Meditations

Mercy

A great love

In those days the crowd rose up against Paul and Silas and the magistrates, having their clothes torn, ordered them to be beaten and, after loading them with blows, they threw them in prison and ordered the jailer to make good guard. When he received this order, he threw them into the innermost part of the prison and secured their feet to the shackles.

Around midnight Paul and Silas, in prayer, sang hymns to God, while the prisoners listened to them. Suddenly an earthquake came so strong that the foundations of the prison were shaken; immediately all the doors were opened and the chains of all fell. The jailer woke up and, seeing the prison doors open, he pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted loudly: "Do not hurt yourself, we are all here".

He then asked for a light, rushed in and trembled and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas; then he led them out and said, "Gentlemen, what must I do to be saved?".

They answered: "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your family will be saved. And they proclaimed the word of the Lord to him and to all those in his house. And he took them with him at that hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized with all his own; and he brought them into the house, full of joy together with all his people for having believed in God".
(Acts of the Apostles 16, 22-34)

It fills the heart to read this text because one can sense the extraordinary faith of these apostles: when one is a true friend of Jesus, life is so full that one is left as if intoxicated with beauty, zest for life, joy and peace. But why is it not like this for everyone? Paul and Silas meet with hostility from the crowd and the magistrates who order their clothes to be torn off and beaten. It must have been a painful and traumatic experience, the beatings are painful afterwards as well because the bruises that form expand the suffering to the bones, the skin tears forming sores, and the text specifies that after being loaded with blows, the magistrates not satiated ordered them to be thrown into the innermost part of the prison tying their feet as well.

It is not hard to imagine the extreme suffering: if it had been us, in the place of these apostles, what would we have done? We would have started with complaints, "what a pain...what have I done wrong...why doesn't Jesus intervene..." to the point of regret for being so radical in serving the Lord. Our friends would then come and say, "who made you do it ... why don't you enjoy your life? Now that you are so battered, think about your body and enjoy a break, take a moment of reflection to distance yourself from the Lord."

Paul and Silas, on the other hand, despite the scourging and beatings, what do they do? They decide to do the most beautiful thing in the world that makes people wish they were Jesus', because they were truly Jesus' in a radical way! They have a serene attitude, they are in prayer singing hymns to God until midnight while the stunned prisoners are enthralled. These apostles are so in love with Jesus that no stick, no prison, no chains, no humiliation can prevent them from praying joyfully. Strident in comparison with our attitude, for us every excuse and every hindrance are valid excuses not to pray or to complain; they sing instead, and all the others, who were not so shabby, are left speechless.

Paul and Silas did not know what would be the end of the story, they just felt a great desire to sing. How do you sing after being beaten? Only those who love, sing; and only those who really love, do not need moments of reflection.

Either there is eternal love or there is nothing and this love is so strong to trigger the earthquake. Love is earthquake, you cannot imprison it and keep it in chains, and in fact not only Paul and Silas are freed, but also all those who were there with them. The pulsating love cannot remain in prison, no, the Lord does not allow it! And so the doors open and everyone is free.

The earthquake wakes up the jailer who, seeing the doors of the prison open, thinks of a escape of the prisoners and, knowing what dramatic punishment he would face, pulls out his sword to kill himself. How would we have acted? Our thought would have been "the Lord delivered us" and we would have fled. Paul instead not only looks at himself, but says to the jailer shouting loudly: "do not hurt you we are here". " He then asked for a light, rushed in and trembled and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas". He kneels before those two people so strong and bold, from that moment he loses all defense and all certainty and his perspective changes because he no longer cares about his life but devotes himself only to God: he understands that this is the true way.
You become witnesses not only in words but by witnessing with your own life to faith in Christ and only then you become credible.

"Then he led them out and said, "Gentlemen, what must I do to be saved?". Faced with this overwhelming testimony, he too wants to be like them and change his life. " They answered: "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your family will be saved. And they proclaimed the word of the Lord to him and to all those in his house. He took them with him, at that hour of the night, washed their wounds and immediately he was baptized with all his". He, who had been the torturer, now washes their wounds, heals them, anoints them and then offers a nice dinner to celebrate because he and his family had been baptized: "then he made them climb into the house, set the table and was full of joy together with all his people for having believed in God".

How do these apostles eat that are full of sores? The pain prevents any movement and we, instead of the disciples, would have thought "I feel so bad that I do not want to have dinner and celebrate, I’m tired I have to go to rest". Only they could go from the blood of the beating to the feast to the baptism and the joy of preaching, all in one night.

This story reveals us that true faith rests on deep hope in the Lord Jesus who comes to help us and frees us.