And start all over again

       Sometimes you can read a line from a passage and the Spirit moves you to thoughts beyond your understanding. Today I read quite a few passages. From Acts, Job and including the reading about John Henry Hobart, holy man whom we recall this day.

       It strikes me that Job is quite the complainer. I suppose we all are to lesser or greater degree. We have our reasons. I gave a litany of my own justifications not too long ago. Not at all for the pity which I spurn but more to show that we all have reasons and mine are quite respectable in terms of what trials I have been tasked with. Job however seems to take complaining to an art form. This is all very human of us. We all know someone who embraces the "whoa is me attitude"  to an art form.

       What also is very human and what we probably should be focused on, especially based on today's passages as I read them, is how often we are reborn. How often do we raise ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. Paul was stoned nearly to death but he rose to his feet the next day and was off on God's mission of love. It's not what we might typically recall of Paul but more, another example of how richly blessed we are to have him as an example and leader of Christ's message to us.

       My kids often admonish me to take it easy, especially if I am doing something remotely strenuous.  Joint replacements, aortic replacement and cardiac scares, I am determined to go down fighting if that is the case. I am inspired by the likes Paul and John Henry who accomplished much and rarely if ever gave in to human frailty or malady. What are we to do, emulate Job?

         Not only am I thinking of how we can get up and start over as people, we can get up dust off the church and start over as well.  Vatican II seemed like a good beginning in our time and I think we are called to renew that spirit, thee Spirit, in our churches, communities and selves. We have examples and teachers and faith, we are called to renewal and new life. It is our heritage and our essence. Let us grab our bootstraps, for all of us, move forward and always get back up and start all over again.

Job 29:1,30:1-2,16-31

Acts 14:19-28

 But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

 After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch.There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’ And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.