Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Acts 8: 26-40; John 6: 44-51
Dc. Larry Brockman
Easter is such an exciting time of year! Take this Gospel for example. Jesus says “Amen, Amen I say to you whoever believes has eternal life”. You all believe, don’t you, so you have eternal life! You already have it, just think about that.
And then Jesus says:” I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever”. In just a couple of minutes, you will eat that bread come down from heaven. And that seals your fate- everlasting life! Jesus has said it twice in two different ways. We are so blessed; we have so much- our faith, the Eucharist, and a guarantee of everlasting life. And you should be excited about all that- the whole Easter event- it is life changing and exciting.
So, just how excited are you about it? Are you as charged up as Philip in the first reading? It’s a fascinating story isn’t it, the story of Philip. Charged up by the Easter events, Philip is taking to heart Jesus command to go forward and preach the Gospel to all nations. And what does God do? He puts this foreigner in his path- a Eunuch from Ethiopia, and probably of a different race, who was not a Jew, and a servant to boot. This guy didn’t belong to Philip’s crowd, that’s for sure. Philip could have just as easily passed this Eunuch by; but he didn’t. He was a Judaizer, meaning a believer in Judaism, but one who is not born a Jew. This man is confused- he doesn’t understand the prophet and he is seeking help. Well, he ran into the right person, Philip. Philip sees a need and doesn’t care that the Eunuch doesn’t fit in. Filled with the spirit, Philip evangelizes the Ethiopian right then and there and Baptizes him.
A question. Why do you suppose this story is our reading this morning? So that we feel good about what Philip did? Or is it a sort of precursor story that foretells the Apostles mission to move out to all nations? Or is it something more personal? Because, you know, all of us were called on Easter to be a witness of the Easter events, too. Yes, indeed, all of us are called, especially during this year of evangelization, to show our joy and evangelize others. We should be spreading the joy of Easter, especially in this secular, Godless, pluralistic, hedonistic society that we live in; one in which we, as Catholics, are beginning to feel the pinch on our ability to live the morals in the Gospel. The time is ripe for us to share our joy.
Now I know what some of you are thinking. Just how, how do I go about evangelizing, after all God did not send a chariot with an Ethiopian Eunuch across my path! Oh, but he will; he has.
Yes, God exposes all of us to events in life which are just as outlandish as Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian. Every day we come in contact with divorced, homeless, jobless, spiritually hungry; and/or morally confused people. They are people at the hospital; at Walmart; in the grocery store, in the driver’s license agency line, all of whom are looking for answers. We just have to recognize that God has put them there for us, calling us to make time for them and to come out of our shells to do something.
So, be on the look-out for someone who is hurting, who is thrown across your path in some unlikely way- like an Ethiopian Eunuch on a horse cart. And then take the time from your regular routine to take the initiative. Say something like: “Is there something I can do, my friend?” And if you are truly joyful, because God’s spirit fills you with love, then you will be an inspiration, and you can be an evangelizer like Philip, one who shares the peace and joy of Easter That’s what it is all about to be a Christian.