Suffering for a Worthwhile Course

Details: Written by: Rev. Fr. Paul Gaa; Category: Reflections by Rev. Fr. Paul Gaa; Last Updated: 06 April 2024; Hits: 334

Friday, May 11, 2018

TODAY'S REFLECTION - FRIDAY, 6TH WEEK OF EASTER
St. Ignatius of Laconi, Confessor
Acts 18:9-18/ Psalm 46:2-7/ John 16:20-23

SUFFERING FOR A WORTHWHILE COURSE
Beloved, the Lord encourages St. Paul to continue with his evangelising mission without fear. At Corinth, the Jews sought to make trouble for Paul. They wanted to influence Gallio, the new proconsul to support them, but Gallio was an impartial Roman. This is a big lesson for those of us mixing up things because of our position. Some of us mix up religion with politics or chieftaincy issues anyhow. We use civil authority to settle matters of religion any how. We should know who we are and which stand we should take, and when, in order not to be influenced by others negatively.

Friends, Jesus knew that after his ascension, his followers would be sad. He therefore told them that Christian suffering will lead to everlasting life/reward. Jesus used the image of the suffering of a woman in labour, to underscore the lesson of how worthwhile sadness or sorrow will turn to everlasting joy/happiness, which can never be taken away. Some of us might have lived a certain life( good/bad), leading to our present enjoyment or suffering. Things might not be permanent for us. Let us pray for ourselves, that the Holy Spirit may enlighten us to know which aspects of our lives we should continue with despite the present suffering. May God give courage, hope and patience to those suffering for the course of right. BE BLESSED.

Fr. Gaa (0206854323/0240308878) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Prev Next

The 7 UPs

1 . Wake Up !!!Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." {bib=Psalms 118:24} 2. Dress Up !!!The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." {bib=1 Samuel 16:7} 3. Shut Up... Read more>>>

The unconditional love of Jesus Christ w…

{bib=Matthew 13:44-46} Have you ever fallen in love? Do you remember when the phone rang and he or she was on the other end? Your heart fluttered with excitement. You couldn’t wait to see your loved one again. However, the romantic attraction you’ve ever had is nothing compared to the way Jesus loves you. You’re always on his mind. To him, you are the “pearl of great price” ({bib=Matthew 13:46}). He gave up everything for your salvation. If only this would... Read more>>>

Glory be to the Father ...

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. Read more>>>

The different world of blurred future of…

The world is more than rotten The world has changed completely into what I can’t describe. Will I say rotten? Oh no, it will be an understatement. Some youth say, “We are in the 21st century.” Some also say, “We are the future leaders.” Other youth say, “We are civilised.” Still, others say, “Computer children.” Indeed this twenty-first century has changed. Things are now upside down, which has made the road to righteousness very rough for the youth and difficult to... Read more>>>

The unchangeable changer

The Israelites left Egypt with jewelry and clothes they didn't buy. May our enemies look on as we advance in wealth and health miraculously because the unchangeable changer and the great I AM is our God and his name and power is our solace. Cosmas Nanyaa Read more>>>

Understanding the book of Acts

Analysis of video condemning water baptism for gentiles(Understanding Acts) It is very helpful to watch the complete video before reading my comments, so that you can have the full picture. Someone referred me to this video when we were discussing about baptism. The video claims that water baptism is not required by gentiles for salvation. I have analyzed the video and given my thoughts on it. I would have loved to post my comments directly on youtube, but comments have been disabled... Read more>>>

Wrong moral living or wrong moral teachi…

Difference between wrong moral living and wrong moral teachings Some people confuse the two concepts of wrong moral living and wrong moral teaching. If we study scripture carefully, we will realize that right from the beginning God has condemned both wrong moral living and wrong moral teaching. However, we also realized that even so, there has been no period in history when the world has been completely rid of evil or wrong moral living. Abraham, for instance, could not wait patiently for... Read more>>>

My soul belongs to Yahweh

Oh, satan, I pity you. I've just been reminded that my soul belongs to Yahweh, so u can't touch it. You are indeed a great loser. Read more>>>

Guarding friendship

Teaching for Sunday 21st June, 2009Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=Sirach 22:19-27} Friendship = companionship History of friendship Friendship has existed since the beginning of creation: When God created man, he saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he created woman – {bib=Genesis 2:8-23}. God used to come down and interact with Adam and Eve in the Garden. Destruction of friendship But man broke this friendship through disobedience by eating the forbidden fruit. We also frequently break our friendship with people... Read more>>>

Short memory

One of the most painful things in this world is when people you helped in the past later decide to work against you. So many people have vowed never to do anything to help others again because of the ungratefulness of some people they once helped. Our world is really full of people with selective short memory. They only remember the bad you once did against them but quickly forget the good you did for them. Joseph was a man God... Read more>>>

Popular prayers

The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, The Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to... Read more>>>

Lesson from the story of Joseph.

The brothers of joseph thought they were pushing him away from his dream of being who God said he would be. Little did they know that they were rather pushing him into it. Read more>>>

Do I Need to Forgive Others to be Forgiv…

Dear ..., I hope this writeup meets you in good spirits. Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete the discussion we started, so I decided to put my thoughts together in this writeup for you to study. I hope you read this writeup with an open mind. I referred to Matthew 5:21-24, 38-48, Matthew 6:14,15 and Matthew 18:21ff to make the point that unforgiveness is one of the gravest sins, because it actually prevents your other sins from being forgiven. You challenged that a Christian can’t... Read more>>>

Reckoning my past as loss for the sake o…

Three days fasting and prayers -28th - 30th May, 2008Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=Philippians 3:7-9} Background of St. Paul St. Paul was a Pharisee. He was a scholar well respected. He had the right to be called a Jew and to be hailed by his own people and by other people. Everyone loves uniqueness and the Israelites were unique; and St. Paul could choose to hold on to this uniqueness without caring about the rest of the world. He could choose to stick to... Read more>>>

Who has more followers: God or satan?

Please finish reading before you do anything else right now; read this to the end. My name is God. I know you will give your time to me. I love you and always bless you. I am always with you. I need you to spend 30 minutes of your time with me today. Don't pray. Just praise. Today I want this message across the world. Will you help? Please drop everything & pass it on. Tell the devil you are... Read more>>>

You need to pray

DEAR BELOVED IN CHRIST, GET A LITTLE TIME AND READ AND GOD WILL BLESS YOU, AMEN. BEWARE of the times. You need to:??Pray for forgiveness??Pray for strength??Pray for knowledge ??Pray for wisdom??Pray for insight??Pray for understanding??Pray for strong faith??Pray for grace??Pray for peace??Pray for mercy??Pray for protection??Pray for Holy Ghost direction??Pray for power??Pray for spiritual guidanceso to withstand in all times.Whosoever seeks these but not wealth is founded on a rock. Read more>>>

Knowing the God you serve: God will forg…

Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=Judith 5:17-21} What if I were God? Would I be able to forgive the many wrongs that people do, even after they confess? When I examine my own thoughts and emotions and when I listen to contributions to the Friday morning toaster programme, I wonder what would happen to us if God were a human; He is so full of mercy and compassion, sometimes I wonder if I were God I would be able to forgive some of... Read more>>>

Pursue Your Strengths

God has equipped each one of us with specific gifts and talents. It’s up to each of us to identify those gifts and be disciplined enough to develop them. You have to learn to stay in your strength zone. What are you naturally good at? What do you enjoy doing? Take the time to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and as the Scripture says, give yourself to your gifts. In other words, don’t spend all your time trying to improve... Read more>>>

The rotten generation

Aaah! Oooh!I can smell the smokeThe smoke of the burning generationGeneration of darkness and crimeDark, deep, deeper than the bottomless pit This rotten generationMakes my heart bleedI am filled with sorrow about how morality Is being thrown away Like a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist Aah! What a generation of it-doesn’t-matter This rotten generationPursues the youth with its rotten fingersCapture them, harden their hearts like stonesThe youth no more see the light Jesus Christ has become deviant crime Drugs and... Read more>>>

A brief history of the Holy Rosary and h…

What is the rosary? The angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary, when he came to announce the conception of Jesus, is familiar to most Catholics. It is echoed in one of the most popular Catholic prayers, the Hail Mary (in Latin, Ave Maria): “Hail, [Mary,] favoured one [or ‘full of grace’]! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). The words that follow in that prayer also come from Scripture, from Elizabeth’s greeting to our Lady soon afterward: “Blessed are you among women, and... Read more>>>

Saint of the Day

Quick Menu

Vatican News

National Catholic Register

Christianity Today

CNN News