Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Today’s first reading from Acts has particular significance for me, since I visited the site where St. Paul met Lydia while on pilgrimage last November. We celebrated Mass on the banks of the small stream that is described in the reading. As I reflect on the scripture today, there are insights that further my understanding of how God works not just back in the early church, but even now in 2019.
St. Paul traveled to Philippi because of a dream where a person from Macedonia (now currently Greece) was beckoning him to share the gospel with the people in this region. Philippi was mostly Gentile, so it is likely that they did not have a synagogue. Without a synagogue, the Jewish community would often have a small building constructed close to a river where they could gather for prayer. They chose this location since it provided an opportunity for ritual washings as part of their gatherings. It is likely that the community St. Paul visited was small, and as noted in the reading most of the people gathered were women.
St. Paul proclaimed the Good News about Jesus when he visited this small gathering, and Lydia “listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” She was baptized (as was her household), and she invited Paul to come and stay with her. This was the first Christian community that was formed in Europe- and therefore St. Lydia is the first European Christian!
Although this seems like such a simple story of evangelization, there are aspects that stand out to me. St. Paul travels to a place quite a distance from his previous travels after listening to God’s message through his dream. How often are there times when God speaks to us (maybe in dreams, but often through other ways- people, nature, scripture, and prayer) and we are hesitant to take a chance to go beyond our comfort zone? I think it is also remarkable that St. Paul gathers and speaks with the women of Philippi. Women were often disregarded in this time and culture, and yet St. Paul took the opportunity to share the news of Jesus with these women gathered at the river.
We know that Lydia was already a person who was seeking God (she is described as a worshiper of God.) Because of her willingness to listen, God opened her heart and her mind to allow the Spirit to fill her with faith and courage to believe. She was then able to step forward to be baptized and to become a person who was willing to go forth and share this Good News with others.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples about the Advocate- the Holy Spirit- and the role the Spirit will play in testifying to Jesus through His believers. It is the movement of the Spirit that brings Paul to Philippi, opens the ears of Lydia, and creates a new community of believers in this new part of the world. The Spirit has great power to guide, provide wisdom and courage, and to strengthen the faith of those who are called to follow.
This same Spirit is alive and present in our world today if we have open ears and hearts. There are places that the Spirit is leading us to bring the love of God- to our families, neighbors, and co-workers. The Spirit does not discern and discount that any one is unworthy of hearing or receiving God’s grace- all are included. And there are possible opportunities for new communities of hope and faith to be created and encouraged if we allow the Spirit to lead- even in our world of anger, hatred, and distrust. The community of Philippi became a significant part of the early church. The history of our faith is being written even today. We are called to be a part of this ongoing building of the Kingdom by allowing the Spirit to move freely in our lives. May God grace us with the courage and zeal of St. Paul to share the Good News, and the open ears and heart of St. Lydia to constantly receive God’s love and mercy. By joining together with fellow disciples may we become a community that brings God’s kingdom to our world today.
Loving Father, Jesus shares Your love with us and calls us to follow Him in sharing that love with others. With the grace of Your Spirit, provide all that we need to go forth in our daily lives and be your presence in this world. May we bring You glory and praise in all that we do. We pray this through Christ, our LORD. Amen.
Marylynn Herchline