Friday, May 22, 2020

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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

The passage from Acts today highlights two separate issues of importance.  The first regards the dating of St. Paul’s stay in Corinth.  From another source we know that the proconsul Gallio was in Corinth only in the years 51-52.  Since he adjudicated the complaint by the Jews against Paul and Paul was there for a year and a half, his stay must have been coincided with at least in part with those years.

The other issue is more significant.  Gallio, a government official, refuses to interfere in religious questions.  Nineteen centuries later the Second Vatican Council advocated for a similar stance by governments toward religion.  The council reasoned that religion is a matter of conscience which humans have to be free to follow.  A government must allow people and, indeed, religious organizations to practice what they believe to be God’s will.

Currently freedom of religion is being contested over refusal to provide contraception as an employee insurance benefit.  Some Catholic employers rightfully see providing such a benefit unconscionable.  Can the government, which mandates insurance benefits, force them to do so anyway?  Because the issue involves sexual behavior, logic is often set aside.  However, it is, I believe, fair to say that since contraception is usually not necessary for a woman’s health, it could be dismissed as an insurance benefit in most cases.  The matter in the United States is now waiting a Supreme Court judgment.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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

The account of Gallio’s judgment in Acts today is significant for two reasons.  First, it gives a clue for dating Paul’s missionary activities.  Second, it gives biblical precedent for the separation of Church and state.

Roman records show that Gallio was proconsul in Corinth for only the summer of 51 A.D.  Because Paul is thought to have left Corinth shortly after the episode with Gallio, he must have stayed there from 50 to 51 A.D. (if what Acts says about his being there only a year and a half is accurate).  That year then acts as a hinge for determining other dates in Paul’s sojourn.  Although the date is disputed, Paul likely concluded the controversy over circumcision in Jerusalem in 49 A.D.  Also, his first letter to the Thessalonians, the earliest New Testament piece and written in Corinth, carries a 50-51 A.D. vintage. 

The Jews haul Paul off to the tribunal because he is converting non-Jewish “God-fearers” to Christ rather than to Orthodox Judaism.  However, Gallio, the emperor’s representative, does not adjudicate in their favor.  Believing it imprudent for the state to meddle in religious affairs, he dismisses the case.  His action would be praised by the Church today.  Since a human should follow conscience, religious belief must not be imposed on anyone.  The role of government is to guarantee this freedom. 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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

Karl Barth, one of the twentieth century’s greatest theologians, thought that religion could be the enemy of faith.  Seeing how the needs of religious institutions often take priority over trust in God, Barth chastised the former in promotion of a God who demands human faithfulness.  Barth wrote cogently over the work of the apostle Paul, who is encountered in today’s first reading as taking a stand quite in line with Barth’s critique.

Paul’s experience of Jesus has led him to claim that only faith in Christ can save one from sin and death.  Trying to comply with the Jewish law as the way to salvation - he preaches - avails nothing because it inevitably falls short of its objective.  For such a claim the Jews of Corinth take Paul to the Roman administrator Gallio.  The statesman wisely stays out of the religious conflict and allows Paul to resume his mission.

We should not abandon our valid religious practices.  Properly pursued, they will take us closer to God.  Nevertheless, we need to realize that merely going through the motions of religious custom will get us nowhere.  We must hang on the words of Christ by imitating his ways and pleading his assistance.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrs

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

A Ugandan priest reported last week of today’s feast: “Pilgrims have started walking from within and outside the country to commemorate the twenty two Ugandan saints who perished for standing for the gospel values.” St. Augustine spoke of similar excitement during the feast days of the ancient African martyrs.

Charles Lwanga lived in the latter part of the nineteenth century. By that time Uganda had many Christians, Catholic and Protestants. But its king lived more like a decadent Roman emperor. Adolescents serving in his court were harassed into sexual liaisons. When Lwanga protected some of these youths, he was summarily executed. Pope Paul VI canonized him and twenty-one others who resisted the king’s tyrannical lust.

In the reading from Acts the Lord tells Paul not to be silent. Lwanga and companions heard the same message and spoke out with both words and actions. Their example validates our struggle to live holy lives that give testimony to Jesus’ resurrection.

Homilette for Friday, May 22, 2009

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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

The account of Gallio’s judgment in Acts today is significant for two reasons. First, it gives a clue for dating Paul’s missionary activities. Second, it gives biblical precedent for the separation of Church and state.

Roman records show that Gallio was proconsul in Corinth for only the summer of 51 A.D. Because Paul is thought to have left Corinth shortly after the episode with Gallio, he must have stayed there from 50 to 51 A.D. (if what Acts says about his being there only a year and a half is accurate). That year then acts as a hinge for determining other dates in Paul’s sojourn. Although the date is disputed, Paul likely concluded the controversy over circumcision in Jerusalem in 49 A.D. Also, his first letter to the Thessalonians, the earliest New Testament piece and written in Corinth, carries a 50-51 A.D. vintage.

The Jews haul Paul off to the tribunal because he is converting non-Jewish “God-fearers” to Christ rather than to an orthodox Judaism. However, Gallio, the emperor’s representative, believing it imprudent for the state to meddle in religious affairs, dismisses the case. His action is reminiscent of the position that the Church takes vis-à-vis government. The Church teaches that a government must not allow religious belief to be imposed on any person. Rather, it should guarantee every person the freedom to choose the faith that his or her conscience dictates. Americans should be thankful that their government has followed this rule and that their representatives to Vatican II successfully explicated the doctrine there.