Good morning, good people.

May the Risen Lord give you peace and happiness.

It’s 6th May 2024. We reflect on Acts 16:11-15 and John 15:26-16:4. 

It is the Lord who allows the Word of God to enter the hearts of people. 

The first reading is the second missionary journey to spread the Gospel in Europe. St. Paul founded the church in Philippi.

The preaching of St. Paul touched the heart of Lydia, a wealthy business lady who provided accommodation to them.

“She listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.” (Acts. 16:15). 

God will surely provide all means and measures when we truly work for the Lord through the person of the Holy Spirit. As the Lord wishes to bless us, so we need to have the generosity of St. Paul to go the extra mile for the Lord. We just need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to work for the Lord. 

Our blessings and protection always come from the Lord through people like Lydia, who not only accepted the Word of God, but got converted and was willing to provide. 

A true believer is the one who does not take ‘No’ for an answer. 

We all have something to learn from Lydia, the first convert in Europe by St. Paul. She was fearless in inviting the apostles when they were in trouble with some other rich and influential authorities. 

The hospitality and generosity of Lydia were so remarkable, that the apostles accepted her invitation to stay in her home to do the work of evangelization. From her career, confidence; from her conversion, openness to accept new things; from her reception, welcoming gesture towards the strangers; from her generous heart, reciprocity.  

The Gospel invites the disciples to be the witnesses for Christ when going becomes tough after His Ascension. It is the Holy Spirit who strengthens us and makes us genuine and bold believers for the Lord in conflicting and challenging times. 

The persecution for the believer is inevitable yet in all challenging times, we need to be the witnesses for Christ. 

Hold on to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Holding on to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit would surely help us through any situation. 

To be a witness is to stand for the Truth, Christ himself. Unless and until we hold to the Spirit of Truth, we can never become a witness. 

Growing hatred towards Christian morals and values is found in every nook and corner where Christian lives. When we are excluded by the community and by family members, it is not an oppression but rather an opportunity to be a witness to the truth.

Let us be a witness for Christ and willing to walk for the Lord who loves us. 

May you have a good day.

 

Fr. Peter Fernando, OFMCap.
Director, Office of Family Ministry, Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA).Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.♣Website:https://reflectionsofpeter.org/.♣Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/samarpet