Author: admin

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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 sail west to Cyprus, north into Turkey, south to Jerusalem, and finally back into 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 several times. They performed miracles, such as healing a crippled man, and converted many along the way.

This journey also inspired Paul to write some of his pastoral letters, including his Letter to the Galatians.

In spite of widespread persecution, the infant Church grew 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 hear in our first reading, the disciples send Paul and Barnabas on mission only after prayer and fasting – two ways in which we still receive the Holy Spirit today.

They worked in teams. Saint Paul is one of the most travelled missionaries in history. But rarely was he 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.

If we follow Paul’s example, then the Good News will continue to spread throughout our community – and beyond.

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Image credits: (1) Got Questions (2) Community in Mission, Archdiocese of Washington, WordPress (3) Jake Kail Ministries

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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. 

Without a careful ear, 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 much behind, one thing they did bring 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.

Knowledge of scripture provided them with a strong foundation.

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 some that he 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 today.

These early Christians 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 personal witness.  

What we need to be effective are the gifts of the Holy Spirit: courage, creativity, wisdom, and an openness to dialoging with people of different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.

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

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Image credits: (1) English Plus Podcast (2) Blue Ridge Christian News, WordPress (3) The Salt Stories

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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. 

But some of the others are not convinced that what Peter was doing was right. Did Christians have to follow the laws of the Old Testament? Was baptism enough?

The answers to these questions seem easy to us today. Yes, we are saved by baptism and love fulfills the law of Christ.

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

Today, for example, we are asking: what is the role of the laity in the Church? Who can receive communion, and under what circumstances? With all of the advancements in scientific research, what is considered moral or immoral? And so 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, reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and unity amongst the body of Christ.

As we continue our journey together, pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit: openness, wisdom, and courage, so that the Church may continue to serve as God’s relevant and appointed voice in the world, and certainly in our own lives.

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Image credits: (1) Pentecost, El Greco (2) Saint Peter Preaching in Jerusalem, Charles Pöerson (3) USA Today