Reflection
It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
-Acts 14:22
to enter the Kingdom of God.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
-John 14:27
It’s been my experience that we humans don’t like to undergo hardships, particularly many hardships. And yet, we are told plainly in our readings today that this is necessary to enter the Kingdom of God. There is no beating around the bush: “You may, possibly, at one time or another, have to endure a hardship or two.” No, we are told it is necessary for the process. An image that is often used for these hardships is the process of refining gold. The raw ore is repeatedly subjected to burning fire to remove all the dross, that is, anything that is not gold. Jesus, in teaching his disciples, often used agrarian images such as the winnowing of the chaff from the wheat. Both of these are ways of imaginatively presenting the idea that hardships are a necessary part of the journey towards the Kingdom of God.
Another aspect of these hardships is that they seem to be never-ending. No matter how much we undergo transformation in moving closer to Christ, there will always be a deeper transformation that we can reach.
We are constantly called back to the journey. Paul himself, stoned, tossed outside the gates and left for dead, later returned to Lystra to continue the work of spreading the Good News.
So how do we gather the strength to live through these hardships and continue? Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid.” While often difficult, we are called to remain steadfast in the knowledge that Jesus is with us on this journey. We may feel at times like we’ve been abandoned, stoned by the troubles in our lives, tossed outside the city gates of our families, circle of friends, or life itself, but we are assured by that there is a place for us in our Father‘s mansion. Like Paul, we will be lifted up to continue our journey. And always, the peace of Christ is with us. Let us strive together to go forward on this journey, confident in the knowledge of the good news: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
