We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
"If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us.
R./ The Lord takes delight in his people. or: Alleluia.
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R./ The Lord takes delight in his people. or: Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R./ The Lord takes delight in his people. or: Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R./ The Lord takes delight in his people. or: Alleluia.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
"I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you."
So That the World May Believe
Whether we reflect on the readings from the sixth week of Easter or on the Memorial of St. Philip Neri, we find some powerful contrasts—between pain and joy, uncertainty and hope. Everything is possible, and in God’s time, everything becomes real.
The Monday reading during Easter includes a dark and somewhat frightening prediction: “The time will come when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.” Or at least, they will believe they’re doing something good for society and for the culture they live in. In our current times, with religious persecution happening both locally and globally, this seems painfully accurate.
Here’s where the contrast becomes even clearer: those who persecute believe they are doing the right thing for society by eliminating what they see as evil in Christianity. That belief stands in stark opposition to the faith we are called to have, as expressed in the reading from the memorial of St. Philip Neri:
“May they all be one, so that the world may believe.”
That the world may believe in Christ—not in the destruction of all things Christian.
Could it be that persecution exists because of a lack of unity?
How can the world believe if those who claim to follow Christ’s Truth are divided and in conflict?
How can we convince those who think they’re doing good by persecuting Christians, when Christians themselves cancel each other out by constant disagreement?
Maybe the key to unity, to reconciliation, and to helping the world believe is found in the reading from Philippians on the feast of St. Philip Neri:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
If we focus on those things, it’s hard to hold onto anger and division.
If we live by those things, it will be harder for persecutors to justify what they’re doing.
And then—not only will fear fade away—but it will become truly possible for the world to believe.
As that same passage in Philippians says:
“Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.”
In the face of whatever seeks to destroy it, the Christian response must be:
joy, kindness, beauty, and virtue.
