Easter Saturday
Acts 4:13-21
Mk 16: 9-15
…uneducated laymen.
As I sit with today’s readings, one truth keeps echoing in my mind: God often chooses the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary. Peter and John are described as ‘uneducated laymen‘, yet they speak with a boldness and clarity that astonishes the authorities. Their ordinariness does not disqualify them; in fact, it seems to make the extraordinary work of God stand out all the more. The only explanation the authorities can find is that these men had been with Jesus. Their strength, their courage, and their clarity are not their own — they come from their closeness to Him.
Mary Magdalene is another example. She is an ordinary woman in the eyes of society, and yet, she becomes the first witness of the Risen Lord. When she tells the disciples, “but they did not believe her,” it is a moment that highlights both human doubt and God’s surprising choices. Jesus entrusts the most astonishing revelation in history to someone the world might overlook, someone who had seven devils in her, someone dismissed and underestimated.
These stories speak to me personally. They remind me that my own ordinariness is not a barrier to God’s work. My quiet, imperfect life can still be a space where extraordinary grace unfolds if I remain close to Jesus. But they also remind me that ordinariness comes with vulnerability. Even the people God calls can face doubt, disbelief, and struggle.
I recently heard about a priest. He spent years in formation, faithfully living a life of service; and yet, he has become disillusioned and decided to step away from the priesthood. To the world, it may seem like a loss or a failure. But I find that his story fits within the readings, too. Like Peter, John, and Mary, he was an ordinary person called to do something extraordinary. And like them, he faced challenges and struggles that exposed the human side of ordinariness. His choice to step away does not negate the years of faithful service, nor does it diminish the extraordinary ways God worked through him, even if that work is now hidden from view.
I realise that ordinariness often comes with doubt, with moments of weakness and pain, or with paths that twist unexpectedly. God works through ordinary people, yes, but not always in ways that are immediately visible or easy. Sometimes, the extraordinary shows up quietly — in faithfulness, in honesty, in the courage to keep walking, even when the calling feels heavy or the response uncertain.
Today, I am reminded to hold both courage and compassion — courage for myself in my ordinariness, and compassion for others whose paths are different, difficult, or misunderstood. God still chooses the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary. And even when the journey is messy, human, or painful, His grace continues to shine through.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Geraldine Nah)
Prayer: Lord, today I lift up all our priests to You. Grant them strength in moments of fatigue, resilience in times of struggle, and the assurance of Your abiding love and protection. Help them to carry their calling faithfully, even when the path is heavy or the world does not understand. Teach us, as lay people, to remember that our priests are ordinary people too — with feelings, emotions, and human weaknesses. May we offer them love, encouragement, and support, walking alongside them in faith and gratitude.
Thanksgiving: Lord, I give You thanks for the ordinary people who have stepped forward in faith and courage, trusting in Your call. Thank You for those who have said ‘yes’ to You, even when the path is difficult, painful, or seems unrewarding. Thank You for the ways they reveal Your extraordinary grace through their ordinary lives, and for the quiet, faithful witness they offer to the world. May their courage inspire me to respond to Your call in my own life, and may I learn to recognise and honour the ordinary saints You place around me every day.
Image: Taken from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/916904805387609666/
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