Reflection
Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men,
the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.
Acts 4:13-21
The apostles were men of no exceptional ability. Most of them were fishermen, the usual sort of people found in the area. They had no exceptional qualities or education. These were just ordinary men considered second rate by the leaders and the elders. How then could they be acting so boldly and doing such exceptional things? They weren’t like this while Jesus was with them. But, that was then. Now, they had experienced his presence in a penetrating way and they were transformed . Ordinary people can become extraordinary when filled with the Spirit of Jesus.
Prayer
Grant to us hearts renewed.
Recreate in us your own spirit!
Action
Reflect on the extraordinary actions you have heard or seen ordinary people take in a crisis or tragedy. Think about the ordinary men and women who accomplished heroic and world changing deeds when they rose to meet a necessary challenge. Who are some of those people in our own time? What do they teach you?
Suggested Readings
Observing the boldness of Peter and John
and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men,
the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed,
and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.
Then when they saw the man who had been cured standing there with them,
they could say nothing in reply.
So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin,
and conferred with one another, saying,
“What are we to do with these men?
Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign
was done through them, and we cannot deny it.
But so that it may not be spread any further among the people,
let us give them a stern warning
never again to speak to anyone in this name.”
Acts 4:13-21
We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.
Pope Francis
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things
Daryn Kagan
Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.
Gerard Way
This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance.
Philip K. Dick
With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.
The Dalai Lama
Heroes are made in the hour of defeat. Success is, therefore, well described as a series of glorious defeats.
Mahatma Gandhi
The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men.
Henry David Thoreau
We can be in our day what the heroes of faith were in their day – but remember at the time they didn’t know they were heroes.
A.W. Tozer