Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Lectionary: 300

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”



Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles might sound too familiar during our silly season in the United States. The Sadducees and Pharisees have managed to cobble together an uneasy alliance. These parties devoutly despise each other but agree that Saint Paul and his Christian movement are troublesome and should be suppressed.

When Paul shouts “I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.” he pulls at the first available string that will unravel the coalition. There were probably a dozen other issues he might have used. We could as easily imagine a confederacy of Catholics and the Tea Party thrown into disarray by a discussion about capital punishment, civil rights or birth control.

As the story continues we realize it was the Holy Spirit which inspired this mischief in Saint Paul. He is destined to sail to Rome, bringing the good news of the gospel “to the ends of the earth.” (Since all roads lead to Rome, the ends of the earth meet there.)

Saint Paul embodies that Spirit of which Saint John wrote:

The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit

How could a man who traveled the highways and waterways of the Roman Empire so freely spend weeks and months in jail cells

, the brig of ships, and house arrest? Wasn’t he impatient to get out and get moving?

In fact, governed by the Spirit, he had God’s patience and God’s impatience. He knew when to move and when to stay. Even when an earthquake struck the jail, as we heard last week, and the fetters fell off his arms, he did not rush out of confinement. The Spirit of God kept him in place until his jailer rushed into that that stygian darkness with torches to lead him out. Evidently the earthquake was for the jailer’s benefit as well as his.

Will the US with its parties, lobbies, special interest groups, PACs, ethnic and religious groups, entrenched bureaucrats, one percenters and criminals rediscover its direction in our confusing world? Will the Catholic Church, described as “a people adrift,” straighten up and fly right?

Now, more than ever, we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us day by day. Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on through the night.