Homily for Saturday, Week 6 of Easter

Homily for Saturday
6th Week of Easter

May 11, 2024
Acts 18: 23-28
Provincial House, New Rochelle

The reading from Acts today begins with Paul taking a break in Antioch between his 2d and 3d missionary journeys (18:23).  Then, like a good provincial, he sets out—his 3d journey—to visit the disciples in the little towns in the interior of Asia Minor where he’d preached on earlier trips.

At this point, Luke diverts from Paul to introduce us to another missionary, Apollos, and bring into his story again the distinguished couple Priscilla and Aquila.

Icon depicting Sts. Epaphroditus, Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, and Caesar

Apollos came from the large Jewish community in Alexandria, where the Scriptures had been translated into Greek in the 3d century B.C.  That origin may account in part for his being “an authority on the Scriptures” (18:24).  It may have been in Alexandria that he became acquainted with the teachings of Jesus and the preaching of John the Baptist (18:25).  As we would hear in Monday’s reading but for our feast of Mary Mazzarello, Apollos wasn’t the only one in Ephesus who didn’t know Jesus’ teaching in full and the gift of the Holy Spirit (19:1-7).

In Apollos’ case, Paul’s friends Priscilla and Aquila, who’d been Paul’s hosts in Corinth and shared his tentmaking trade (18:2-3), enlighten Apollos and, presumably, have him baptized.  Then the church in Ephesus encourages him to take his eloquent preaching and debating to Corinth.  There he greatly helps the believers (18:27), in effect becoming a collaborator in the work Paul had begun.  Paul would later write to the Corinthians, “I planted [the Word], Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. . . .  We are God’s co-workers” (1 Cor 3:6,9).

What happened in Ephesus illustrates the gradual process that coming to a mature faith in Christ usually entails.  Apollos comes to know Jesus in stages, and his abilities then can be effectively directed.  He’s assisted by patient teachers, Priscilla and Aquila.  The episode also illustrates what Paul teaches about the different roles of believers in building and maintaining Christ’s body.  And it illustrates the cooperation of everyone involved and cooperation between the Ephesian and Corinthian churches.

Unfortunately, that kind of cooperation and collaboration broke down in Corinth ere long, as Paul’s letters evidence and, later, the letter of Pope Clement.  Who knows how much the factions in Corinth hampered the spread of the Gospel?  Unfortunately, the Church in our day, too, is often hampered by factions rather than demonstrating clearly enuf that we all belong to Christ and are God’s co-workers.  At times that may also be a defect in our own apostolic work; it’s at least something to be on guard against.

Well do we pray, then:  “O Lord, shape our minds … that, trying always for what is better, we may strive to hold ever fast to the Paschal Mystery” (Collect)—and may be faithful, patient teachers and preachers of the Mystery.