In the Acts of the Apostles, which we read through the Easter season, Luke describes the development of the church mainly through the missionary efforts of Peter and Paul. In the later chapters of Acts it’s mostly Paul. 

But it’s important to recognize they’re not the only ones who make the church grow. After Jesus ascended into heaven, forty days after his resurrection, a group of his followers go back to the upper room in Jerusalem, Luke reports.  One of them is Mary, the mother of Jesus. 

All are eyewitnesses to what Jesus said and did before he ascended into heaven. They have a key role in the development of his church. Not only have they seen and heard what Jesus said and did, they have prophetic gifts for preaching and teaching and guiding other believers. Inspired by the Holy Spirit they tell others what that mystery means. They told others then; they tell us now, they will tell those who come after us. They’re permanent eyewitnesses.

Here’s Luke’s description of them: “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (Acts 1, 12-14)

Though Luke singles out Peter and Paul, this larger foundational group is at the heart of the church’s growth. He wouldn’t want us to forget these  “eyewitnesses” in that growing church. Luke especially wouldn’t want us to forget Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Mary is the key eyewitness. She witnessed the birth and origin of Jesus Christ and she also was a witness to his death and resurrection. 

Early pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought home relics and icons to recall their visit, like the icon pictured above. It represents Mary’s role as eyewitness. She knew he was God’s Son, not the “son of a carpenter.

She also knew he was crucified under Pontius Pilate and rose again on the third day.

She is his most important witness. We remember her this month, May. 

Caesarea Maritime is an important city to keep in mind as we read these early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. It’s important first because a “Gentile Pentecost” took place in this city. The Roman centurion Cornelius and his household were baptized here by the Apostle Peter. The mission into the gentile world began here.

Luke highlights Peter’s journey to Caesarea Maritime from Joppa, the port where Jonah began his journey to Nineveh. ( Acts 10:1-48; 11:1-18)  Later, at a crucial meeting in Jerusalem Peter will offer his experience in Caesarea Maritime as God’s sign to announce the gospel to the gentiles. (Acts 15:7-11) 

Caesarea Maritime, 33 miles north of Joppa, was built as a seaport by Herod the Great  and for many years was the Roman military center of Judea where Roman officials, like Pontius Pilate, resided. It was a major port connecting Palestine to the rest of the world.

Philip the Deacon and his four daughters settled there after the persecution of Stephen, Luke reports. They received Paul in their house on his way to Jerusalem. When Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed in 70 AD, Caesarea Maritime became the main city of Judea and also a home for the Christian church. In later years, its bishop was the region’s leading bishop, until a bishop was installed in Jerusalem after Constantine rebuilt it in the 4th century.  

Caesarea Maritime remained a thriving center of Christian learning where great figures like Origen, Gregory Nazianzen and Jerome studied and taught. Only impressive ruins now tell us of the city’s former glory. Poor infrastructure and Moslem invasions finally brought about its end about six centuries after Herod built it.

Luke describe the spread of Christianity through the mission of Paul, but he is not the only missionary. If we follow him alone, we may miss the rich life and spirituality of Eastern Christianity that occurred as the gospel spread to Syria and Egypt. That’s why we should keep Caesarea Maritime and Syrian Antioch in mind. The gospel has more than one story that traces its spread; it’s not all found in the Acts of the Apostles.

This week’s readings from the Acts of the Apostles describe the growth of the church in the Gentile world. Peter journeys to Joppa, the seaport  Jonah embarked from on his mission to Nineveh. On his way he raises up a paralyzed man at Lydda and in Joppa  he raise a young girl, Tabitha, from the dead–signs similar to those Jesus worked.(Saturday, 3rd Week of Easter) 

Doubters, however, question Peter for baptizing the Roman soldier Cornelius and eating at table with him. (Monday) “God has given life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too,” Peter responds, initiating a new phase in the church’s growth. His response is based, not on human judgment, but because he has seen signs from the Spirit.

The readings from Acts from Wednesday to Saturday describe Barnabas and Saul’s opening campaign into the Gentile world. Let’s not ignore, though, the reading from Tuesday which recalls the unknown survivors of the persecution of Stephen who, driven into the Gentile world, “speak to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord Jesus to them. The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number turned to the Lord.” Clearly, others besides those we know brought the gospel to the Gentiles.

We are all involved in bringing the gospel to the world,not just a chosen few,

In the  Gospel readings from John (Monday-Wednesday) Jesus continues to speak of himself as the Good Shepherd. As Risen Lord, he goes before us, guiding his flock to final pasture. We hear his voice, not the voice of a stranger. His voice is the same as the Father’s voice.

On Thursday, the readings from John bring us back to the supper room. (John 13 ff) For the remaining days of the Easter season, we will listen to Jesus’ words of encouragement and love for his own who are in this world.

The feast of St. Matthias, successor to Judas, celebrated on May 14. Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13. St. Gemma is celebrated May 16.

Morning and Evening Prayer for the 4th week here.

A week or so ago, President Trump and Pope Leo were in the news, engaged in the question of war. The news world erupted at the event, and the story dominated television newscasts, newspapers and online sources for days. 

I commented on it in this blog last week, but I have been waiting for more substantial coverage of  the story. I came upon this Youtube podcast from the London Review of Books and thought I would pass it on. 

The podcast is mostly about Pope Leo and the recent history of the Catholic Church. Our scripture readings these weeks of the Easter season, describing its early growth, emphasize the unexpected events, like the persecution of the Hellenists and the conversion of Paul, that bring changes to the church. 

The podcast participants see the pope and Catholic just war principle influenced by the Cold War threats of nuclear war in the 1960s and the Iran War today. As leaders of the church recent popes from John XXIII, to John Paul II, to Francis, to Leo respond to the the “signs of the time.”

Like shepherds, they respond to what the day brings.

The Spirit works that way. 

In this week’s readings from Acts of the Apostles, the death of Stephen and the persecution of the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians result in the church’s growth beyond Jerusalem. Philip the deacon and others bring the neighboring Samaritans to the faith and send off the Ethiopian eunuch to Africa with the good news. Peter reaches out to the Roman centurion Cornelius and baptizes him and his household.

For Luke, however, the conversion of Paul, recalled in today’s readings, is more important than any of these events. Paul will be the one he uses to tell how the gospel spread to the ends of the earth. He recalls Paul’s conversion three times in the Acts of the Apostles, indicating Paul’s importance in bringing God’s word to the Gentiles.

Jesus himself appears to Paul and speaks to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” All three accounts in Acts insist that Paul is divinely chosen for his mission by the Risen Jesus.

Paul also shows us our capabilities, how far we can rise, from the depths to the heights. That’s why the church recalls his conversion a number of times in the church year. As he himself acknowledges, he rose from being a persecutor of the church to became a powerful force for its growth in the world through God’s grace.

St. John Chrysostom says of him: 

“Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what we really are, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue a human being is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead. When he saw death imminent, he bade others share his joy: Rejoice and be glad with me! And when danger, injustice and abuse threatened, he said: I am content with weakness, mistreatment and persecution. These he called the weapons of righteousness, thus telling us that he derived immense profit from them…The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ.”

Paul’s letters were circulated and read among the early Christian churches for their spirituality and their teaching. In the early Roman church, those newly baptized in the church of St. John Lateran at Easter were told to visit the church of St. Paul outside the walls on the Tuesday after their baptism and constantly seek his wisdom and guidance.

May we still seek Paul’s wisdom and may God raise up the Paul in us.