Author: admin

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Acts: 13: 13-25

From Paphos, Paul and his companions
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation
for the people, please speak.”

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.
After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'”

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul is an extraordinary role model for me as a priest. He was celibate, a zealous convert, and a man deeply in love with Jesus. 

One aspect of his life is often overlooked. Though he traveled far and wide, Paul rarely traveled alone.

As the Risen Lord says to the disciples shortly after Paul’s conversion, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.”

Paul and Barnabas were commissioned to preach the Gospel in Greece, Cyprus, modern-day Turkey and Iraq. 

We get a sliver of one of Paul’s sermons in today’s first reading. He’s explaining to the Jews in Antioch how Jesus is their long-awaited king.

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It’s a message that will convert some, but not all. Occasionally, Paul pokes the hornet’s nest, so to speak, enraging the crowds. His life will be in danger more than once.

I can only imagine how much harder his journey would’ve been if he didn’t have a community to write to while in prison; if he had no person to pray for him while on the open seas; if he had no one eager to hear his sermons; or “spiritual sons” like Timothy to succeed him.

Paul’s life was undoubtedly enriched by trustworthy friends.

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As it’s written in the Book of Sirach:

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth.

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Paul knew that. We know that.

How might we be such a friend for others today?

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Image credits: (1) Flickr (2) Saint Paul, Pompeo Batoni (3) Wallpaper Flare

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Acts: 1:15, 17, 20-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

The Acts of the Apostles.

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Our first reading describes what might be the first complete gathering of the Christian community after the resurrection of Christ. The days of the Apostles hiding fearfully in Jerusalem are over.

The Risen Lord has appeared to them, breathed on them, bestowed on them his Holy Spirit, offered his divine peace, and sent them out on mission to, “make disciples of all nations.”

But the first order of business is to replace Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal and death left a gaping hole in the early Church’s leadership. So, the entire Christian community gathers – all 120 of them – in order to replace him.

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Here we find a clear distinction between the community of believers and the apostles. The “believers” are ordinary Christians, while the apostles are those who hold a unique share in Christ’s divine authority to preach, heal, and save. 

They must “go out.”

All of them, with the exception of John, will be martyred for their faith, often in distant corners of the known world.

Secondly, in the Book of Acts, we see the apostles appointing “elders” – or bishops – to stay and oversee the management of local churches, a practice that continues to this day.

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Two candidates are brought forth to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle. One will be chosen. (It sounds a bit like the conclave!) 

Both Matthias and Joseph have their names written on stones, which are then thrown into a jar. The jar is shaken until one name falls out: Matthias.

Tradition tells us that Matthias preached the Gospel as far as Turkey, until, like his brothers, he was martyred.

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May he intercede for us that we, too, would speak up, finding creative ways to share our faith, even unto death.

Saint Matthias, apostle and martyr, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Every Nation Church New Jersey (2) Martin Young, Bible Cartoons (3) Facebook

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Acts: 11: 19-26

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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Our first reading describes one of the most important events in human history. But without close attention, we’d miss it.

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The death of Saint Stephen, the first known Christian martyr, caused many Christians to flee Jerusalem. While they left almost everything behind, one thing they clung to was their faith.

As it’s written, “Some of them came to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks and told them the good news of the Lord Jesus.”

This is the moment when the Gospel is first shared with the Gentiles. 

Until now, all Christians were converts from Judaism. They either encountered the Risen Christ himself or came to understand Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures through the teaching of the Apostles.

All of a sudden, Christians started evangelizing the Greeks, who had not known the God of Israel. Leading them to Jesus demanded courage and creativity as they convinced many that Jesus was, in fact, LORD.

These early Christians – many poor and illiterate – started a movement that changed the world…and we don’t even know their names.

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Perhaps there’s a point in that for us.

Our ancestors remind us that spreading the Gospel is possible; that the Church in America can prosper; that non-believers can come to faith. 

Most of that work is done by ordinary people like us who bear witness to the Gospel through creativity, mercy, openness, dialogue, kindness, and personal witness. Qualities which our new pope, Leo XIV, also seems to embody.

For us – the arms, the hands, the voice, and the feet of Christ on earth – we pray: 

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.”

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Image credits: (1) The Movements of Pentecost, Psephizo (2) Notre Dame Sites (3) Vessel4him