Friday of the Second Week of Easter

After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.

Suffering. We spend a lot of time avoiding it and yet there are some types of suffering we should gladly endure. We should be willing to suffer in order to know, love, and serve God and His children. We should be willing to suffer in order to do what is right and to resist temptation and sin. We should be willing to suffer in order to proclaim the Good News and give witness to our faith. We should be willing to suffer in order to defend life. We should be willing to suffer for the sake of being Christians. Yes, there is pain in suffering, but when we are wounded in the pursuit of God’s Will there is also joy.

Are we willing to suffer for God? What about suffering for our family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers? How can we learn to rejoice in the suffering that comes with doing what is right?

O Lord, we rejoice that you have found us worthy to suffer for the sake of your name.

Amen.