As we
hear about Paul’s missionary travels, we hear the beginning of the farewell
speech that he gives to the elders of the Christian community of Ephesus. Paul
probably spent two or three years in Ephesus making disciples there. After
preaching for several months in the synagogue, he was thrown out of that place
by those resistant to the message of Christ’s Gospel. He spent the rest of his time in public
places, trying bring converts to the Good News. Paul
encountered great challenge and opposition in his missionary work. He explains that the Holy Spirit has
communicated to him that prison and other opposition awaits him along his path. Paul
had great conviction in the calling he had from God. He had a joy in his heart that did not come
from any accomplishments or success he could have in an earthly sense. We
have a lot to learn from Paul and his missionary travels – I always learn a lot
from them each time that we hear these readings from the Acts of the Apostles
about the development of the Early Church. Pope
Francis, in a recent homily, reflected on the challenges that Paul faced in his
ministry, explaining that it was only possible for him to go forward because
his heart was fixed on God. The
pope wants us to ask ourselves: What kind of heart do we have? Is it a fickle
heart which, like a dancer or a butterfly, flits from one thing to another?” Or
is it a heart fixed on the Holy Spirit?
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