David Peter csc
Readings: Acts 28: 16-20, 30-31; Jn 21: 20-25
The first reading of the day is an inspiration to see the miraculous work of Jesus in the life of St. Paul. The great persecutor Saul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught the truth about Jesus
after having encountered him.
An encounter with the Lord can change and enlighten us. I see that the spirit remained the same in Paul. In the beginning, his spirit was to persecute Christians, while now he had the spirit of proclaiming Jesus and the good news. We are like Paul with regard to the spirit in us, and it
depends on us how we use it. Do we use the spirit for building our lives or to destroy it?
Every saint has a bad past. In our lives, we may engage in bad habits and deeds that may stop us from proclaiming Christ through our lives.
However, an encounter with the Lord can change all things and make us instruments of his mission. We encounter Jesus every day, so let us ask ourselves-does this encounter with the Lord bring change and lead us closer to Jesus or not?
Let us seek the grace that every time we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, the Lord may lead us closer to him to spread the message of kingdom amidst the challenges of this world.