We continue our Easter Season with the Risen Lord, and marvel at the masterpiece he, through the power of the Holy Spirit and to the Glory of the Eternal Father is working through the graces he had given his followers in the early stages of the Church and beyond.
In particular we have been following the journeys of Saint Paul in more detail, but we must not forget, that simultaneously, in various parts of the world, all the other apostles are engaged in fascinating ministry, encountering a wide variety of cultures, and founding communities of believers in Jesus. One thing is for certain, God is putting together something that could only come from him.
Likewise, as far as Saint Paul is concerned, we continue to accompany him on his extraordinary second mission in disseminating the message of the Gospel throughout cities the Holy Spirit has led him through. He is now heading for Athens, after having passed through Thessalonica, to whom he wrote his first two letters, and Beroea, both of which are found in Macedonia.
Paul arrives in Athens, then the cultural centre of the Mediterranean, while Rome remained the political power. He immediately sends word back through his messenger to Silas and Timothy to catch up to him and join him as soon as they are able. We can almost sense how much Paul appreciated their companionship and support throughout such a difficult mission. This is such an important reminder to us about how we should never imagine God is going to send us out on our own, without any help to fulfill what he is asking of each of us as unique individuals. He provides brothers and sisters to work as a unit, as a family, in his vineyard.
Paul is struck by the number of statues and deities the Athenians had crafted through the centuries. He also saw in this that humanity in general tended towards the divine, and so to him this was already an opening through which he could elaborate and get to the truth of who God actually is, as he had revealed himself to the world, in the Old Testament, but now, especially through Jesus. The philosophers of the city find his teaching strange. They ask, “What is this scavenger trying to say?” (Acts 17:18). Although he tried to speak their philosophical language, a lot of what he was saying naturally sounded foreign to them. This person Paul kept making reference to, “Jesus” would have been to them, similar to some enlightened master of theirs, only, belonging to a completely different people and nation. In a word, they were still willing to give Paul a hearing and so they invite him to speak at the Areopagus with his “outlandish” message. The Areopagus was were the Athenian supreme council which held important philosophical and national debate there, would meet in sessions. Paul was basically invited to one of these.
Luke makes this observation: “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new” Acts 17:21.
This propensity for learning that made the Greeks so outstanding in their philosophy and literature, was now a golden opportunity and doorway in Paul’s mind, to be able to present them with the truth which alone could set them free. His address to the Council, which seems to have been the authority of the city, forms the main part of today’s first reading.
He chooses to speak about the ability to know God, and how every nation was endowed with this capacity so that the idolatry he witnessed in Athens was no excuse, according to him.
Pagans were frowned upon because their ignorance was viewed as culpable seeing that from the natural order alone one is able to deduce the oneness and the absolute character of the Omnipotent. In fact later, in his letter to the Romans he would clearly state, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” 1:20. We can’t reflect on every single aspect of Paul’s address here, but suffice it to say that he speaks of idolatry and the uselessness of placing hope in prayers to wooden and metal trinkets and sculptures.
In Athens however, Paul decides to be more diplomatic in his tone… more “politically correct” if you will, and so he hones in on one particular statue he encountered while strolling through their gardens and walkways, rather than speaking to them about Christ, and turning their attention to who he was, and how he suffered for our sins and quite simply, what he taught. Paul thought he would lay down a bit of groundwork without recognizing that they were giving him a set period of time to speak and make his case. We have to credit him though because he was trying to slowly build a solid case.
Nevertheless, his omitting any mention of Jesus, his teachings, or his passion and death, resulted in a disinterested audience at the end of the day. We can almost imagine them yawning! Perhaps this should have been a sign to Paul to get to the heart of the matter, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Nevertheless, we ought to reflect on what it is we choose to share with people when God places us in interactions and situations while gauging all the other circumstances that may be present, one of which is time. It’s one thing to momentarily chat with a complete stranger with whom we merely cross paths, and might never see again, and quite the other to gradually help a family member or some colleague at work see the light through continuous interactions which could span years of our lives.
But, did you all notice what else is missing before Paul’s address? There is no invoking God in prayer. That’s not to say that he didn’t. It’s just subtly not mentioned in the text. This time, no explicit reliance on God’s wisdom, no submission to what the Spirit may be calling for which is very much to be contrasted with the moments of prayer Paul and his companions sought out in Philippi, which led to amazing and fruit-bearing miracles with Lidia, and the Jailer and their families.
Here in Athens, there was something in particular that created an adverse reaction in his hearers, and that was the mention of the resurrection. In the Greek world, even among Christians, the doctrine of the resurrection was strongly resisted – as we see in the First Letter to the Corinthians (15:12). Corinth will be his next stop after Athens. After hearing this, some of them mocked the idea and laughed at him. Yet, God did not close the door on Paul’s efforts, for some of them said they would give him another hearing at some other point in time. See? Whenever we put ourselves out there for God, even if we mess up, it is always honoured in some way by the Creator. Any of our efforts are precious to God.
Basically then, yes, Paul’s mission to the Athenians was a dismal failure and he realises where he went wrong. So, he writes later on to the Christians of Corinth:
“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.
Like I said above, from Athens, Paul continued south to Corinth, rebuilt by no less than Julius Caesar himself, and became the capital of the Roman province of Achaia in southern Greece.
We see in Paul one of the audacious inaugurators of the new world Jesus was creating. Like all the other apostles, it would take him time to understand everything that God was slowly implementing. In the Gospel Jesus continues to speak about the giving of the Spirit to his followers so as to attain the goal and purpose for which they were called, because there were many things he had to reveal to them slowly and gradually. He says to them:
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
It will take them time to absorb everything Jesus has already taught them and spoken to them about, but it will also take divine assistance to understand how to animate the new body of believers that they will
be gathering in many places all over the world, as we see in Paul and his missionary journeys. Brothers and sisters, we too are a part of this great journey, not because we are better than others, but because we have been loved. We too have been called to evangelize because there is something of infinite worth that has been planted deep inside each our hearts. There is a mystery living within each of us who are trying to obey Jesus’ words and guidance.. and that mystery is none other than Holy Trinity itself, dwelling within us. May you let the light of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that dwells within you shine forth and be a light unto your path and a witness to the nations. Amen.
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