Homily Sixth Wednesday of Easter (Acts: 16:22-34)
Homily Sixth Wednesday of Easter (Acts: 16:22-34)
St. Paul was a great missionary in that he would try to connect with people where they were. St. Paul grew up in a Hellenist culture. He did not grow up in Israel. He was emersed in Greek culture. He knew the language and understood the philosophy of the Greeks to some extent.
He speaks in Athens today and he makes a mistake. He tries to convince the Greeks to believe in Jesus using an intellectual argument. He speaks from his head rather than from his heart. His sermon turned into a debate with the Greeks.
He realized thereafter that in order to help people to believe in Jesus he needed to speak from his heart. He had to share about how Jesus chose him although unworthy to be his apostle. He shared about the grace and mercy Jesus showed him as a sinner. Finally, he shared about his experience of the risen Jesus. A lot of this had to be accepted by faith. There were no facts other than the witness of Paul.
The Greeks, who believed that each person is made up of body and soul, were interested in this new religion that had the doctrine of life after death. It was something they could relate to.
Great missionaries always find common ground between Christianity and the culture they find themselves in. If people can see a link between what they already know and what Jesus taught they are more likely to convert. Paul was smart to preach from his heart and to seek common beliefs with his audience.
Reflection Questions:
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If people have different religious ideas than I do, do I dismiss them, or try to dialogue with them? When have I talked to people of other faiths in my life about Jesus?
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Paul spoke from his heart about Jesus. Am I willing to do that, if not, why not?
Dear Parishioners,
You will notice that we have a lift back that is working on our church. The downspouts and guttering on the east side of the church have been severely damaged by ice and snow. Water is seeping in between the limestone wall and the inner brick wall of the church. We finally were able to get close and look at what is happening.
The copper gutters and downspouts will be resoldered and patched. This process will take about ten days. Our hope is that this will solve our problem with leaking at least for the near future. As any homeowner knows, there are few permanent fixes.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark