In this part of the Easter season, we hear in our readings from the Acts of the Apostles a lot about the city of Antioch. Yesterday, we heard that it was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. And so Antioch was a place where the identity of the early Church was developed—a place where we came to understand who we were and our mission in the world.
Antioch was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the ancient world, serving as a melting pot of cultures, religions, and ethnicities. This diversity provided an ideal setting for the spread of the Christian faith, as it allowed for the dissemination of the gospel message to people from various backgrounds. It was the first city where the gospel was really preached to the Gentiles on a large scale.
And so Antioch become home to one of the most vibrant Christian communities outside of Jerusalem. Antioch was a center for Christian activity and growth, with believers gathering for worship, fellowship, charitable work, and the sharing of resources. As we heard in the reading today, there were Christians in Antioch with spiritual gifts like prophecy and teaching, so it was a place where spiritual gifts were discerned and developed. The Christians of Antioch practiced fasting and attentiveness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It was in this atmosphere of vibrant faith in Antioch that the Holy Spirit formed Paul and his companions as missionaries and sent them out into the world. So Antioch, served as a spiritual and strategic hub for early Christian missionary efforts.
Every parish is called to be a little Antioch, no? For a parish is a place where Christians are to gather together, to understand themselves and their mission, to teach and be taught, to be inspired and challenged by words of prophecy, to fast and pray, and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to be formed for going out into the world. Every parish is a spiritual home, but also a strategic and spiritual hub for our evangelizing mission.
Yesterday, I went to the doctors for my annual check-up and the waiting room reminded me of Antioch. It was extremely culturally diverse: there were jews, muslims, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Russians, and ukranians. And like Antioch of old, the cultural diversity of a place is not simply a challenge or obstacle, but an opportunity for the Gospel to spread out like electrical currents in a body of water, when we are faithful to our mission.
May the liturgical, catechetical, aesthetical, and charitable life of our parish help us to be attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in sharing the Gospel in this diverse neighborhood, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
That the Church will deepen in her devotion to the Eucharistic sacrifice which is the source and summit of our Christian life, and that during this time of intentional Eucharistic Revival, our faith may be deepened, grace may increase, and our mission may be furthered.
That the outpouring of charity in Christ’s Eucharistic Self-Sacrifice will become manifest in all marriages, in all business relations, in all daily encounters, in our concern for the downtrodden and care for the most vulnerable, among friends, strangers, and enemies.
For those who suffer from physical or mental illness, addiction or grief; and for the consolation of all the afflicted.
That the Eucharist will be for priests the source of their joy and their deeper configuration to Jesus Christ.
For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.
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