Blog 8 May: Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

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Please read this passage before reading this homily. 

Today’s gives us a practical guide for explaining our Christian faith.  Paul found many good things to say about the pagans in Athens.  He saw them as very religious and very respectful when they dealt with reverence for God figures.  Then he led them from their reverence for an unknown God to the God who made all things and who raised Jesus from the dead.

Words in Greek, Latin and many other ancient languages had grammatical gender, masculine, feminine and neuter.  The word for resurrection was feminine.  When Paul mentioned the resurrection of Jesus, the Athenians logically thought Paul new deity was Resurrection.

This idea of a new god, called Resurrection, intrigued the Athenians.  They wanted to hear more about this deity.  Not everybody, however, scoffed.  A member of the prestigious Court of the Areopagus and an influential woman are listed as being believers of Paul’s message.

Paul always used this approach.  He never spoke negatively to the crowds.  If he brought up the death of Jesus, it was to call people to repentance.  Compliments win more people over to what a person says than pointing out mistakes.

This agrees with advice St Francis gave when he sent missionaries to foreign lands.  He advised them to live in the land as guests to learn the customs, habits and language of the people.  In this way the missionaries could stir up interest among the people and prepare them to hear the message.

Those who show respect for the lives, feelings and beliefs of others are apt to make friends and breed trust among the people where they live.