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| “Philip Baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch” by Maerten Jacobz. van Heemskerck, c. 1545 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Acts 8:26-40
Commentary on Acts 8:26-40
In this story of Philip’s conversion of the eunuch, we are given a strong mystical nudge; first when Philip is instructed by an angel to leave on the trip, and again with his disappearance after the baptism of the eunuch.
Even as Philip approaches the eunuch he finds the process of conversion is set in motion through the oracle of Isaiah 53:7ff. We are told Philip, when asked about the passage from the "Suffering Servant" oracle, proclaims Christ crucified, the truth of which completes the conversion process and the eunuch requests baptism. His work of proclamation of the Gospel completed, Philip is "snatched " away to continue spreading the good news in Caesarea.
If we read this passage in context with verse numbers, we find v. 37 is not present in either the New American or the Jerusalem Bibles. That is because, in the oldest and best manuscripts, it was not present. But, for our benefit, v. 37 said, responding to the eunuch’s request for baptism: "And Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he said in reply, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'"In modern texts it is omitted as probably a later addition by some early Christian redactor.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
Psalm 66 is a song of thanksgiving. It starts with part of the community blessing of the Lord, and follows with the second and third strophes being individual responses to the communal prayer.
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Gospel: John 6:44-51
Commentary on Jn 6:44-51
St. John’s “Bread of Life” discourse continues in response to the protest of the crowd. In the first part of the passage, we hear Jesus telling the crowd that no one comes to God unless it is willed by the Father (who sent me). Then Jesus says the remarkable: “and I will raise him on the last day.” This is a clear statement that the Lord has been given the authority to judge the living and the dead on the eschaton (the last day).
The Lord makes reference to Isaiah 54:13 (“They shall all be taught by God.”), interpreting the passage as it relates to him as the “teacher” sent by God. He next launches into the answer to the earlier request: "Sir, give us this bread always" (John 6:34) saying: “I am the bread of life.” He follows this reiteration of his identity by recalling God’s salvation of the Hebrew people, who were fleeing Egypt and starving in the desert, but were rescued by God’s gift of manna (Exodus 16:1ff). Then, going further, he tells the crowd that they must eat (John uses the graphic word gnaw) the bread of life to have eternal life, and that the bread he gives them is his life for the salvation of all mankind.
CCC: Jn 6 1338; Jn 6 1338; Jn 6:44 259, 591, 1001, 1428; Jn 6:46 151; Jn 6:51 728, 1355, 1406, 2837
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Homily:
We are invited by scripture to consider how our faith is spread and how we might participate. The topic is presented in the face of the Eucharistic discourse unfolding in St. John’s Gospel which is so central to our spirituality. The gift of the Bread of Life gives us spiritual strength and purpose, all framed within the context of our daily lives.
Look at what is happening in the Acts of Apostles. Saul is attacking the Christian community in Jerusalem, and we were told previously that it was the Hellenistic Christians that were most affected. Philip is the first of the Apostles to leave Jerusalem, taking the word to Samaria. In the story today about the Ethiopian eunuch, he is again inspired by an angel to take the word of God farther.
We note he does not plan to go out and evangelize. He is just going on his way and suddenly feels the Lord’s message to catch up with the eunuch. They begin to talk, as travelers sometimes do, about things of faith (actually Philip sees he is studying Isaiah and jumps in). We can see where this leads. The eunuch is baptized in Christ. And while his story is not recorded in scripture, we must assume, based upon the fervor of his faith, that he took the Gospel to his destination and the word spread.
Poor Saul, he thought that by persecuting the Christians he could stop the spread of the word. It is like trying to contain water. It flows where ever there is a course for it to follow and it evaporates, falling as rain. When it is used to baptize it seems to multiply.
But back to St. Philip’s example, we note that he did not consciously seek out the eunuch. Rather he was prepared to offer him the Word of God when the opportunity presented itself. He was not intrusive or obnoxious about it; he offered. More importantly he was competent to take up the role of teacher/evangelist. He had formed himself through his long journey with the Lord before Jesus died, and was full of a lively faith.
This is St. Philip’s gift to us. He shows us that we must form ourselves first, so that we are ready when the opportunity to share our faith with others presents itself. That does not mean we all have to be scholars of the faith. It does mean we should spend time forming ourselves in prayer, in scripture, and spending time among our brothers and sisters in the faith, learning from them. The more we know, the more we can share. Of course we strengthen ourselves with the Bread of Life and the grace we receive in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Philip also showed us that we do not have to beat people up to make them accept Christ. We engage them where they are on their own journey of faith. We travel with them for a while, sharing what we have, and listening to understand what we can share that may help them. Indeed, Philip has much to teach us.
Today we again marvel at how God works in the lives of his children. We pray that, like St. Philip, we might bring God’s gift to others and by doing so participate in our call.
Pax
[1] The picture used is “Philip Baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch” by Maerten Jacobz. van Heemskerck, c. 1545.
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