DAILY REFLECTION

Liturgical readings are available here.

The persecution of the Early Church that started with the death of Steven also opened many new opportunities for faith to spread. The encounter of Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch and the subsequent baptism could be called the first ever RCIA program and it was a very fast one: annunciation, conversion, and baptism follow in a close sequence, as if Philip, or even the Holy Spirit were in a hurry. The harvest is huge.

The person of the eunuch is a model of many sympathizers, who feel attracted by faith in Christ, own the Bible, search for answers, or perhaps even have objections, but still feel engaged. These are regular people around us and if we are honest, each of us is such a person. In one way or another, we are all people on the way and no one can truthfully say that he or she has already figured everything out. No matter where any person is at, there is always a need of formation: faith is seeking understanding. We cannot believe in and love something, we do not know.

Yet, the moral of the story does not limit itself to an intellectual imperative. The story culminates in the moment when eunuch is baptized and Philip is carried by the Spirit of the Lord to continue his mission in Caesarea. Faith is always a gift from God and we can be certain that God shares it generously with those who seek him.