Finding a Way

Saturday of the 4^th Week of Easter

Acts 13:44-52; John 14:7-14

I’ve noticed, as I’m sure you have, that rivers rarely travel in a straight line. Rather, they meander; curving, winding, splitting – anything to find a way forward. Water never fights the terrain, but flows patiently with it, shaping the land and nourishing everything in its path. One of the best examples is the Colorado river. It doesn’t blast its way to the sea, but winds through rock and desert, and in so doing, has gently carved one of the greatest natural wonders on Earth – the Grand Canyon.

The reading from Acts today shows how the Word of God does something very similar. Proclaiming the Gospel to the Jews, Paul and Barnabas face rejection. The crowd has turned, jealousy stirred, and the two are driven out. But does that stop them? No; as Luke says, the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region (Acts 13:49). In other words, the Word kept flowing, changing direction, moving toward those ready to receive it – in this case, the Gentiles.

And if we look through the lens of history, we see a similar result. Through this process of going out to the nations, preaching the Gospel, nourishing those who accept and working around those who reject, the Church established by Christ eventually became the single most influential institution in human history, shaping the landscape of history time and again.

That continues today. We might see places like Europe where the faith is now met with resistance or indifference and wonder if the Word has stopped flowing. There are signs of some rebirth in Europe, but if you want something more obvious, look at Africa! There, the Church is vibrant and growing. Vocations flourish. The Word has found fertile ground, just as it did with the Gentiles in Acts.

What is the lesson in this for us? I can think of three:

First, we are invited not to fight against the flow of the Word by trying to make it suit our plans, or by resisting the challenge to follow Christ more closely. When we work against it, we struggle — and sometimes get stuck. But when we do the hard thing and move with it, we prosper.

Second, let’s not be discouraged when others reject Christ or have a hard time accepting God into their lives, or when we ourselves struggle with spiritual dryness. Remember the Colorado river. Even in our own spiritual desert, God’s grace is still moving, always finding to reach where it wants to go. And look at the result. If water can carve something as wondrous as the Grand Canyon, imagine what the Holy Spirit can carve in our life!

Finally, remember in the Gospel what our Lord promised: whatever you ask in my name, I will do (John 14:14). Take him at his Word: Ask Christ to help you trust the flow, to keep open to it. Because when the Word of God moves through us, He doesn’t just pass by—He shapes us. Slowly, deeply, like the river shaping the canyon, He transforms everything.

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