Not to us, Lord, not to us

Acts 14:5-18, Jn 14:21-26. In today's Gospel, Jesus assures us that "the Advocate", the Holy Spirit will teach us everything and reminds us of all that He told us. The Holy Spirit will teach us what matters most: that we are God’s children and are on a journey going back to reunion with our God. There is no limit to ambassadorial representation of our ‘Good Father’. Once we possesses this conviction with clarity, we are ready to do our best for the cause of the Gospel, believing that alive or dead we belong to God. We see this attitude displace itself in our two great missionaries in today's first reading, Paul and Barnabas. One of the traditional songs says: "Great things happen when God mixes with us." We see in Paul and Barnabas ‘a never-say-die’ attitude when God showed His mighty power in Lystra.

Paul and Barnabas faced challenges during their previous missionary journeys before they flee to Lystra and Derbe in the region known as Lycaonia in what is known as Asia Minor. In Lystra a man was healed from his sickness, the whole town came to know about it and they heralded Paul and Barnabas as the coming of their pagan Greek gods; Zeus and Hercules, in the human form. Paul and Barnabas immediately insisted that they were neither gods or the heralds of the gods as the people thought they were. They refused to accept the offerings, sacrifices and assert the words of the Psalmists in their preaching: "Not to us O Lord, but to your name give the glory." This shows us the virtue of humility that as instrument of God. Today, we are challenged to take our rightful place as instrument and that all we are and have are done through Him, in Him and with Him and for Greater Glory of God.

May the Lord make us an instrument of peace and fill our hearts with overflowing joy! Amen!! Keep safe and glorious week!!!