Daily Readings - Wed May 12 2021
Acts
15The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean."21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:|sc TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill.30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."33At that, Paul left the Council.34A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
1After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
John
12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of revelation and truth. The first reading from Acts describes Paul’s encounter with the people of Athens, a city steeped in idolatry and philosophical inquiry. Paul, moved by the spirit, engages the Athenians in their own cultural and philosophical context, using the altar to the “unknown God” as a bridge to proclaim the one true God. He explains that this God is the creator of all, who does not dwell in temples but is close to every person. While some mock him, others open their hearts to the truth. The Gospel from John, on the other hand, presents Jesus speaking about the Spirit of truth, who will guide the disciples into all truth and reveal the things to come. The Spirit will glorify Jesus by taking what is His and announcing it to the disciples, emphasizing that everything the Father has belongs to Jesus.
These readings, though from different contexts, are deeply connected. In Acts, Paul is revealing the truth of God to a world steeped in idolatry and ignorance, while in John, Jesus is promising the Spirit who will reveal the truth of God to His disciples. Both readings emphasize the universal and eternal nature of God’s truth. Paul’s approach in Athens reminds us that the Gospel must be inculturated, meeting people where they are, while John’s passage underscores the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding us to the fullness of truth. Together, they invite us to seek God in all things and to remain open to the Spirit’s guidance in understanding and living out the truth.
In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to embrace the universal presence of God and to be bold in sharing the truth. Like Paul, we are called to engage our world with sensitivity and courage, using the language and experiences of those around us to proclaim the Gospel. At the same time, we must remain humble and open to the Spirit’s guidance, trusting that He will lead us into all truth. The moral lesson here is clear: God’s truth is not confined to temples or ideologies but is revealed in creation, in culture, and in the depths of the human heart. Let us, therefore, seek God in all things and allow the Spirit to transform us and guide us in our mission to share the truth with a world in need.