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reading from the Acts of the Apostles
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when we entered Rome Paul was given
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permission to live in a private house
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with a soldier to guard him 3 days later
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Paul summoned the Jewish leaders when
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they had gathered together he said to
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them "Brothers I have done nothing
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against our nation or the traditions of
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our ancestors yet I came from Jerusalem
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as a prisoner and was handed over to the
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Romans when they questioned me in court
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and found nothing in me deserving death
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they wanted to release me but the Jews
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opposed me and I was forced to appeal to
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Caesar not intending to accuse my nation
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that is why I asked to see you and speak
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to you because I am wearing these chains
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for the sake of the hope of Israel paul
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lived in a rented house for 2 years he
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welcomed all who came to him preaching
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the kingdom of God with all courage and
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without hindrance he taught the things
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that referred to the Lord Jesus Christ
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the word of the Lord thanks be to
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St john glory to you
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Lord at that time Peter turned and saw
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behind him the other disciple whom Jesus
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loved the one who had leaned on Jesus'
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breast at the supper and had asked him
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"Lord who is it that will betray you?"
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When Peter saw that disciple he said to
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Jesus "Lord what will become of this
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one?" Jesus answered "If I want him to
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remain until I come what is that to you
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you follow me." Then the news spread
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among the disciples that that disciple
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would not die jesus did not say that he
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would not die but only if I will that he
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remain until I come what is that to you
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this is the disciple who testifies to
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these things and who wrote them down and
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we know that his testimony is true and
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there are many other things that Jesus
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did but if they were written down I
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suppose that the world would not contain
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the books that would need to be written
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the word of the Savior glory to you
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Lord dear brothers and sisters in Christ
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imagine for a moment that you are
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standing in front of a huge
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thousandpiece jigsaw puzzle you have
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spent months working on it patiently
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connecting each fragment watching the
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picture gradually come together now only
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the last few pieces remain and you feel
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a mixture of satisfaction and longing
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satisfaction because the work is almost
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complete longing because the journey is
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coming to an end this image helps us
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understand the tone of today's readings
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final moments conclusions but also the
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knowledge that the story continues
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beyond what we can see in the first
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reading we find Paul in Rome nearing the
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end of his extraordinary missionary
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journey described in the book of Acts
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but what an ending this is paul is not
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being welcomed as a conquering hero in a
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triumphal parade instead he is under
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house arrest chained to a Roman soldier
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awaiting trial before Caesar what
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profound irony the man who took the
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gospel to the ends of the known world
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who planted churches and cities who
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braved storms shipwrecks stonings and
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imprisonment to proclaim Christ now find
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himself confined to a house in Rome to
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many observers this might seem a
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disappointing even tragic ending but
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Paul sees things differently luke tells
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us that he welcomed all who came to him
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preaching the kingdom of God and
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teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ
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with all confidence and without
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hindrance what an extraordinary
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statement even in chains Paul remains
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free even in confinement his mission
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continues this is a profound lesson
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about the nature of true freedom paul
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discovered something that many of us are
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still learning our freedom does not
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depend on our external circumstances but
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on our internal connection to Christ he
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may have been physically imprisoned but
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spiritually he was freer than many who
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walk the streets of Rome think of the
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chains that bind us today they are not
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chains of iron but of fear anxiety
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resentment addictions or material
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concerns how often do we feel trapped by
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circumstances that seem beyond our
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control paul's lesson is that regardless
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of our external situation we can
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experience true freedom in Christ more
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than that Paul demonstrates that our
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impact on the kingdom of God is not
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limited by our circumstances historians
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tell us that it was during this period
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of house arrest that Paul wrote some of
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his most profound letters ephesians
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Philippians Colossians Filimon his
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chains became instruments of blessing
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for generations to come this leads us to
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a fundamental question how are we using
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our own limitations our difficulties our
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constraints our challenges can they
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become opportunities for deeper ministry
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paul shows us that they can turning to
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the gospel we find another kind of
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ending john is concluding his gospel and
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he makes a curious observation about
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Peter and the beloved disciple peter
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ever impulsive and curious asks about
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the fate of the other disciple jesus
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answers in what seems almost brusk terms
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if I want him to remain until I come
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what is that to you you follow me this
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response from Jesus reveals a profound
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truth about our Christian journey each
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of us has a unique calling a specific
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path laid out by God the constant
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temptation is to look at others to
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compare our journeys to wonder why
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someone else's path seems different or
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easier than ours peter had just received
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a prophetic glimpse of how his life
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would end when you are old you will
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stretch out your hands and someone else
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will gird you and carry you where you do
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not want to go." This was a reference to
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his future crucifixion faced with this
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sobering revelation about his own
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destiny Peter naturally wonders about
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his companion's fate but Jesus firmly
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redirects him "You follow me." This is
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one of the most important statements in
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the entire New Testament no matter what
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the path of others our responsibility is
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to follow Christ faithfully on our own
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path how often do we get distracted by
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comparing our lives to others how often
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do we lose focus on our own journey
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because we are looking over our shoulder
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to see what God is doing in someone
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else's life jesus calls us back to the
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essentials you follow me john then
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concludes his gospel with an observation
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that leaves us in awe and there are many
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other things that Jesus did if they were
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written one by one I suppose that even
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the world itself could not contain the
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books that would be written what an
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astonishing statement john who spent
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three years walking side by side with
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Jesus who witnessed miracles teachings
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and intimate moments says that what he
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recorded is only a tiny fraction of what
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really happened it is as if he is saying
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"Do you think you know Jesus from what I
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have read to you?" That is just the tip
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iceberg this observation by John invites
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us to profound humility no matter how
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much we study the scriptures no matter
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how much we grow in our faith there is
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always more to discover about Christ he
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inexhaustible his grace is infinite his
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love is boundless his wisdom is
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unfathomable it also invites us to a
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continual expectation if John is right
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then our journey of discovering who
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Jesus is does not end in this life there
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will be all eternity to explore the
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depths of his character to experience
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new dimensions of his love to understand
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more fully his divine nature my dear
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brothers and sisters these readings
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offer us two fundamental lessons for our
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Christian journey first like Paul we are
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called to find freedom and purpose
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regardless of our circumstances his
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chains did not hinder him from
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fulfilling his mission in fact they
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became part of it what challenges are
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you facing today what limitations seem
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to be restricting your dreams or
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callings paul's lesson is that God can
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use even our restrictions for his
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eternal purposes second like Peter we
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are called to stay focused on our own
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journey with Christ it is easy to get
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distracted to compare to question God's
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plan for our lives when we see what he
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is doing in the lives of others but
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Christ calls to us individually you
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follow me and finally like John we are
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invited to a posture of wonder and
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continual expectation jesus is greater
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than any description we can give of him
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more wonderful than any experience we
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have ever had with him there is always
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more to discover always new depths to
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explore imagine if each of us embraced
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these truths today if we found freedom
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in Christ regardless of our
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circumstances if we stayed focused on
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our own journey with him without being
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distracted by comparisons if we lived
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with a continual expectation of
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discovering more about who he is how our
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lives would be transformed how our
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communities would be impacted how the
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world around us would see the reality of
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God's kingdom through us may we like
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Paul find purpose and freedom in every
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circumstance may we like Peter
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faithfully follow our own calling and
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may we like John live in constant awe of
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the inexhaustible Christ we call Lord
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may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
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the love of God the Father and the
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fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
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you all today and always amen
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st michael the Archangel defend us in
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battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou O prince of the heavenly host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
