Saint Isidore (Optional Memorial)
I am not responsible for the blood of any of you. (Acts 20:26)
What a poignant meeting this must have been between St. Paul and the believers in Ephesus. He had lived and worked with them for three years, and they had become dear to his heart. But now he had come to say goodbye. There were embraces and tears, sadness and hope. Doesn’t it strike you as odd—and maybe a little bit cold—that Paul would end this emotional encounter by washing his hands of responsibility for them?
Maybe it would help if we looked at this story from a different angle. Given Paul’s history with the Ephesians, it’s not possible to imagine him just walking away. What Paul is doing here, rather, is placing them in the hands of the Lord. Looking back over his time with them, he probably saw ways he could have done better, so he commended them to Jesus with the prayer that he would make up for any lack on Paul’s part. In the end, Paul was at peace with what he did and didn’t do. He refused to rehearse what might have been and directed his gaze to the future instead.
What a valuable lesson for those times when we look back over our lives! We fret over how this or that situation worked out. We worry whether we did or said enough. But worrying never helps. All we can do is ask whether we were trying to say yes to God—and leave the rest to him.
Ultimately, God is the One who is in control. We can entrust our friends and families to him because we know that God cares about them. We know that he loves them and will see them through every peak and valley in their lives long after we are gone.
Is what we do important? Yes, but it isn’t all up to us. God is above everything, and we can’t always see what fruit will come from our words or actions. So take a lesson from St. Paul. Trust that as you are trying to be faithful to what God is asking, he will take care of the rest.
“Lord, I put my family and friends into your hands. Help me to be faithful to you and trust you to take care of them.”
Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21
John 17:1-11