There’s a Chinese proverb that translates roughly to ‘though bitterness comes first, sweetness will follow.’ That, I feel, encapsulates the message that the Lord wants us to take to heart in today’s Gospel. It can be easy to allow the bitterness of life, with all its challenges and difficulties to get us down, but the Lord is reminding us that the hope of the Resurrection should remain as a light that leads us through the darkness. That’s not to say that the challenges will not happen as they will, but we can live through them because of our hope and faith in the Lord.

The reality of this was shown in Paul’s experiences in the First Reading as he allowed the Lord to lead him through the difficulties in preaching in Greece, enduring them in the Lord’s name, and with the assurance that his ministry would prove fruitful in time.

Assured in the reality of the Resurrection, we can stand with Paul in trusting in the Lord, knowing that sometimes, the challenges have the potential to strengthen us, allowing us to recognise the grace of God so that we ourselves may grow in faith. And all this is grounded in the reality of the sweetness that is to come — our growing relationship with the Lord and eternal life.