We meet the apostles Paul and Barnabas. Once again, they are attack. Not everyone appreciated their preaching, and we hear today they had to flee to avoid the crowd that was seeking to stone them. We heard about one of their healings, the cure of the cripple man. The crowds became ecstatic. It happens today. We hear of people going to different parts of the world once they hear that something extraordinary happened.
We just celebrated the anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima and peoples by the tens of thousands go to Fatima every year hoping for a miracle.
Paul and Barnabas were at pains to let people know that they were not gods. They were human beings just like us. They could declare, not to us O Lord but to your name give the glory. Unfortunately, there are times we can begin to think that we ought to receive the glory. Our God is in heaven. We need to remind ourselves of this on a daily basis.
Paul and Barnabas put the focus on God in heaven and not on themselves. That is our focus as well. We are reminded today by Paul and Barnaba that God is behind all our accomplishments. To him belongs honor and glory and to him alone.
Let us join the psalmist today and pray: Create a clean heart in us, O God. Let us humbly acknowledge you as the power behind all our accomplishments.
