Post-feast of Pentecost; The Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas
Rank: Polyeleos
No fasting or abstention from foods
Read
Romans 1:1-7, 13-17; Acts 11:19-30
Matthew 4:25-5:13; Luke 10:16-21
We all treat the Beatitudes as eloquent and beautiful, but today listen or read closer to understand what our Lord is saying. Blessed are those who mourn, hunger and thirst for righteousness, are insulted and persecuted, and so forth. None of these things is desirable, and more often than not, when tribulation strikes us, we groan and complain.
We avoid difficulties at all costs, yet our Lord did not run from suffering. Why? Just as our Lord suffered, these difficulties and tribulations can bring us closer to Him. They can be an opportunity to rely more fully upon Him. We may not understand why the tribulations have befallen us or what their purpose may be, but by embracing these crosses, we open the door for the Holy Spirit to transform us from within.
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