St. Paul’s Sufferings Magnified In His Freedom

Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM

Please note: We have begun capturing these Meditation Media outside. Some days the wind is extra-ordinary, as it was today. Please be patient and focus on the audio, as times there is a powerful background noise. We thank you for your patience.

A fter being beaten, likely near death, St. Paul is shackled and chained to a post in the dungeon. In pain, hurting and physically alone, St. Paul starts to sing hymns and praises of Glory. Notice, they do not cry out for rescue! They don’t say or pray to the Lord for help in saving them from these perils! What a lesson for us all!

Amazingly, they endure all their hardship, and within their pain, begin to sing! This is really amazing, even before the earth begins to shake. Something odd is happening! How many of us, beaten in this way, would even think of singing in praise of God? It must have been hard for them to even breathe, yet they sing. They are calm. They sing as though there is no damage to their bodies. Yet, there is damage…and they still sing … with joy!

What Joy?

So convinced St. Paul is of his mission, and of salvation, even this predicament does not rob him of his joy! Indeed, St. Paul sees his predicament as a sort of confirmation. The world beats him because of what he speaks … the truth about Jesus Christ!

The earth shakes. The prison doors fly open, and the chains drop off… but St. Paul does not leave. If it was us, most of us would not have sat there and sang hymns of praise. Likely, many of us would run … assuming our bodies would permit it.

There is a miracle. The world would see the miracle as the events of the shaking and opening of the doors and the granting of freedom. But the real miracle is theirs … and ours … freedom of the Gospel. A freedom that no earthly jail can contain within its walls. There was no need for St. Paul to get up and leave, because they already had their freedom!

What does this lesson teach us?

Hear more within this 16 minute audio.