Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 / John 17:20-26
Being "caught between a rock and a hard place" is an idiom that means we are stuck in a very difficult situation where we must choose between two equally unpleasant, unfavorable, or risky options.
It is having to choose between the frying pan and the fire.
And it is in relationships that this often happens.
For example, it can happen when a man had to choose between listening to his wife or to his mother.
That is a situation that no man wants to be in.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul was freed by the tribune so that he can be brought before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin for questioning.
It was a situation that no one wanted to be in, especially having to face the big guns of the religious establishment.
But the Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul to see a crack in the beliefs between the Sadducees and the Pharisees, and he used it to his advantage.
Whenever we get caught between a rock or a hard place, or between the frying pan and the fire, let us turn to Holy Spirit who is our Advocate.
The Holy Spirit will see us through those difficult situations, so that we will bear witness to the wonderful and marvellous love of God for us.