Thursday, May 29, 2025

 (For a homily on the Ascension, please see Sunday, June 1.)

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:1-8; John 16:16-20)

In his First Letter to the Corinthians St. Paul writes that he came to them not preaching eloquently or even sagely.  Rather he spoke of Christ crucified.  He had tried eloquence and sagacity in Athens with little effect.  As with most people, the Corinthians were impressed more by sacrificial love than by wisdom or even beauty.

Still the Jews of Corinth in today’s first reading refuse to accept Paul’s message.  Perhaps they were content with their traditions so that they did not see the need to investigate a new way of believing.  More likely, they could not accept a suffering Messiah.  In any case few Paul curtails his efforts among them so that he might preach to Gentiles.  Paul can readily refute their unsophisticated pagan beliefs with the story of Jesus.

The history of Christianity contains many wise people and illustrious art.  But still it is Jesus, the God-man who gave himself to free people of their sins, that holds our attention.

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:1-8; John 16:16-20)

Although Christians comprise a small fraction of the Pakistani population, in numbers they are more than two million people.  Missionaries there in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries did not convert many Muslims or Hindus but found the animist peoples open to the word of God.  Evidently, all-encompassing religions like Islam have arguments to counter Christianity’s claims.  On the other hand, religions like animism without established theological traditions offer less resistance to Christian preaching.  This is likely the reason for Paul’s frustration when preaching Christ to Jews.

In Corinth, as in other population centers of the Mediterranean in Paul’s day, there is a synagogue.  Paul finds it the natural place to speak about Christ.  As a matter of fact, members of the synagogue in the town of Berea give Paul an ear, but those of the synagogue in Corinth as in Thessalonica are much less amenable.  Still Paul makes progress in Corinth perhaps because Aquila and Priscilla have already did some spade work for planting the seed of Christ.

Even though we are not willing to give up our Christian legacy for anything, we still might dialogue with people of other faiths.  Learning their traditions not only broadens our knowledge but will likely deepen our appreciation of Christianity. We believe that Christ died to save all people.  Deliberately refusing to share our knowledge of him by neglecting opportunities to dialogue would mean a loss on all sides.

Thursday, May 13, 2021

 Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:1-8; John 16:16-20)

Many people today would join the Catholic Church if it weren’t for a living parent.  They do not want to disappoint the mother or father who devoutly worships in another church.  They themselves, raised in the other church, know that its value includes harboring virtuous members.  Today’s first reading tells of St. Paul effort to convert such people reluctant to cause hurt in the family.

Of course, the reading does not give the reason that Jews in Corinth do not accept Paul’s teaching about Jesus.  Some of them might be scandalized by Jesus being executed for a capital crime.  Still, it is likely that many do not want to break with the tradition of their ancestors who waited for a military Messiah.  Paul sounds much too brusque when he condemns their obtuseness, “’Your blood be on your heads!’”

The clarity with which we see Jesus properly worshipped in the Catholic tradition is not obvious to everyone.  We should be very slow to condemn others for not joining the Church.  But we should not surrender hope that they may convert.  By our testifying to the Church’s authenticity with righteous lives, we may be surprised to see how others respond.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:1-8; John 16:16-20)

Willie and Linda Sosa preach on behalf of Jesus in West Texas.  They have never studied theology formally, but they read the Scriptures constantly and, just as important, pray continually.  Willie is the more expressive of the two, but Linda’s firm faith is palpable and reassuring.  They make a principle of not asking for money but gladly accept donations that somehow manage to meet their physical needs.   They resemble Aquila and Priscilla introduced in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

The couple comes to Corinth from Rome where they were expelled by Claudius.  Although Acts implies that they are Jews, more than likely they are Christian Jews.  For this reason they welcome Paul into their home.  Eventually they will return to Rome and receive the greeting from Paul when he writes the Christian community there.  “Greet Prisca and Aquila,” Paul writes, “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus , who risked their necks for my life , to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks…”

Christian couples can give powerful witness to Christ.  The Letter to the Ephesians testifies that their love for each other testifies to Christ’s love for the Church.  Working side-by-side, they exemplify that Christianity is not about power over others but the power of the Holy Spirit bestowing equal dignity and genuine love to those willing to accept it.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:1-8; John 16:16-20)

Although Christians comprise a small fraction of the Pakistani population, in raw numbers they are more than two million people.  Missionaries in that land in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries did not convert many Muslims or Hindus but found the animist peoples open to the word of God.  Evidently, all-encompassing religions like Islam have arguments to counter another religion’s claims but traditions without established theological traditions offer much less resistance to new religious preaching.  This idea will explain Paul’s frustration in preaching Christ to the Jews.

In Corinth as in other major population centers of the Mediterranean world in Paul’s days there is a synagogue.  Paul finds it the natural place to speak about Christ.  As a matter of fact members of the synagogue in the town of Berea give Paul a friendly ear, but those of the synagogue in Corinth as in Thessalonica are much less amenable.  Still Paul makes progress in Corinth perhaps because Aquila and Priscilla have already did some spade work in planting the seed of Christ.

Even though we are not willing to give up our commitment to Christ for anything, we still might dialogue with people of other faiths.  Learning their traditions not only broadens our knowledge but likely will deepen our appreciation of Christianity. We believe that Christ died to save all people.  Deliberately refusing to share our knowledge of him by neglecting opportunities to dialogue would mean a loss on all sides.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:9-18; John 16:20-23)

In the United States the word pioneer is associated with characters like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. In Ireland when one hears “pioneer,” she or he thinks of the pledge to give up drinking alcohol. In the nineteenth century when a similar pledge or promise was introduced by Fr. Theobald Matthew, it led to a movement which radically reduced crime. In today’s reading from Acts Paul shaves his head to fulfill a promise which likely included abstinence from alcohol.

The Nazarite vow or solemn promise has a long history in Israel. Curiously Samson is described as Nazarite in the Book of Judges, but he is required to refrain from using a razor. His mother, however, is to drink no alcoholic beverage nor eat unclean food during her pregnancy. Here we see the similarity to Paul’s vow. No motive is given for taking the vow, but it may be presumed that Paul takes it as a way of giving God thanks for the successful mission in Europe.

Besides religious sisters and brothers, ordinary people can make promises to God that they will perform some gratuitous action to honor Him. They should not be taken lightly although neither should they be held so rigidly that they cause harm. It is always wise to pray when making a promise, for example, when giving up some simple pleasure during Lent, that the Holy Spirit will provide the grace to fulfill it or to prudently forsake it when necessary.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 18:1-8; John 16:16-22)

The readings from the Acts of the Apostles at mass these days have covered a lot of territory, principally by skipping over accounts of Paul’s missions. On Monday and Tuesday we heard of Paul’s establishing a beachhead in Europe at the town of Philippi. Not being a critical center of commerce, Paul pushes on to Thessalonica, a provincial capital. He establishes a church community there, but the Jews almost literally kick him and his companions out. The Jews of Beroea, the next missionary stop recorded in Acts, give Paul a much fairer hearing until their kinsmen from Thessalonica arrive. Next, Acts records Paul’s flop in Athens, about which we heard in yesterday’s mass. Today’s reading shows Paul having arrived in Corinth, his ultimate destination on this missionary expedition.

One student of St. Paul thinks Corinth a much more strategic place than Athens. He compares Athens to a library given to safeguarding old ideas and Corinth to a marketplace open to new ones. It is definitely a crossroads of commerce from which ideas might spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Paul establishes himself by working as a tentmaker in the shop of Aquila and Priscilla, who become critical mission collaborators. Providing his own bread frees Paul of suspicion the people perennially have of evangelists seeking personal gain. Still Paul needs a patron to provide a place for Sunday worship. Fortunately, he will make the right connection.

It may seem like Paul goes from town to town haphazardly preaching to whoever lends an ear. More likely, he makes deliberate choices on where to go and how to proceed. Since he believes that Christ’s return is imminent, out of love he wants to prepare as many people as possible to receive him. We must see this as God’s plan with the Holy Spirit prompting Paul to act. As Paul eventually realizes, the coming of the Lord is not as near as once thought but still the urgency remains to prepare the world for Christ. As our own times amply testify, all people need to embrace Christ’s message of love, mercy, and forbearance.

Homilette for Thursday, May 1, 2008

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter (St. Joseph the worker, memorial)

(Acts 18:1-8)

Being a tentmaker both benefits Paul and restricts him. It gives him an income which not only makes him monetarily independent but also removes doubts regarding the motive of his preaching. More importantly, working in a tent-making shop – like he does with Aquila in the reading – allows him to meet people. We can imagine Paul steering any conversation with customers to his favorite topic, the Lord Jesus. The downside of being a laborer is that the upper crust may frown on him and his ideas. “So what?” we might ask. The problem is that Paul needs a rich patron to provide ample quarters for the Sunday gathering of all the people he is converting. Fortunately, Paul always seems to make the right connection.

Work continues today as a benefit and a burden. It enables people to develop their capabilities and to socialize with others. Of course, it provides daily needs for self and family. Often overlooked is how work allows people to contribute to God’s creation. Martin Luther King, Jr., once exhorted the street cleaners of Memphis to sweep the streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry; that is, with care and perfection.

But work is not always experienced as a good. One’s job may be tedious or one’s boss may be overbearing. People in these situations are often poorly compensated and otherwise exploited. We Christians should support them, especially in spiritual ways. We should suggest to workers that they express their grievances to the proper authorities and possibly to unionize. We too might speak up for the workers, at least to God. Finally, we should encourage disgruntled workers to pray and to practice prudence. Prayer opens us to God’s will; prudence insures that we follow it.