The Cost of our Faith

 Reflection on Today’s Readings, Friday of 2nd Week of Easter, April 29th, 2022
Texts: Acts 5:34-42; Psalm 27:1.4. 13-14; John 6: 1- 15
Today we celebrate St. Catherine of Siena. As we celebrate her we call to mind her love for the Church, her love for the Pope and her devotion to the unity of the church. She is also a figure of ascetic life and mystical life. She was lay faithful. She died at age 33. She was given the title the doctor of the Church. As we celebrate her, today, we are called to emulate her love for the Church, love for the Pope and her devotion to the unity of the Church.  
With the testimony of Scripture about the attacks on the spreading of the faith, we cannot but say it is a miracle that the faith is still alive today. First, they killed Jesus Christ, hoping that it would bring an end to the faith in Him, but it became futile effort with His resurrection. The apostles, with the help of Holy Spirit, were inspired and convinced that Jesus Christ was truly the Lord and Saviour. They continued to spread the message of faith, winning souls to Him. The apostles were attacked again and threatened not to speak about Him anymore. With the attack, the message continued to spread the more. The attack became a source of joy to the apostles. We read in today’s first reading thus: “when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name. And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
The apostle challenge us today. Do I ever rejoice for suffering for Christ? Do I even want to suffer for Christ? Do I not even think that the apostles were fools for rejoicing over dishonour? Whenever I face challenge, I ask ‘why me?’ perhaps, I am bearing that pain for Christ. What about suffering? Perhaps, I have to bear it for Christ. We need to learn to bear things for Christ’s sake. Because we do not want to bear something for Christ, we are unable to forgive. Because we do not want to bear things for Christ, we are filled with revenge and anger. Because we do not want to bear things for Christ, hatred and bitterness have become our second nature. That insults I bear for Christ’s sake and so I let it go. That offence, I bear it for Christ and so I forgive you. Life will be better if we learn to bear things for Christ.  
Having the testimony of Scripture about how Jesus Christ suffered for the faith and likewise the apostles and so many others, we should appreciate the gift of the faith we have received and thereby hold on to it firmly. We have the faith that Christ died for and so many others; it is a faith that cost the blood of Christ and sustained by the blood of so many others. Our faith is a priceless gift. Hence, St. Peter says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1Pet. 1:18-19). Our faith is so precious, that nothing worth it but the blood of Christ. We should be ready to bear anything for it.  
Today’s gospel reading goes further to tell us that our faith in Jesus Christ is insured with God. It is said, “Jesus went up into the hills, and there sat down with his disciples.” Being on a hill He is shown to be God, for Jews believed God lived on a mountain or hill (John 4:20). Psalm 24 says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?” (24:3). He revealed to them further that He was God by recalling the giving of manna in the desert as He fed the people. He is God who cared for His people. He revealed His divine providence. He is able to provide for our needs. Today we see the testimony that Jesus Christ understands our conditions, plights and concerns and that He always works for good. This is made clear thus: “Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.”  

O God, hope and light of the sincere, we humbly entreat you to dispose our hearts to offer you worthy prayer and ever to extol you by dutiful proclamation of your praise.

 Fr. Andrew Olowomuke