AN EXCITING MOMENT IN CHURCH HISTORY
Today’s
First Reading is, for me, one of the most exciting passages in the Acts
of the Apostles. Why? These verses are exciting because they tell us
that the persecution of the Church in Jerusalem was actually a blessing.
Many Christians fled, and so, the Good News spread beyond the borders of Palestine.
Then we read about Barnabas, “a good man,” who strengthened the young
community in Antioch with his goodness and kindness. More than that, he
went to Tarsus and got Paul out of his loneliness and brought him right
into the center of missionary activity. Without Barnabas searching
for
him, we might not know anything about a certain Paul. And finally, we
come to know that it was in Antioch that the followers of Christ were
first called “Christians,” a name you and I still carry with pride. Do you realize why these verses are, for me, so exciting?
We feel in this passage the excitement of growth, the excitement of a dynamic, Spirit-filled community that could not be contained in the city of Antioch,
but would soon drive Barnabas and Paul into the Hellenistic world to
make Christ known to countless people throughout many countries.
How I
wish our faithful here would be as dynamic as those in Antioch, as
Barnabas and Paul were! Fortunately, there are many Charismatic groups
and other lay communities where I feel the exciting spirit of the
community in Antioch. But unfortunately, too, many faithful do not live
out their faith in daily life. They don’t give the example Barnabas and
Paul gave, through whom the Church grew dramatically. And so the Church
here does not have the
influence on the society She should and could have. The result? Graft
and corruption, immorality and criminality flourish here more than in
some neighboring Buddhist countries. How sad! Fr.
Rudy Horst, SVD
REFLECTION QUESTION: How many people have you brought to Christ through your example and living faith?
Lord,
what has happened to me and my fellow Christians here? There is not
much excitement in living out my faith. Send Your powerful Spirit and
make me more receptive to His inspiration.
No comments:
Post a Comment