5th Week of Easter : Saturday 24th May 2025

The events in the book of the Acts of the Apostles happened during St Paul’s second Missionary Journey (AD 49-52). During this journey with Silas, St Paul met Timothy in Lystra, and recruited him “as a travelling companion’’ (as he was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium). The three of them visited town after town, and conveyed to the believers the decisions of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, on the FOUR abstentions to be practised by Gentile Christians (Acts 15:28-29). As a result, ‘’the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as daily in numbers’’. Jesus’ words rang true, “if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.”

At one point they were “told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia’’. Furthermore, the Spirit of Jesus’ would not allow them to cross into Bithynia. That they heard and acted discerningly and came to Troas instead of Bithynia, was confirmed with St Paul’s vision, where a man appealed to him and said, “Come across to Macedonia and help us’’. From Troas, all they had to do was to cross the Aegean Sea to reach Macedonia.

How did the three of them discern the voice and the movements of the Spirit? Their discerning of circumstances in the Spirit helped them to connect St Paul’s vision as from God. In our daily lives, how are we discerning the Spirit’s movements?

Lord, grant us a discerning heart to be ever doing Your will in every circumstance.