23 May 2020
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
“[Apollo] began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.” (Acts 18:26)
Boldness isn’t everything. Boldness without humility works contrary to the Gospel. Paul was out of town, and a recent convert by the name of Apollo was speaking with charisma and conviction and good intentions. But he needed someone to offer him a little correction so that he might speak “more accurately”. Since the apostle was not there to correct him, who would?
In addition to homilies at Mass, parishes host a lot of speakers and are the place of many beautiful conversations amongst parishioners about their day to day lives and their spiritual lives. For the past couple months, much of that ministry, those talks and conversations have had to take place on line. We have probably encountered a speaker or a friend who has been speaking with boldness, but perhaps not with accuracy. There’s not a priest or theologian on hand to whom we may refer the person. What can we learn from Aquila and Priscilla about responding as a Christian to fellow Christians? First, they hear Apollo out. They neither prejudge nor interrupt him, but let him say what he has to say. Next, they speak to him in private. Rather than having a big audience for their correction of Apollo (which would be a boost only to their own pride), instead, as a friend should, Aquila and Priscilla talk to Apollo one-on-one about what they heard. Lastly, they remained focused on God. The correction was not really about Apollo (nor about Aquila and Priscilla). It was about all of them coming to know and follow God more closely. What was the result? Apollo goes off and bears good fruit in Achaia: “After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace.” (Acts 18:27)
God calls each and every one of us to holiness. In His Ascension, Christ taken from our sight gives each of us manifestations of His presence which is not limited to one place, but is with us wherever we are. We have seen God at work in the early Christians and their neighbors (outdoors, in jail, in the public arena, at work, in the midst of misunderstandings, and in the church) As we continue to contemplate the mystery of Christ ascending and sending the Holy Spirit, let us pray with the psalmist: “For God is king over all the earth; sing hymns of praise!” (Ps 47:8) Let us ask for the grace to honor our divine king in every place, and in all our relationships to sing Christ’s praise.