Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
It is said Paul’s address to the Church at Ephesus that begins in Acts 20 drew 
tears, people were so moved by his words. His travels, according to tradition, eventually would take him to his martyrdom in Rome.
We don’t know what the apostles’ reaction to Jesus’s prayer to the Father (in John 17) that night of the Last Supper was. Confusion, perhaps? Uncertainty? Acceptance of what they could not understand?
In the past month or so, a dozen or more folks in my Northern Virginia faith community have faced big tests of faith. Hospitalizations. Vehicle crashes. Major surgery involving loved ones. Lost jobs. The arrests of family members. Deaths of family members. Some of these events are age-related; others, not. There’s little that can be done by the rest of us beyond praying; sending cards; and listening.
But here’s the thing. Every single one of these souls appears to be less than thrown by the circumstances they’ve been slogging through. That’s not to say they’re jumping up and down with joy for the burdens they’ve been carrying. But there seems to be a universal acceptance of whatever lies ahead, in the same way Paul and Jesus did. They will bear witness to grace, regardless of the form in which it comes. And I think to myself, this truly is Christianity in action. This is faith. This is courage.
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