Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
Prison cannot contain the Apostles. It can restrain the strongest, but it cannot restrain their conviction to proclaim Jesus Christ. Even when locked up behind bars, the Apostles still experienced a deep interior freedom, which did not fade.
In contrast, the hearts of the high priest and the Sadducees were filled with jealousy, and jealousy is a type of prison itself. Though they roamed about freely and decided who to imprison, they themselves lived in this perpetual interior prison that was a combination of jealousy and comparison, things which diminish joy and keep one trapped.
The early Apostles experienced trial after trial—persecutions, punishment, beatings—yet, they were still joyful. The reason we don’t live in that same joy is because we think and act in ways that keep us enslaved and bound in our own internal prison, much like the high priest and his companions. What is your prison? What does it look and feel like?
When we struggle to trust God, and realize that seeking our self and turning elsewhere hasn’t solved our problems, then it’s an opportunity to place everything in Jesus’ care and concern for us. Live as if God will provide for you, even when you find yourself in the most difficult of circumstances. This is what the Apostles did.
Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections