Acts 14:5-18 / John 14:21-26
Much has been said about strength. One rather enlightening saying about strength is this:
Strength is not about how much you can handle before you break; it is about how much you can handle after you break.
We can realise the truth of this when it come to stamina. We can't build our stamina when we are fresh and energised. Stamina is built only when we keep going even when we are tired.
In the 1st reading, we may wonder where Paul and Barnabas get their strength and stamina from.
They had to flee from danger, and then when they could catch a breath, they continued to preach the Good News.
And then came another problem - they were treated like gods, with sacrifices being offered to them, although they vehemently tried to reject it.
In between was this healing of the crippled man. Paul saw that the man had the faith to be cured, and so he commanded the man to stand up and immediately he was cured.
We may wonder what it means when the reading said that Paul saw the man had the faith to be healed.
But we need not wonder too long about it as Jesus tells us in the gospel that God will send the Holy Spirit to teach us everything.
Certainly the ability of Paul to see the faith of the crippled man and the healing that followed are none other than the workings of the Holy Spirit.
May the Holy Spirit guide us and strengthen our faith and healed from the brokenness of our sins, we will be healed and proclaim the Good News of God's love in our lives.