As much as Saint Paul was almost a vindictive persecutor of the Christians, St Paul is equally now as zealous in his ministry of The Way. This seems true so very often in life. The reformed ( you fill in the blank ) becomes a born again over zealous convert to the new way of things. It happens to anyone that falls off the wagon of some sort , even ones who have seriously strayed and now wish to repent.
I often ponder how rich the world could be if some of the pseudo Christians of the world and evil politicians of the world would be if they converted. The problem in my mind then goes to how overly zealous they might become in their repentance, recovery or conversion.
For all of Paul's trips and ministry though he is nothing else if practical and reasoned. Paul did not become a slayer of Jews or anyone else as he was when he was vehemently anti-Christian. In Paul then there is an answer for the ages. Moderation.
When I have overindulged in eating or tried to use food as an answer as to why I was unhappy ( pre-coming out ), the answer was not in starvation or advanced fasting 102. No matter what dieting program I can think of, the answer is always moderation. Eating normal, measured amounts.
I don't think that God is asking great things of us. Moderation and love within our means is what I believe we are being asked to do. Try hard, have faith, love as much as we can. This is really the things of saints because if we try to do our best, to do whatever we are capable of doing within our means, God will take that effort and multiply it. Like the miracle of the loaves and fishes. It is exactly as I noted with Saint Vincent de Paul a few days ago. De Paul - get it, of Paul, how funny! Anyway, if we do what we can, God will make that effort the work of ten or something like that according to St. Vincent.
Sometime we think we must change the world by dramatic actions that we are often not really capable of. What God asks is that we simply take action as best we can and not sit idly by. Action. Love. You. Me.
Acts 20:1-16
After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples; and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left for Macedonia. When he had gone through those regions and had given the believers much encouragement, he came to Greece, where he stayed for three months. He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and so he decided to return through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia. They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas; but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, ‘Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.’ Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left.Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.
We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for he had made this arrangement, intending to go by land himself. When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. We sailed from there, and on the following day we arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day after that we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
No comments:
Post a Comment