Acts 5:27-32, 40-41
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Homily:
Long-suffering (patience in spite of troubles) is an attribute of any human with a clarity of vision and a purposeful mission.
When the apostles rejoiced at being beaten for speaking in the name of Jesus, they raised the ante from long-suffering to worthy-suffering.
They had a clear understanding of the beauty and permanence of God’s Love and the conflict it generates in the world. They embraced short-term discomfort for long-term peace. They saw short-term discomfort as validation that they were on the right path. Validation that they were unsettling present norms for a higher stake.