And They Were Silenced

The first few chapters of Acts witness the geographical expansion of the Gospel, as the Holy Spirit led outward from Jerusalem and to the surrounding regions. But Luke has been equally diligent in pointing out specific details of events, giving personal testimonies of people who were overjoyed when they came to faith.

At the end of chapter 8, we saw the conversion of the Samaritan magician Simon. In chapter 9 the Ethiopian Eunuch believes, and in Chapter 10, Cornelius the Roman centurion and his entire household come to faith. In addition to teaching us geography, Luke has helped us understand the demographical impact of the good news of Jesus.

In Acts 11:1-18, Luke gives us insight into the struggle between Jewish and Gentile Christians, as they seek to make sense of the new spiritual unity they have in Christ. Jewish Christians - who believed in the risen Jesus, who received the Holy Spirit and were baptized - criticized the Apostle Peter for entering the home of the Gentile Cornelius, and sharing a meal with him there (11:3).

The problem was that Peter as a Jew should know better than to eat a meal in the home of a Gentile. In the ancient symbolism of table-fellowship, “to eat with someone is to share spiritually with them as well”1, and therefore, by implication, to eat with a Gentile was not only unclean and a rejection of holiness, it was downright idolatrous.

The practical questions of how to work out the common faith now became relevant. Can Jewish and Gentile Christians eat together? Are all of God’s people equal in status?

The question of food and holiness may seem absurd to us because it’s quite common to think of food as either fuel for the body: food's just something we need in order to survive; or, it’s something to consume: we eat because it gives us pleasure, and that’s about it. But something powerful happens when we eat together. There is great spiritual value in sharing a meal: communion with our neighbour and with God ‘happens’, when we eat together.

So, what does Peter make of this? How does he defend himself. Well, he does what most of us love doing, and some of us do it often! He blames someone else, he blames God. And to his credit, that is the right thing to do, because God was behind the event, he orchestrated it. Peter’s visit with Cornelius was not the result of his own calculation; it was a response to God’s “divine initiative.”2

The sequence of events is quite telling: God first spoke to the pious Cornelius in a vision: send some men to look for Peter, he is told (10:5); Cornelius obeys, and sends for Peter (10:8). Meanwhile, Peter also has a vision (10:11-16), and as he ponders his vision (10:19), Cornelius’ men arrive, and then Peter gets it, he understands the vision.

He goes along with them, and then, in a wonderful narrative at the end of chapter 10, Peter enters Cornelius’ home, he proclaims the risen Jesus to him, the Holy Spirit comes upon Cornelius and his household, and he is baptized. And as the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius, Peter remembers Jesus’ words: “John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (11:16). It’s a wonderful account of a household coming to faith.

And that’s why upon being criticized, Peter says bluntly: “...who was I that I could withstand God?” (11:15b) Another version says “was I powerful enough to prevent God?”3 Peter realized that God was doing something extraordinary, and after catching on, he no longer remained fixated “at the stage of table-fellowship.”4 He began to think in terms of God’s gift of salvation.

The outpouring of the Spirit upon Cornelius showed that God’s gift of salvation was available to all. “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” (11:17)

God is not partial like we are; he cares much less about appearances than we do. “He accepts the righteous from every nation.”5 Peter’s actions were purely in response to God’s divine initiative. God acts in the world, and we spend our time catching up to him.

And how did those who criticized Peter respond? In the same way that I hope we respond: “when they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life” (11:18).

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 197.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 200.

3- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 196.

4- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 201.

5- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 201.

Cloud 9

Tonight Jennifer and I went to the Cloud 9 revolving restaurant on Robson Street. Here are a few of the pictures I took.

Over the past week or so, we've had spectacular sunsets here in Vancouver: the sky's graced us with various shades of reds, oranges, and yellow, flooding our senses with beauty, and our soul with awe and reverence.




































































The view from Cloud 9 is breathaking. However, the other revolving restaurant in the city, the Harbour Centre, has better food, and the facilities seem either newer or better taken care of.

Catching Up With God

I’ve entitled this homily on Acts 8:4-17 “Catching up with God.” But this is not about how we can more effectively ‘catch up’ with God in prayer, or how we can get closer to God in our devotional lives. Important as those topics are, our reading does not address them.

The reason for the title is that this is what we do in the church: we do our best to “catch up to God’s action in the world.”1 We plot, we plan, we scheme about which way to go, this way or that way, only to find out in the end that God is taking us into a completely different direction. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not God’s ways (Isaiah 55:8), and this is especially so when we consider how God deals with evil.

Joseph’s brothers had evil intentions when they sold him into slavery. But God “meant it for good”, so that “many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20).

That was the case with Jesus too. His executors hung him on a cross, but God raised him and put “all things under his feet” (Ephesians 1:22).

And Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, he boldly proclaimed the risen Jesus (Acts 7). The result: he became the first martyr for the name of Jesus, and a massive persecution broke out against Christians, scattering them “throughout the region” (8:1).

What good could possibly come of this, the Apostles and the early Christians surely asked themselves. The answer comes to us in this reading, as the gospel expands beyond Jerusalem, and to Samaria (1:8).

Philip was one of the Christians affected by the persecution; he went to Samaria. Like Stephen, he was chosen to serve tables, and like Stephen, he also proclaimed..the [risen] Christ (8:6). And the people paid close attention to him: they listened to him and observed the miracles; and when he spoke, “unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed” (8:7). Even Simon, a magician, believed upon hearing Philip speak “about the news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (8:12).

This was a man who’d previously enchanted crowds with his own magic tricks; some even called him the mighty power of God (8:11). But he believed and got baptized, along with many other men and women (8:13). And afterwards, he followed Philip around, amazed at the signs and miracles he witnessed (8:13).

The point is this: because of the persecution, Christians spread throughout the region, and wherever they went, they proclaimed the risen Jesus. The persecutors meant it for evil: they wanted to stamp out the church. But God used it for good, for the expansion of his kingdom. And the word of God brought great joy to the city (8:8).

The author Luke, seems to describe the kingdom of God in geographical terms here. As the gospel moves outward, “territory is literally being wrested from the power of demons and brought under God’s rule.”2 Stephen’s martyrdom opened the door for the expansion of the gospel to Samaria.

A quick sidenote here: note the unity of the church, during this time of persecution. Once the disciples in Jerusalem found out that “Samaria had received the word of God” (8:14), Peter and John race to support Philip. They lay hands on the newly baptized, ensuring continuity of the faith, authenticating and validating the work going on in Samaria.

Jews and Samaritans were not allies; in fact, the opposite is true: they did not like each other. And yet, the church shows a different way of being neighbour: in times of crisis, the church in Jerusalem reaches out to the fledgling church in Samaria. When the church is under pressure, that’s the time of great testimony.

We too live in turbulent times. We are navigating the deep waters of scientism, and our children are drinking from the poisoned wells of secularism. We are tempted to take matters into our own hands. But thankfully, that is not what God asks us to do.

What he does ask is that we trust him to bring history to its rightful end, where Jesus returns, renews all things, and places them back into the hands of the Father (I Corinthians 15:23). What he does ask is that we follow him, trusting in his faithfulness and goodness. What he does ask, is that we catch up to his action in the world. A tremendous task this is. A tremendous privilege this is.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 151.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 151.

Jericho Beach With Jennifer

Today I went to the 10am church service. I ran into David Robinson there and had an interesting conversation with him about vocation. He's been working in Ottawa for the past year, a year full of growth and challenges for him. When I told him I'm thinking of going to Egypt, he got really excited and said he could totally see me doing something like that.

In the afternoon, around 3pm, I went to Jericho Beach with Jennifer. We spent 3.5 hours sitting in the sand, enjoying the sunshine. The temperature must've been about 28C or so. We also went for a dip in the ocean.

By around 7ish Jennifer and I were starved for food, so we got our stuff together and walked to 4th Ave where we took the bus. A little while later we landed at the Banana Leaf restaurant, on West Broadway. I've been there a number of times for either lunch and dinner, and not once have I been disappointed. They do Malaysian food just right.

Another Chapter Comes To An End

Today Ted and family left Canada, headed back for Paraguay. A sad day it was.

Whenever family leaves, one always feels like one didn't put in enough time and effort to be with them while they were here. That's at least how I usually feel, and today was no exception.

I only worked an afternoon shift today, and so I wasn't too tired to go to the airport and say my farewells. I came just in time to witness the chaos that always seems to creep up at the airport when family members scramble to pack and re-pack all their suitcases in order to get all the weight balances just right and avoid overweight luggage charges. Everyone seems so stressed by it, but I can't help but find the humour in it: it's not like we didn't know the airline had limits to luggage weight, and yet when we're in front of the ticket agent, we do so very well in blaming them for our packing miseries....

Regardless, after all that was done, we went to the food fair and spent one last hour together. I got myself a caramel macchiatto from Starbucks, Ted and Karin got themselves some Greek food, the kids had dinner at Burger King, and mom and dad, well, they'd just finished drinking mate and didn't need anything more.

Finally, at around 10:15pm, it was time to say good-bye. Another chapter comes to an end. I hope they don't stay there too long. I will miss them.

Full Of The Holy Spirit

In the first few chapters of Acts Jesus’ promise that the Apostles “would receive power” when the Holy Spirit comes upon them was fulfilled (1:8). The Holy Spirit descended on them and empowered them towards great and mighty acts of prophecy (5:9) and healing (3:6, 5:16); and he empowered the Apostles to preach boldly repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins (2:38).

Following Pentecost the church grew in numbers, so much so that by chapter 6, the good news of Jesus and the kingdom of God begins to spill over the borders of Israel, and onto foreign lands. And this is the general direction of the book of Acts: the message of salvation in Jesus Christ extends beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and “to the end of the earth” (1.8); and this extension, this going forth, is Spirit-led, it is not a human endeavour. If it was, it would’ve failed a long time ago. The Church would have disappeared years ago. We are here today because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

The centrality of the Holy Spirit in the church is clear when we take a closer look at the reading: (Acts 6): Greek-speaking Jews were left out in the “daily distribution”, a soup kitchen for widows, or something along those lines.1 Hebrew-speaking widows were served, but others somehow fell between the cracks and were neglected.

The Apostles realize that this is a problem, and so to resolve it they look for someone who is full of the Holy Spirit. Verse 3: “Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty” (6:3); and verse 5: ...they chose Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit...” (6:5). To be a disciple is to be full of the Holy Spirit (6:3, 5, 10).

This has two implications that I can think of on the life of the church. One, spiritual growth depends not on our talents or traits, but on our willingness to allow the Spirit of God move in and through us. It’s about character, not abilities. It seems to me that this goes against conventional wisdom, where practicality and utility are most important. The main question the Apostles essentially asked was “Is he filled with the Holy Spirit?”

And the second implication relates to our involvement in ministries. We tend to ‘specialize’ or ‘compartmentalize’ ministries: only those who have the ‘gift’ to serve the poor or the lonely, do it; for that matter, only those who have the charism of teaching, preach the gospel. It seems to me that Scripture moves us into a different direction, where serving the needy, and preaching the gospel is a task for each of us, to the extent possible in our vocations. To be Christian, is to pray, preach, serve, and worship God in all spheres of life.

And if the Holy Spirit guides us in ordinary circumstances, how much more does he lead us in extraordinary times, like Stephen’s situation at the end of the chapter. His position is strikingly similar to the one Jesus found himself in on the way to the cross:

The open confrontation, the spies, the agitation of the crowd, the arrest, the delivery to the council, the false accusations, the charge of blasphemy, and the rest of the story, all the way to his execution, these all point to a Spirit-led “imitation of Christ”2, modeled on Christ’s passion.3

And like Jesus, Stephen’s wisdom was impossible to refute (6:10). Jesus’ promise to send us his Holy Spirit in times of trial (Luke 12:12), who gives wisdom that no adversary can withstand (Luke 21:15), rings true here. Indeed, Stephen’s “face was like the face of an angel” (6:15). So full of wisdom, faith, grace, and power - so full of the Spirit - is Stephen, that the glory of God shines from his face.4

It’s difficult for us to identify with Stephen: we live in times of peace, thanks be to God. However, there’s no place for complacency in our spiritual journey. We must press on. And God gives us the power to do so: the Holy Spirit who empowers the church to stretch beyond her borders and proclaim the risen Jesus, is the same Holy Spirit who makes present to us personally the resurrected Jesus.5 May we open ourselves day-in, day-out, to this gift, the Holy Spirit, so that we can continue in the work of the church: praying, preaching, serving, and worshiping God in all that we do.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 106.

2- Jaroslav Pelican. Acts. Brazos Theological Commentary of the Bible. (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2005), 107.

3- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 112-113.

4- http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=5&source=1&seq=i.51.6.3

5- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 41.

Photography Course

Tonight was the first week of a 5-week photography course at UBC, sponsored by the AMS. Our instructor seems to be quite knowledgeable, his website can be found here. Aside from the introductory and organizational topics usually held on the first day of class, today we also covered focus point selection, auto-focus lock, manual exposure mode, exposure compensation, and auto-exposure locks. Quite a bit to cover in 2 hours!

It'll be nice, as I'm not taking the course alone. Jennifer's also in it, as is Vero, Ervin, and Lucia from the soccerinos, and Joseph and Jun from work.

After the course, Jennifer and I went out for dinner at the Eatery with Marty and Ruth. For dessert, they invited us to their place for some cheesecake. They live in that big ugly green building on the south side of the Burrard street bridge, but they sure have a great view from their apartment!