Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24 NABRE)
As his missionary ministry drew to a close, Saint Paul knew he would never again see any of the people he had preached to, and he offered the elders in Ephesus some parting words. In a separate letter, which he wrote to Timothy--his travelling companion who had become administrator in Ephesus, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)
While it sounds extreme to the modern listener, we should realize it would also have been considered extreme in Paul's day. But Paul's perspective is simply one of crystal clarity. He has a singularity of purpose which is clear to him: to tell others about God's grace. This is our purpose too. Do we give it the same priority that Paul did?
Today, on this Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter, I will share my own story of God's grace in my life.
Saint Theophilus of Corte, who gave more and more singlehearted service to God and to God's sons and daughters as time went on, pray for us.
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