During this Easter season we have been listening to the first experiences of the disciples with the risen Christ. The Easter season is a time of renewal of our own personal connection to the risen Christ in own lives – day after day. Lives transformed by the presence of the risen Christ through common, ordinary human events and experiences. Today we see in the first reading from Acts, how those first disciples who had that personal, daily experience of the risen Christ went out to share their faith and experience – Evangelize.
Philip was so transformed by this experience of the Christ in his life that he was open to the prompting and guidance of the Spirit. He starts an unplanned journey through the desert from Jerusalem to Gaza. Now Philip does not really know why he is making this journey. But he does accept that the Spirit is leading him. Along the way he comes across a court official from Ethiopia who is Jewish and has a basic knowledge of the Word of God but does not know how to interpret it. Philip, in a simple and personal way without being intrusive or obnoxious, shares his faith and experience with the official using the Word of God as a basic starting point. This leads to the official being baptized.
Whenever I plan a journey, I think that I am the center and reason for the journey. I have it well planned out. I purchase my tickets in advance. I know where I am going and why I am going. I have my visa, my passport and credit card at hand. My vaccinations are all updated. I get my car tuned-up and gassed-up. I have alternate routes planned. I am the center of my journey along the way.
I think most of us live out our journey in life in a similar way. Today we see that Philip knew he was not the center of his own life. He was open to the Spirit, relaying on God’s guidance and providence, and above all willing to share and announce his faith with others. That is evangelization.