By Tom Grossman, Jr., Special Contributor
I thought it important to use my friend Tom’s testimony who agreed to be a guest contributor to this blog site. God bless, Eric – The Street Evangelist.
No Vaccine for Martyrdom
In the Gospel for this past Sunday, we see that Jesus comes to the disciples as they are in a sense quarantined in fear of death! Jesus in His power comes to give them the strength of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. He breaths on them and says receive the Holy Ghost! Jesus does not allow them to remain gripped by the fear and the threat of death. This however was a very true threat; the pandemic of martyrdom would eventually wipe out over 90% of Jesus’ first apostles.
Unlike with our current crisis the likelihood of them dying was almost guaranteed! The only cure for this martyrdom was to deny Christ and pinch incense to false Gods. The disciples were at first terrified by the possibility of loosing their lives. However, after this interaction with Jesus in the Gospel and the decent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the threat of death was not as concerning to the early church as saving the souls of the world.
These weak and doubting disciples were transformed into powerful pillars that stood not afraid to lay down their lives for the sake of the one that gave His life for all. Fast forward 2000 years and the church and its leaders are faced with a similar fear of death. What is our response? Do we shut down, abstain from mass, deny the faithful the sacraments? Surely now is time to rise up and face the Son. Let him breath on us!
Death where is your sting?
When we move to a place where we do not fear death because it has been defeated, only then will we truly operate as the glorious saints of old, ones that loved not their lives so much as to shrink from death. Those who love their lives will lose them, but those who lose their lives for His sake will find life eternally!
If you want to follow Him pick up your cross! Lose your fear and get infected by the Holy Spirit!
We can’t put our hope in the government, a vaccine, or doctors who won’t save our souls. We have to turn from our sin and fear, for the kingdom of God is truly at hand! Are you ready to stand courageous (Romans 8:18-19)? For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God
StreetEvangelist 
