Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Psalm 16; John 17:20-26.
Wisdom is one of the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the book titled “when the Spirit comes upon you,” I discussed the meaning and importance of wisdom.
Wisdom is that gift which enables us to apply our knowledge in practical situations. It helps us to make right choices and sensibly handle crises. Wisdom is reflected in the way someone lives, talks, relates to others and conducts his/her life.
In the first reading of today, we see how divine wisdom played out in the words of St Paul. He was before the Jewish parliament comprising the Pharisees and the Sadducees. These were religious rivals and enemies who united to punish Paul and oppose his ministry.
Paul knew the right thing to say to foil their ploy. He raised a sensitive issue and these distinguished members of the Senate started a fistfight and of course they could not carry out their concerted plans against him.
- We all need this wisdom of the Holy Spirit to know what to say at the right time and how to handle crises sensibly. Let us pray to God daily for wisdom to handle every situation in the best way and to know the right thing to say at the right time and in the right situation.
- That night, the Lord appeared to Paul and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, you must now do the same in Rome.’
The Greek word is Θάρσει (Tharsei) that is “be of good cheer,” “be comforted,” “take courage,” it is like “do not be discouraged.”
The Lord said the right thing to Paul at the right time. St Paul must have regretted the whole event, how he was unable to successfully preach to the Jewish Congress. How the opportunity to preach Christ turned violent and rowdy, something that looked to him like he failed.
However, the Lord came and complimented him, “be of good cheer, your effort is commendable, you still have more to do, this is not the end, you will still go to Rome and bear witness there.”
The Lord is saying this to someone today;
“Be of good cheer, no matter the crises at the moment, no matter how things are, be of good cheer for I am still in control, you can trust me and my promises, do not live in guilt, regret, self pity or as a victim, I still want to use you mightily, I still need you, I still have plans for you, always be of good cheer.”
The Psalmist says, “And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; even my body shall rest in safety.” Let nothing take away your joy. Even if you don’t know why you should rejoice in the midst of everything around you, think of the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel, he says He loves you as the Father loves him,” Is that not enough to make us joyful?
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on May 28, 2020.