Liturgical Year: 8 May 2024 - Wednesday of the 6th week of Eastertide

Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II)

Readings at Mass

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First reading

Acts 17:15,22-18:1

I proclaim the God you already worship without knowing it

Paul’s escort took him as far as Athens and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.

So Paul stood before the whole Council of the Areopagus and made this speech:

‘Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled around admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is in fact the one whom you already worship without knowing it.

‘Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself, Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never need anything; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything – including life and breath – to everyone. From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact, he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said:

“We are all his children.”

‘Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver, or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.

‘God overlooked that sort of thing when men were ignorant, but now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead.’

At this mention of rising from the dead, some of them burst out laughing; others said, ‘We would like to hear you talk about this again.’ After that Paul left them, but some attached themselves to him and became believers, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman called Damaris, and others besides.

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

Commentary

"Revealing the Unknown God: Paul's Encounter in Athens"

Observation of Idolatry: In Acts 17:15,22, Paul is troubled by the prevalence of idolatry in Athens, evident from the numerous altars and statues dedicated to various gods.
Introduction of the Unknown God: Addressing the Athenians, Paul seizes upon their religious curiosity, pointing out an altar dedicated to an "unknown god" (Acts 17:23).
Revelation of True Worship: Paul proclaims that this "unknown god" is the one whom he has come to reveal, the God who created the world and everything in it, the Lord of heaven and earth.
Common Ground: Paul bridges the gap between the Athenians' religious practices and his message by acknowledging their innate desire to worship something greater, albeit unknowingly, and redirecting their devotion toward the one true God.
Call to Repentance: Paul urges the Athenians to turn from their idolatry and embrace the true worship of God, who offers salvation through Jesus Christ. Some respond positively, while others remain skeptical.

Paul skillfully engages with the Athenians' religious culture, using their own beliefs as a starting point to introduce them to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the true object of worship.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 148:1-2,11-14