Easter Time 05 - May 6, 2007
"We must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14,22). With these words Paul and Barnabas instructed the communities gathered by them. They didn't promise a beautiful and comfortable life to the new Christians. Jesus himself had never promised it. Jesus had said clearly "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you" (John 15,18), and "they will chase you away…, they will persecute you, they will deliver you to judges and magistrates", but also "rejoice and exult when they will say evil things against you for my sake"! The need of tribulations belongs to Christian life. We discover this when we live earnestly our faith.
Every day just the television we pay for having reliable information and decent,
educational pastime slams in our face all that may be harmful for our faith;
it offers offensive words and insulting speeches against us and against our
pastors. We could say the same about newspapers and magazines with whom we fill
our houses and our fantasy, or that we offer to our children. "We must
through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God": when Paul says
this, he already has been chased away from some cities, he had to escape from
Damascus and was let down by the wall in a basket (Acts 9,25), he has been stoned
and supposed to be dead at Lystra (Acts 14,19). He still will meet strokes and
prison, but always joyfully or being faithful to his Lord Jesus Christ.