Paul and Barnabas encouraged their converts in Lystra and Iconium "to persevere in the faith". This is a message that we have to keep repeating in every age, especially in the modern world when many are so easily converted to Christ and so easily fall away. Faith is a gift from God and we have learned from the teaching of Paul to look upon every gift as a task. Faith is a gift from God but those of us who receive that gift must work assiduously to cherish, nourish and bring that gift to maturity.

Paul and Barnabas "put fresh heart into the disciples", the people they had converted on their first visit. Each day, faith, especially when nourished by the daily reception of the Eucharist, gives us "fresh heart", courage and strength, to live our daily lives with vibrant hope and wise love.

"We all have to experience many hardships before we enter the Kingdom of God". These words are not a threat but a reminder of the world in which we live, a world often hostile to our catholic Faith.