7 May 2018
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
A few years ago, I attended an Easter Vigil Mass in a college campus chapel. Before the Mass began, I greeted a young woman who was about to be baptized and asked her how she felt before her baptism. She said she was very excited. Initially, I thought she was being nice to me with her answer. After the Vigil Mass, I stayed for the reception and could see her excitement; indeed she was genuinely excited for being a new member of the Catholic Church.
In the scripture today, we hear the story of a woman named Lydia. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered Paul and his companions an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home.” Luke also describes in Acts on how she listened to Paul and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. Clearly, Lydia was excited about her baptism and being a new member of the Church.
Can we rejoice and be excited to be a member of Church, despite the fact that we have been a member for many years? When things get difficult in life, perhaps it is good to learn from the excitement and enthusiasm of a new Christian. When feeling isolated, alone, rejected, or humiliated, perhaps we can ask God to give us the grace of excitement and joy in being a Christian.