Homily for Thursday, Week 4 of Easter

Homily for Thursday
Week 4 of Easter

April 30, 2026
Acts 13: 13-25
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Art in the Basilica of
St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome

Acts has shifted its focus from Peter’s preaching and leadership to Paul’s.  The preaching of both shows God’s revelation to Israel leading up to the coming of Christ.

Peter’s opening of salvation thru the Jewish Messiah also to pagans came about by exception—the Spirit-led conversion of Cornelius and his household (Acts 10).  Paul’s opening to them begins on his 1st missionary journey in a passage that the lectionary omits; he and Barnabas convert a Roman official on Cyprus.  It’s also at that point, apparently, that the missionary leadership shifts from Barnabas (13:2) to Paul—who is so named for the 1st time (13:9).

Back on the mainland of Asia Minor today, they go together to the synagog, but it’s Paul who takes up the invitation to “exhort the people” (13:15).  He’ll hardly stop talking for the rest of the book.  He addresses both Jews and “God-fearing” worshipers in the synagog, i.e., Gentiles who have joined the Jews as devotees of the one God, perhaps by a full conversion to Torah, perhaps only by a moral conviction.

Today’s passage also hints at Paul’s strong personality.  Earlier, his preaching of Jesus had provoked violent reactions that endangered his life (9:20-30).  Now John Mark leaves the mission (13:13).  That’s not explained, but later Paul and Barnabas will break up their partnership, acrimoniously, on account of it, which Paul viewed as desertion (15:36-39).  Maybe John Mark found Paul all too much to deal with.

We continue to see God’s work unfold—out of the history of Israel, out of the mission of John the Baptist, out of Paul and Barnabas’s cooperation with the Holy Spirit (13:2), in spite of the human personalities involved and other obstacles.  Step by step, personality by personality, charism by charism, God aims at and works for salvation.

So God always does.  He continues to save thru the glories and despite the defects of the Church and individual Christians.  He uses the unseen charism of an unknown young Carmelite nun in an insignificant town in Normandy[1] and the powerful charism of a larger-than-life Pope from Poland to build his kingdom.  He uses humble religious like us—and what varieties of personality types we’ve known!—and like the families we came from and the colleagues we’ve associated with, all of us trying what we can to follow Jesus and counting on his grace to compensate for our weaknesses.  As we’ll pray shortly, we trust that God’s graciousness will conform us to the mysteries of his mighty love (Prayer over the Offerings).

---

[1] St. Therese of Lisieux