Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” So they were sent off and went down to Antioch. When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Responding to Jesus’ Call
We are all called. Some of us are called first; like Paul and Barnabas. Some of us are called later; like Barsabbas and Silas. Some of us hear the call the first time; some of us may have to hear the call multiple times. Our response may be spoken or lived out through the actions and relationships of our lives. But we are all called.
In these days after Easter, Jesus appears to his closest friends. Soon, with the coming of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles at Pentecost, the age of Christ’s Church is about to begin – and it continues with us. We must always remember, however, who comes first – it is the One who does the calling. The One whose Spirit led Paul and Barnabas, Barsabbas and Silas, and us – to live out our faith. “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” These words, which are contained in the beginning of the letter which the Apostles wrote to the Christians “of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia”, have lost nothing of their timeliness. We simply respond, then and now, with the faith that delights with exhortation.
—Jim Bozik is a permanent deacon at St. Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC, the Jesuit parish in the Diocese of Charlotte.
I still believe
My story's not over
I'm making my way
Just not like I planned
I still see the sunrise
I still see the rainfall
I know who I am
And I know where I stand
Alone with my faith
What I know is true
What gives me assurance
When I don't know what to do
I don't have all the answers
But I have always known
I'm eternally faithful
So I am never alone
—Lyrics from “Alone With My Faith”, © 2021 by Harry Connick Jr.
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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