A challenge enhances one's faith

May 10, Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Daily Readings: Acts 11:19-26; Gospel John 10:22-30

The greater the challenge, the more firmly we must anchor ourselves in our faith. It enhances our faith and identity as people of faith over time.

Jesus' followers were persecuted and forced to flee Jerusalem. They increased the size of the community of believers because they spread the word of the Lord everywhere. This teaches us three important lessons.

First, we must be willing to change. To mature, we must disassociate from the familiar, those we love, and those we are profoundly committed to. To grow in faith, we must also have the fortitude to abandon old habits, thoughts, and practices in favor of new ones.

Second, we must transform our negative thoughts and energies into positive ones to grow. When we are powerless to change an existing condition, we accept it yet creatively transform it into a constructive circumstance from which beautiful things may emerge. For those who believe in God, every opportunity is an opportunity to declare God's Word.

Third, our personality and beliefs should not be altered solely due to adverse circumstances. We should maintain our faith by persecuting and creatively strengthening it. The greater the difficulty we confront, the more firmly we must anchor ourselves in our faith. It enhances our faith and identity as men of trust over time.

To strengthen our faith, we need to listen to the voice of God. In the Gospel today, Jesus says that only those who know Him can hear His voice. We only become strong when we follow the voice of the One who rules over all things.

Just as Jesus did good works, we are invited to do the same. Let us do good because we are already involved in God's project of salvation in this way.