Wednesday of the
Third Week of Easter
(Acts 8:1b-8; John 6:35-40)
Although the Acts of the Apostles provides only a summary
history of the early Church, several conclusions may be drawn from it. Today’s passage, for example, gives three
keys to understanding the initial missionary activity of the Church. First, the fact that the missions resulted
from the persecution of the Church in Jerusalem tells us that they were not
planned in advance. Rather, they were
the work of the Holy Spirit prompting Christians to work for the good in any
situation. Second, the comment on how
the Apostles and, presumably, other Hebrew Christians stayed behind in
Jerusalem indicates that the initial missions were a venture of Greek-speaking
Christians. These non-Jerusalemites probably
downplayed the importance of the Temple as Stephen did in his diatribe before
being stoned. Finally, as missionaries they
did not feel restricted to preach their message to Jews but could address
pagans as well. The latter not only could
speak their language but also had no interest whatsoever in Temple worship.
As recent popes constantly remind us, Catholics today
must take up the mission of evangelization.
We can draw on the conclusions from Acts to respond to the summons. The Spirit puts us in situations where our
lives and words give testimony to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In the beginning, at least, our purpose will
not be to bring people into church but to show them how the love that Jesus teaches
leads to a more fulfilling life. Still,
we do not refrain from speaking of our personal relationship with Jesus. The righteousness of our lives will be the
surest sign to others of the validity of our message. But unless we are clear that the Holy Spirit
guides us, they will never know the full story.
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