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Acts 16: 11-15
We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
“If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.
The Word of the Lord.
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When we think of Europe, it’s easy to presume it’s always been Christian.
Europe is home to some of the greatest and oldest cathedrals in the world, including Saint Peter’s in Rome; Chartres in France; Westminster Abbey in London; and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
But Europe’s Christian faith comes from humble beginnings. In fact, the first Masses were likely celebrated in homes, not in sprawling Gothic, Romanesque, or Renaissance Cathedrals.
So, when did Christianity in Europe in begin?
Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives a likely answer.
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Saint Paul is traveling with some of his companions throughout Greece, where they encounter a group of women, including someone named Lydia.
We don’t know much about her, other than the fact that she traded fine purple linen – meaning she came from some wealth – and she made Paul an offer he couldn’t refuse:
“If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she says to him, “then come and stay at my home.”
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Paul accepted the invitation.
He baptized Lydia and her entire household. Then she allowed Paul to stay with her for as long as he needed, likely several weeks, even months.
Scholars believe that Paul not only stayed in Lydia’s home; he also celebrated Mass there. That’s where some of the first Christians in Europe came to believe – in a tiny home in Greece.
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So, what can Lydia’s story say to us?
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God’s will often starts with humble beginnings. Think of Christ lying in a manger; Lydia welcoming Paul into her home; or our tiny mustard seed community here at St. Pius X.
God starts small… suddenly an entire continent is Christian.
What might that mean for us?
Come, Holy Spirit!
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Image credits: (1) Young Adults of Worth Ministries (2) Chartres Cathedral, TripAdvisor (3) CFC Qatar