Hey, everybody. This is Father John Ricardo with Acts 29. And in the middle of all the craziness

and the uncertainty that's going on right now, it seems from our perspective as a team that it's

worth using these days to reflect in a more deliberate way on the scriptures every day, which

for many of us now is the only spiritual food that we're receiving. And so we're going to do a

special podcast series simply entitled, Be Not Afraid, God's Word in Uncertain Times. And we'll try to

post something every day, usually reflecting on the scriptures, so that we can listen in on what

God is trying to say to us in these days.

On this great feast of St. Mark, the companion of not just St. Peter, but of St. Paul,

and a cousin of Barnabas.

Talk about a man with incredible lineage.

Here's what I found myself doing with the scriptures that were provided for us today.

I just kept going back through the first,

maybe two-thirds or so of the first reading from the first letter of St. Peter,

which is offered to us because it ends with Peter saying that he's not only wishing greetings to the folks that he's writing to on his own behalf,

but also giving the greetings of his companion, his spiritual son, who is Mark.

That's why this reading is given to us.

But here's what Peter says, and then I'll just highlight what it is that hit me anyway,

and hope that this will be of benefit for you as well.

Peter says, beloved,

clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another. For God opposes the proud,

but bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and vigilant.

Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

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