Friday, May 15, 2026

 

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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

Successful poker players know when to play their hand and when to give it up.  From years of experience, they have a sense when their cards will win and when they will lose.  Similarly, in today’s reading from Acts Paul has an intuitive “vision” what the Lord Jesus wants him to do.  He has developed a firm understanding of his will through years of prayer.  He can say with confidence that the Lord wants him to stay in Corinth to preach the gospel.

Corinth is Greece’s principal port city.  From it ships traverse the Mediterranean, the center of the western world.  Based there, preachers have access to all the known nations.  The city was like a major airport hub city today.  From it preachers can easily reach the places in need of the Word of God.  Probably for this reason, the Lord wants Paul to establish a Christian base there.

In Paul’s vision the Lord assures him of both his accompaniment and his influence.  These advantages are immediately evidenced.  Gallio, the proconsul or governor of Corinth, is such a “friend” of the Lord.  He dismisses the Jews’ charge against Paul as frivolous so that Paul can continue preaching. 

The Lord is with us as well.  We need to develop a close relationship with him through prayer.  Then he will tell us when to proceed on a project and when to give it up as futile.  Paul gives the reason for his confidence in his Letter to the Romans: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

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. 

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.