Teaching Through Relationships
Apr 27: Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Today’s first reading features a dramatic conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch to Christianity. Interestingly, it reminds me of this video, which popped up on my youtube feed randomly—
Fr. Casey’s point, if you don’t have the time to watch a 15 minute video, is that people are often more converted by their interpersonal relationships than by reason. In the case of Philip, while he does explain a passage from Isaiah to the Ethiopian, I think it’s his kindness and patience as much as anything else which converts the traveler.
Reading 1
Acts 8:26-40
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, "Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."
So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, "Go and join up with that chariot."
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. This was the Scripture passage he was reading: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth.
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, "I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?"
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?"
Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
The Ethiopian isn’t Jewish, but seems to be curious about God and Jewish teaching. The difficulty was, Judaism was mostly confined to biological inheritance; there were few converts.
Philip takes the opportunity to introduce Christianity to a foreigner. Christ wants to save everyone, including gentiles. Philip doesn’t condemn or mock the court official for not being familiar with the passage. He kindly, and probably excitedly, explained it, and his enthusiastic proclamation probably didn’t stop at the converted eunuch. He probably took his newly found faith back to Ethiopia and the queen’s court.
In this way, one act of patient proclamation can spread throughout the world!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
This psalm was traditionally sung when someone felt they had been delivered from harm by God. They not only sing God’s praise, but they ask others to join in, as well.
We shouldn’t keep God a secret. He’s blessed us in many ways. It’s why Philip wanted to share him with the traveling Ethiopian, and why Fr. Casey makes his YouTube videos.
Alleluia
Jn 6:51
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I genuinely don’t understand why Protestants gave up the Eucharist.
Gospel
Jn 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowds: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world."
Notice how Jesus ties teaching together with a relationship. We learn from the Son of the Father, not from inert books or rote memorization. Knowing facts isn’t as important as knowing Jesus.
Eating the bread of life is about as intimate a relationship as we can get. Jesus becomes a part of us in a literal way, from your mouth to your stomach, and from there to every other part of your body. It’s a relationship you can’t really have with anyone else.
