Readings for the Day:
Original Manuscript:
Alban lived into our Gospel reading today in it’s fullness. As a Roman soldier at the turn of the 4th Century, he found a Christian priest and took him in. From this priest, he learned the ways of Christ Jesus and became a Christian as well. When the Romans came for this priest, Alban took his place and died in the name of our Lord.
In doing so, Alban was set against his own people, the Romans. In choosing Christ Jesus, he even ended up being killed by the people he once served.
Alban’s conflict didn’t derive from conflict for conflict’s sake. It came out of accepting someone in for Jesus’ sake. In doing so, he let the Lord into his life, literally as he became a Christian from it. He received the same reward we all receive: eternal life when this life is over.
Being a Christian in our society thankfully no longer means risking death at the hands of the government, but it does mean being set apart from the world. We are not called to the greed, racism, and violence of those around us, but we are instead called to work against such things. We still have the opportunity as well to welcome the stranger in our midst in the name of Jesus, and in doing so we let Jesus into our hearts as well.