On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us. (Acts 16:11-15)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051523.cfm
The story of Lydia, the first believer in Europe, comes from one of the “We-sections” in the Acts of the Apostles. It reads like a diary. How important is the role of women believers in the early church! Today’s picture is from the outdoor chapel on the river near Philippi where Lydia was baptized.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Monday, Week VI, Easter
