14 April 2016
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
From 1983 to 1985, a widespread famine affected the inhabitants of Ethiopia. It was the worst famine to hit the country in a century. Pictures of starving Ethiopian children were on television screens and in newspapers every day. As a young boy, this tragic event drew me to the Bible, especially the scripture passages from the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. For me, the scripture becomes real with the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, that today’s Ethiopia could be traced back to the early days of Christianity. Of course, my young mind could not understand the wisdom of the Bible, but at the time, I felt like I cracked the Biblical code.
While he was at Manresa, St. Ignatius of Loyola reflected on how God taught him like a child at school. Can we humble ourselves and admit that we are just like a child at school in our comprehension of the Church teaching and the wisdom of the Bible? The Ethiopian eunuch is a humble person who admits that he does not understand the scripture that he reads; “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” Then, he let Philip teach him like a child at school. In the Gospel reading, Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…
It is written in the prophets: “They shall all be taught by God…” Here Jesus reminds us that God teaches us through his Son. The question is: would you let God teach you like a child at school?