the good news of the risen Christ.
Our natural reactions to hard times are to shut down or to compensate. When things are bad, we tend to lose our motivation or busily exhaust ourselves on escapist activities. Only disciples of Jesus can witness, preach, forgive, and love from the cross. When we persevere and even accelerate our service to the Lord in difficult times, we witness to the love and power of the risen Christ. Paradoxically, the cross is the prime place from which to proclaim Jesus’ Resurrection. Make hard times good times. Keep keeping on.
Prayer: Jesus, pour out Your love in my heart (Rm 5:5) so that I will never reject You but constantly worship You.
Promise: “I Myself am the Bread of Life. No one who comes to Me shall ever be hungry, no one who believes in Me shall ever thirst.” —Jn 6:35
Praise: Sharon personally handed out many thousands of One Bread, One Body booklets with a smile, a hug, and a “Praise Jesus.” She died on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from April 1, 2022 through May 31, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, August 3, 2021"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.