Sunday, May 25, 2014

5/26/20014 – Monday of 6th week of Easter – Acts 16:11-15

     Today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles speaks about a journey that the disciples made in order to follow Jesus' command to spread his Good New to all the world.  On this journey, they encounter a wonderful woman, Lydia, whose heart is opened to God.  Not only did Lydia & her family accept baptism into the Lord, but she invites Paul into her home in an act of true hospitality. 
       I think we can all think of people like Lydia that we meet on our own journeys.  As a missionary in Ecuador, I would travel every week to the small jungle villages that our mission site served.  Loving and generous members of the Catholic faith would invite me into their homes, offering to share a meal with me and allowing me to accompany them on their journey of faith.  Many of these families faced great hardship in their lives as the struggled to make a living in the vast rainforest, but the love of God was so evident by their graciousness & their hospitality.

       As we think about the way people open their hearts to the Lord in today’s Gospel, we honor the men and women who have served in the military and who have protected our country.  Memorial Day is more than the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer vacation time for families.  We honor these men and women today, and give thanks for their selflessness and sacrifice.

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