By M.C. Holbrook, Catholic Exchange, October 18, 2024
M.C. Holbrook is a homeschooling mother of ten and author of the series, The Safe Haven: Scriptural Reflections for the Heart and Home. Originally from New York City, Holbrook received a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, and a Master’s degree in School Counseling from New York University. Holbrook enjoys meals with her family, prayer with her friends, and a hot cup of coffee each morning with the Word of God.
The Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul, suffered through beatings, imprisonment, rejection, and persecution throughout his ministry, but what must certainly have hurt him most was being abandoned by the people he once called friends. And it’s not just that these former friends didn’t stand by him for support; they left him in favor of the enticement of the “present world” (2 Tim 4:10).
Admittedly, what Paul had been asking of them was not very appealing; he was essentially requiring them to leave the comfort of their homes and families and to brave the elements, all in an attempt to convince a hostile group of people to accept a faith to which they were ill-disposed. …