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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. 

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

As the Risen Lord said to the disciples in our first reading yesterday, “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 Paul’s sermon 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 on his travels; if he had no open heart to receive his sermons.

Even Paul’s life was marked by more than one set of footprints: those of 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.

Paul knew that. We know that.

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So, how might we offer that support system and be a faithful friend for another today?

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Image credits: (1) Goodnet.org (2) Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, Valentine de Boulogne (3) Bibliatodo

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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 first 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 much prayer and fasting.

They worked in teams. Saint Paul is one of the most travelled missionaries in history. But he was rarely alone. Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Priscilla, and Aquila, among others, accompanied him on his journeys.

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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.

Meaning, if we work together like Paul and Barnabas, then the Good News will undoubtedly spread.

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Image credits: (1) Charolette’s Hope Church (2) www.orthochristian.com (3) Viz.Bible

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Michelangelo’s David is recognized as one of the most renowned sculptures in history for its size, boldness, and unique perspective. 

For example, most artists depict David after he defeats Goliath. 

But Michelangelo shows him before the battle begins. To Michelangelo, the story is about David’s faith; David reminds us to be bold, knowing that all things are possible with God on our side. 

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Secondly, David was chiseled out of a discarded block of marble. While other artists abandoned the project, Michelangelo said afterwards, “I saw the angel in the marble and chiseled away until I set him free.”

David reminds us there’s an “angel” – the presence of the divine – within all of us. 

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Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Damian of Molokai, who was a modern version of Michelangelo.

In 1864, he left his family and his native Belgium for the leper colony of Molokai, an isolated island located in the Pacific.

At that time, little was known about leprosy; only that it deformed your body, was incredibly painful, and eventually led to your death. 

Many who contracted leprosy were forced out of their homes and sent to the island of Molokai, where they died in despair.

Father Damian was so moved by their story that he moved there himself to remind this hopeless colony of humans that they, too, had an angel living within. Jesus died for them, too.

Much could be said about Damian’s daily sacrifices, and how his own life ended, but he, much like King David thousands of years before, reminds us of two things:

Nothing is impossible with God.

And within all of us, there is the presence of the divine.

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Image credits: (1) TheHumanist.com (2) Catholic World Report (3) Blessed Mart