Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 295


One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.


In my part of the world -- which is rather small -- most people go out of their way to be agreeable. I am "conflict averse" and so are most of my friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family. We don't relish arguments; and when they occur we either try to resolved them or head for the door. If they're too serious we think, "I must be doing something wrong. This surely is not God's plan for me or them or us!"
Saint Paul doesn't seem "conflict averse" but he described his style in 2 Corinthians 6:

We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order that no fault may be found with our ministry;

And, in 1 Corinthians 10:31 he wrote:

...avoid giving offense, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved.

That being said, some people are going to take offense when we speak the truth, and sometimes we just have to persist. That conviction came to Saint Paul in Corinth as we heard in today's firsts reading. The Lord reassured him in a vision, "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking!

The Apostle demonstrates that prayerful approach that we must practice and demonstrate in every walk of life. Whether we're counselors seeking to gently help the grieving, or police who oppose wrongdoing, we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. Should I assert myself now, or honor this person and their need to overspeak what I would say. Which battle should I fight, and which one should I avoid? 

If there is a time for everything under heaven, I want the Lord to tell me what time is it now, and how should I respond to this moment. If I let my ego get in the way, I know it will end in disaster. 

The day came, as Saint Luke tells us, when Saint Paul set sail for Syria, leaving Corinth. He did so willingly. He was driven neither by fear nor ambition but by the Lord -- for the time had come.