Time For Trial

Everyone experiences difficulties at some point in their lives. No matter how fortunate a person may be, going a lifetime without adversity is next to impossible. The early church from time to time went through trials of a different sort: hostility, persecution, and the general tension of living in a world that did not share its beliefs. These days there is still friction between a life of faith and an increasingly skeptical world. The response of some is to condemn that world rather than engage it. On this score, however, contemporary Christians can learn from the first ones, who saw in trials the opportunity to grow in virtue and develop their faith.