They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you."
W e might not expect trouble, but we should not be surprised when it comes. Blessed by the Lord and content with the satisfaction that has come upon us due to our changed attitude about life, God, ourselves, and others, we may be caught off guard by inexplicable hostility.
I am sure many Americans have made that sad discovery among their colleagues, neighbors, friends, and family as they preferred Catholic thought, history, ideas, prayers, and sacraments. The prevailing culture worships power and revels in its violence. Both sides may say they worship God but only one knows the One who welcomes sinners along with aliens, miscreants, and nonconformists. If hospitality to migrants makes perfect sense to Catholics, and fits every reasonable policy which might build or rebuild a nation, many people don't see it that way.
This surprise can be very confusing to those who have recently come to the Lord. They may quote their old beliefs about "Christians," for instance, which they suppose came from God, only to discover authorities in the Church urging them to reconsider. While the old attitudes allowed them to stand with the world and with God, their continuing conversion takes them on a different path.
Every book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is filled with stories of conflict and confusion. We come to know the Lord primarily through distress. While we may enjoy moments on an isolated beach or deep in the green forest, or even on the mountaintop with Jesus and his three disciples, we more often find him taking us by the hand and leading us through hardship, disappointment, and confusion. We need him more during those moments than during the quiet interludes; and he's more likely to appear there.
In today's story from the Acts of the Apostles, Lydia found the Lord while doing the laundry. Saint Paul had come to her city of Philippi to announce the Good News. She was elated with her encounter in the Lord; we can only imagine her distress when, a few days later, the missionaries were politely told to leave the district. The gods who kept order in the Roman colony had no further use for them.
"I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.