Looking for a good time in the Roman empire? Go to Corinth. There you will find a bustling city dominated by trade, wealth, and debauchery. Any pleasure you can possibly imagine will be available to you in droves. If you are in Corinth to promote your new mystery cult or increase devotion to a particular god or goddess, you should   probably begin by courting the favor of the most powerful and influential people in the city, the real movers and shakers. You should not, under any circumstances, follow the example of that strange fellow Paul, who works as a tentmaker and debates in the local synagogues, telling his hearers about some man named Jesus who died but is apparently alive again and, so he claims, is Lord of heaven and earth. Whoever heard such a ridiculous story? Many of Paul’s fellow Jews cannot accept it and most of your fellow Greeks write it off as complete nonsense. And yet…there is something different about these Jesus-followers. They are not an impressive lot—there are no great   thinkers or philosophers among them; very few are powerful, wealthy, or influential. Many of them come from the lowest classes of Roman society, and some are even slaves! And yet, despite the immense disparities of wealth, class, and ethnicity, this strange assortment does seem to share something. They talk about themselves as a kind of “family,” and like a family, they share a bond of love. They believe in forgiveness for sins, they abstain from idol worship and immoral behavior, and they support each other’s material needs. Most of all, they welcome anyone who wishes to join their “family,” whether devout Jew or pagan Greek. The strangeness of it astounds you. Who are these people? How on earth can they function? And how is their movement still spreading, even after the death of Paul and the persecutions launched against the Jesus followers? How is this kingdom of heaven still touching the earth, invading it, transforming it? How can you become a part of it? How can it transform you? 

Reference: Kurz, W.S., SJ (2013). Acts of the Apostles. Baker Academic. 

Reflection by parishioner Kathryn Wilmotte