Monday, May 10, 2021

 Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 16:11-15; John 15:26-16:4a)

Today’s first reading relates a milestone event in Christianity.  The gospel arrives in Europe, at least in the purview of the New Testament.  Paul and companions have crossed the Hellespont from what is now Turkey to Greece.  But before Paul directs his mission primarily to pagans, he looks for Jews who might be interested in hearing his message.

It does not take long to find them.  A group of women who are Jews or Jewish aspirants gather by the river where they can practice purification rituals.  They readily accept Paul’s teaching and are baptized in the same purifying water.  One woman, Lydia, stands out among the rest.  She is evidently a successful businesswoman and not shy to converse with the learned evangelist.  Perhaps to ascertain more about Jesus and the Christian community, Lydia insists that Paul and company stay at her house.

We are told today that our culture has to be re-evangelized.  Just because people have been baptized (and sometimes even go to church) does not mean that they live the faith.  We should not hesitate to tell others of how our faith in Jesus has affected our lives.  Nor should we leave out how the sacraments have given us a sense of his spiritual presence.