Lydia's conversion, omission form Psalm 149, and the Spirit of truth
May 6, 2024 - Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Acts 16:11-15; Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b; John 15:26—16:4a
Luke continues to describe the proclamation of the Gospel in Europe, and the first to accept the Gospel in the Macedonian city of Philippi was a woman from Asia, Lydia. Interestingly, Lydia is both a woman's name and a historical region located in the Roman province of Asia. It is possible that Lydia was not one of the places Paul had planned to visit but was prevented by the Holy Spirit. I wonder if it was not Lydia who brought the Gospel to her region and established the Christian community in her hometown, Thyatira, mentioned in the Book of Revelation (see Rev. 2:18-29).
The irony is that the one who called for help in Paul's dream was a Macedonian man, but the first convert in Macedonia was a woman of Asian origin. This irony is also present in many regions of East Asia, where the Church is vibrant among migrants from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Latin American nations, but declines among its local population. Those who need the Gospel most do not realize that they need it and often ignore or reject it, convinced that it is the right thing to do. Jesus captured this fallacy of the human mind and heart with the statement, "the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God" (John 16:2).
Paul's willingness to share the Gospel with women reveals his transformation from a strict Pharisee to an apostle of Christ. He realized what he later captured in one of his letters, that in the eyes of God, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female" (Gal 3:28), but everyone is loved by God and in need of the Gospel of salvation. His conversation with women that led to the conversion of Lydia reminds me of the story of the woman of Samaria who heard the Gospel of salvation directly from Jesus.
The transformation of Paul from a Pharisee who thought that by persecuting the followers of Christ he offered worship to God can also be seen as a paradigm for the transformation of the way the Church reads the Old Testament. Psalm 149, which features in our liturgy of the Word, is not my favorite. A curious person might notice that a portion of that psalm is omitted from our liturgy, and there is a valid reason for that. The omitted portion of that psalm speaks about "two-edged swords" in the hands of God's people to execute vengeance and punishment on the nations and people (see Ps. 149:7-9a). The Church should always recall the words of Christ to Peter who tried to defend Him, "Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" (see Matt. 26:52).
When John and James wanted to bring a fire from heaven upon an unhospitable Samaritan village, Jesus told them that they did not know what kind of Spirit they were of. Today, He explains that the Spirit that guides us through life is the Spirit of truth. Together with this Spirit of truth, we are called to testify to Jesus Christ and His Gospel of salvation and love. The world needs this Gospel today more than ever because only the Gospel can remove "two-edged swords" from our hands and pour God's love into our hearts through His Spirit. Only in this way can we build a human family where "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female" but all are one in Christ Jesus (see Gal 3:28).