What do I stand for? What is going to be said about me when I am gone?   While these legacy type questions are not new, today’s readings point out the truth that they are important to our Lord and Savior.

In our 1st Reading from the 18th chapter of Acts, we find Paul preaching in the city of Corinth.  In his travels leading up to his work there, Paul had been stoned, thrown into prison and routinely persecuted.  While none of that surprised God, the Lord understood how easy it would be for Paul to become discouraged – to decide that it all really was not worth the cost.  It is at that point that we find God stepping in to Paul’s predicament.  In a vision, the Lord clearly reminds Paul “Do not be afraid.  Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. …….”.  Paul used that powerful encouragement the rest of his life to be able to overcome incredible hardships while touching  lives throughout the known world.

That visionary message is clearly not meant for Paul alone.  It is equally crucial to you and I as we face today’s evil world.  It is simply easier to keep quiet rather than to speak out against what we know is wrong.  Does anyone really care whether we are born-again followers of Jesus?  In fact we will often be chastised or humiliated for proclaiming our commitment to Jesus.  After all, the world’s vision is to selfishly seek our own needs rather than to seek to serve others as Jesus teaches. While today we may not be afraid of physical harm for our outspoken belief in Jesus, we definitely will often be under verbal & unspoken attack since we would be standing against what the world deems as acceptable. Those around us often view our commitment to Jesus as un-loving or intolerant.   

God clearly commands us to go on speaking – not silently but loudly with the assurance that God will always be with us.  That fact is strongly emphasized in our Responsorial Psalm.  “God is King of all the earth.”   All of us our commanded to “clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness.” And further “God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts.  Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praise to our king, sing praise.”  All of this reflects a faith that knows for sure who we serve and why.  We must unapologetically use our lives to confidently point others to our Lord and Savior.

Our Gospel from John, puts an exclamation point as to the WHY this all is so important.  Jesus emphatically points us to the JOY that comes to His followers.  The narrow path that we not only seek for ourselves, but perhaps more importantly, that we seek for all those we can impact with our lives.

So this all brings us back to: 1) how will we choose to take a stand for our Savior? 2) Will we live our faith out loud? 3) Will we try to let the whole world hear us say “I am unafraid to stand for Jesus?  4) Will we loudly, persistently seek to proclaim our Lord as the King of all the earth who offers us all the glorious gift of eternal salvation?

Dear Heavenly Father, since we truly wish for our lives to consistently point to Jesus, help us to unashamedly proclaim that you are God of the universe and that you sent us your Son to die for our sins and to rise again so that we may receive the incredible gift of salvation.  Please allow your living water to flow continually through our lives.  In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen