Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

  Lectionary: 426

...after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi,
we drew courage
through our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives, nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak...

In today's first reading Saint Paul recalls an unfortunate incident at Philippi when he and his companions were stripped, beaten with rods, and imprisoned because they had healed a slave girl of her madness. We can suppose the Apostle lay there for some time, perhaps a few hours, after the ordeal. And then, finding that the worst was over and that he was still alive, and that he still believed Jesus Christ is Lord, resumed his mission.

He "drew courage through our God" and kept doing what he was born to do. He could have quit, and betrayed himself and his mission. Given what he'd suffered, no one would blame him for it. Better, more blessed people have surrendered and walked away from the Lord. He would not. The Holy Spirit comforted his sadness, soothed his anger, dismissed his resentments, cheered him with the Divine Presence, and stood him on his feet again. He probably said, "Okay, that's done. Now, where are we? Where were we? Oh yes. As I was saying..."

We've got better things to do than feel sorry for ourselves or resentment against others. Let's get on with it.