Friday of the Second Week of Easter
“We humbly entreat you to dispose our hearts to offer you worthy prayer and ever extol you.” These words from today’s Collect (the prayer before the Liturgy of the Word) proclaim the reason for our joy in the resurrection. In the first reading, we hear that the apostles, after being flogged, rejoiced that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ. If I were to receive that kind of treatment, you would find me bitter and angry, absorbed in the trials of my day. Instead, what do the apostles do? They rejoice! “Dispose our hearts…to ever extol you.”
How often during our day do we grumble about one of the blessings God has put into our lives? Whether it is children who need our help, co-workers we have a hard time working with, or friends going through a rough period, the Lord put them there so we can encounter Him and them, and He put us there in the same way for them. Think back to the apostles: how many people do you think saw them bearing the marks of the lash with joy, and wondered at such exuberance? What if you intentionally smiled at that difficult blessing in your life? After all, we believe in a God who, despite Phillip’s doubt, fed 5,000 men with the young boy’s five loaves and two fish. Best of all, your effort will certainly put a smile on someone’s face: Christ’s. There are still men like today’s Pharisees who fought against the loving joy of a Christian, but we can take comfort in the fact that we put a smile on the face of our Father, who sees what is secret. So today, “we humbly entreat You to dispose our hearts to offer You worthy praise and to ever extol You.”
Reflection by David, seminarian
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections