In the first reading for mass today, Saint Paul went on a sightseeing tour of Athens. There was a lot for him to see. He walked around and looked at all their shrines and discovered that they were actually a very religious people. This might be similar to us going on a pilgrimage to Italy, or a sightseeing tour of Rome or the Vatican in our modern times.
Saint Paul closely and thoughtfully examined all of the different forms of art in Athens. It helped him to get to know the Athenians and their history, culture and way of life a lot better. This was an excellent thing for him to do, because he didn’t jump right in and address the people of Athens without attempting to get to know them, and understand them a little better. We would do well to remember this when we encounter people from a different culture as well. In our modern times, if you want to learn more about a particular group of people, you can look at their artwork and learn a lot about them. There have been many different cultures of people that have existed on the earth, that flourished and died out, but their artwork remains to this day and is a living testimony to their way of life.
Saint Paul took note of many details of the artwork he examined, but what stood out in his mind (and heart) the most, was an altar that was inscribed with the words: “To an Unknown God”. Saint Paul understood that all people instinctively seek God. This is true today as well. Every human being is born with a desire to know God. There has even been scientific studies on the human brain to determine if this is physically true or not. Scientists studied the human brain and came to the conclusion that there is a particular place in our brain that we were physically created to seek to know God. We were all born with this universal need for God and this actually fits perfectly with what the catechism teaches us too:
“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” (cc:27) In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being. From one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For “in him we live and move and have our being.” (cc:28)
Even atheists do not become atheists, without seeking to know if God really exists or not. They were born with the desire to know God even if they reject Him, otherwise why would they even consider His existence?
Saint Paul recognized this natural and universal need in today’s first reading when he said that God “fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him”. Saint Paul understood that the reality of God’s existence had somehow gotten lost in the intricate and complicated patterns of thought that the Athenians had, about their origins and their creator. At least one of the Athenians still sensed the truth of the one, true God though, when they built the altar to an unknown God. Out of this huge conglomerate of artwork, Paul pulled out this one, small grain of truth to bring to the Athenians.
We should really pay attention to how Paul approached the Athenians, who were a very sophisticated, intelligent, highly educated and creative people. He respected their intelligence and creativity when he first spoke with them. Respect is the first thing we should keep in mind any time that we need to approach people from a different culture from ours too.
The second thing Paul did was to focus on the beauty of God in his words, of who He is, what He is like, and the beauty of everything in the world that God created. The Athenians were an artistic people and Paul spoke to them in terms they could relate to. The appreciation for the beauty of creation is something common to all people. He used this approach to lead into the explanation that God is not found in their artwork though. God had been lenient with them, but it was time for them to turn from their man made gods, because the time of their judgment was not far off. Paul made them aware of their own mortality, and also the good news of the resurrection of the dead, that Christ offers those who believe in Him.
Saint Paul maneuvered through a very sophisticated, complicated history and way of life the people of Athens lived, in order to “go to where they were at” and relate to them on their level, in terms they could personally relate to. He cut through the clutter of their lives and got to the basics of what was the most important thing in life, namely faith in God and our belief in the life, death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, guided him through this sophisticated maze of philosophical thought.
The Holy Spirit guided Paul in how to approach the very sophisticated Athenians, what to say to them, and in what way to speak to them so that they did not take offense but be more willing to listen to his words. This is why some of the more prominent members of the court were able to hear Paul’s words and accept his message that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God. They became believers because of the manner in which Paul spoke to them, which he could not have done on his own without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth guides our lives too, the same way He did Saint Paul. Jesus said in today’s gospel, “The spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.”
The next time we need to face a very complicated situation in our lives, that seems confusing and complex and the decision we need to make isn’t very clear, we should pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. He can lead us through the difficult and complicated mazes of thought, that we find ourselves in sometimes. We should just trust that the Holy Spirit will lead us safely through the confusion, to the right decision we need to make.
Daily Mass Readings:
Acts 17: 15, 22-18:1 / Psalm 148: 1-2, 11-14 / John 16: 12-15
