29 April 2010, Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 13:13-25

From Paphos, Paul and his companions
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation
for the people, please speak.”

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.
After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”

Gospel
Jn 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Meditation: Acts 13:13-25


If one of you has a word of exhortation for the people, please speak. (Acts 13:15)


Many times in Acts, Paul had opportunities like this one to share the gospel, often in a synagogue. He always told the story of salvation, but he didn’t always tell it in exactly the same way. In today’s reading, the story focuses on David: Paul presents Jesus as the “Son of David” fulfilling God’s promises to Israel’s beloved king. In other tellings, the emphasis is on Moses, the lawgiver or on Abraham, the man of faith.

In all these tellings to Jewish hearers, we see God preparing his people for the Messiah. But when Paul preached to Gentiles or mixed audiences, he tended to stress the way the chosen people rejected Jesus, opening the way for God to fulfill his plan to bring salvation to the whole world.

Then again, on several occasions, Paul told his own conversion story (Acts 22:1-21; 26:12-23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Galatians 1:11–2:14), again shaping the story in a way that would benefit his readers or listeners.

We have all experienced God working in our lives, but there are many different ways to shape our stories, depending on the situation and our audience. We should always be asking: “What is God asking me to say to this person?” and make that a central focus when we share about our lives. Should we share about a time when God brought us to repentance, comforted us in a difficult time, or filled us with his love?

Sometimes it is also good to tell ourselves stories about what God has done for us. How quickly we forget how far we have come, how clearly we have experienced the Lord! We can never wear out such stories.

Whenever you tell your story, be sure to start with this one unshakeable truth: “God loves me and has always acted in love toward me.” And be sure to tell your story—whether to yourself or someone else—with the assurance that “all things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). So follow St. Paul’s example and his own advice: “Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:8).

“Jesus, I love to tell the story of what you have done for me. Give me fresh eyes to see how you have been pursuing me, protecting me, and supporting me throughout my life.”