Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Acts: 12:24 – 13:5

The word of God continued to spread and grow.

After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,
they returned to Jerusalem,
taking with them John, who is called Mark.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit,
went down to Seleucia
and from there sailed to Cyprus.
When they arrived in Salamis,
they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.

The Word of the Lord.

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Today we hear about the first missionary journey ever recorded in Christianity.

Starting in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas sailed west to Cyprus, north into Turkey, south to Jerusalem, then finally back to Syria. It was a three-year journey filled with risk and reward. 

Paul was stoned at least once. He and Barnabas fled for their lives multiple times. But they also performed miracles, such as healing a crippled man, and converted many along the way.

Their journey also inspired Paul to write some of his pastoral letters, including his Letter to the Galatians. In spite of resistance and widespread persecution, Paul, Silas, and many others persevered, causing the infant Church to grow at a rapid pace. 

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How did they do it?

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They were courageous. Even when it meant risking their lives, these Christians believed so strongly in the resurrection that not even the threat of death could stop them.

They were open to the Holy Spirit. As we are reminded in our first reading, the disciples sent Paul and Barnabas on mission only after prayer and fasting – two ways in which we still receive grace today.

They worked in teams. Saint Paul is one of the most travelled missionaries in history. But he was rarely alone. Among those who accompanied him were: Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Priscilla, and Aquila.

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The Lord needs the same type of disciples today: people who are courageous, who are open to the Holy Spirit, and who are team players.

Why not you and me?

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Image credits: (1) Stanwood United Methodist Church (2) Paul and Silas Flogged, Alamy (3) Pinterest

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Acts: 11: 17-28

Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

The Word of the Lord.

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Throughout history, human beings have erected monuments to honor themselves or a loved one, to mark a decisive victory in battle, to celebrate a nation’s independence, or to illicit devotion to the gods.

For example, the Taj Mahal in India is one of the most famous mausoleums in the world, honoring the late wife of a 17^thcentury emperor. 

The arc de triomphe in Paris commemorates those who fought and died for France during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Angor Wat in Cambodia is the largest religious complex in the world, which has been used by both Hindus and Buddhists to worship the divine.

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In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, one of the most significant moments in the life of the Church has unfolded – the Gospel is shared with the Gentiles for the very first time. 

Christianity has finally launched its worldwide mission.

If the Church were to ever erect a monument honoring a group of people, they would be it. By the end of the first century, these early pioneers for Christ would bring the Gospel to the ends of known world… but we don’t even know their names.

Their anonymity leaves us with two important reminders. 

First, the value of humility. Though nameless in the annals of history, these Christians have their names written in the Book of Life. They fought for glory, not for themselves, but for the glory of God. 

Second, they remind us that we have no need for monuments. We ourselves are the living stones, the body of Christ on earth. Together, we enflesh Christ’s love and share his teachings from one generation to the next.

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Although humans have a strong need to remember, often marking decisive moments in history with statues made of stone, we are reminded today that the most important figure in history is still alive.

Jesus Christ, who has not only been raised from the dead; he also lives in us. May our lives point to him, who alone deserves the glory.

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Image credits: (1) A-Z Quotes (2) UNESCO World Heritage Center (3) The Resurrection, Pierro della Francesca

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Acts: 11: 1-18

The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea
heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem
the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,
‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.”
Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,
“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa
when in a trance I had a vision,
something resembling a large sheet coming down,
lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.
Looking intently into it,
I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,
the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But a second time a voice from heaven answered,
‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’
This happened three times,
and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.
Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,
who had been sent to me from Caesarea.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
These six brothers also went with me,
and we entered the man’s house.
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,
‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
who will speak words to you
by which you and all your household will be saved.’
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this,
they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”

The Word of the Lord.

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After Christ’s ascension into heaven, the Apostles were charged with carrying on his mission of “making disciples.” However, Jesus didn’t answer every question that the Apostles would have about who is saved, or even how. 

As we see in our first reading, occasionally heated debates arose.

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Peter has just returned to Jerusalem after going on mission. While preaching the Gospel, he “ate and drank” with Gentiles outside of the city, welcoming them into the Church. 

Some of the other disciples are not convinced that what Peter has done was right. Did Christians have to live like the Jews, following the laws and rituals of the Old Testament? Was baptism enough?

The answers to these questions seem easy to us today. We are saved, not by ancient laws and rituals, but by baptism. As Saint Paul writes, “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we, too, might live.”

Throughout the centuries, the Church has debated a host of other issues relevant to that time and place. 

Today, for example, we are asking: 

What is the role of the laity in the Church? What does it mean to have a merciful Church? How do we evangelize fallen away Catholics? Who can receive Communion, and under what circumstances? Where is the line drawn between science and morality? Artificial intelligence?

The list goes on.

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Ultimately, the Church discerns the answer to these questions in the same way that Peter and the others did – through prayer, debate, reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and ultimately unity amongst the body of Christ.

As we continue our journey together, we should pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that the Church may continue to serve as God’s relevant and appointed voice in this world, guiding our own lives and decisions today.

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Image credits: (1) Hymnal Library (2) Lifeway Research (3) Surviving Church