Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Acts 16:1-10 

Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.

They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

Reflections

The 1st reading over the past few days have all centered around whether Gentiles need to undergo circumcision to join the Church. We know that St Paul’s position was very clear: repentant Gentiles can be saved without following the Mosaic Laws. When Paul met Timothy, he was in the process of proclaiming the decision of the Council of Jerusalem. He was deeply impressed by Timothy and wanted him to join his missionary work.

We might ask, why did Paul have Timothy circumcised? Isn't that contradictory to Paul's consistent stance? In fact, it was all for the sake of facilitating the work of the Gospel. This is related to Timothy’s background. His father was a Greek, and his mother was a Jew; according to Jewish law, he was considered a Jew. However, he did not grow up in a Jewish environment; instead, he grew up in Lystra, a city rich in pagan culture. Although Paul clearly opposed making circumcision a requirement for Gentiles to receive salvation, having Timothy circumcised did not contradict his faith or the decision of the Council of Jerusalem.

Paul did this because Timothy, as the son of a Jewish mother, did not want his uncircumcised status to hinder their work among the Jews and in the synagogues. Therefore, for the sake of the gospel and to help the Jews accept Timothy’s identity, that’s why Paul had him circumcised. In Paul’s letters, he refers to Timothy as his spiritual son. Circumcision was typically performed by a father for his son, so Paul performing the circumcision for Timothy also symbolically indicated his acceptance of Timothy as his spiritual son.

This serves as a guide for us on how to discern God’s will. We believe that Paul discerned this matter and listened to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Just as he opposed having Titus circumcised, because doing so would have led to uncontrollable consequences. If he had allowed Titus—a young Greek and a Gentile—to be circumcised, it would have been a concession to legalism, turning circumcision into a doctrine of the Christian faith. But Timothy’s situation was different—because of his mother, he was considered a Jew. If there were uncircumcised Jews with Paul, it would make preaching to the Jews more difficult. Paul didn’t want to stir up controversy over something non-essential, so he followed the Old Testament custom and had Timothy circumcised. For Timothy, he was also willing to go the extra mile to facilitate the spread of the Gospel and gain the acceptance of the Jews.

Practice

Many of our plans often do not unfold as we expect, and sometimes they fail due to our weaknesses or various other reasons. However, God’s grace is not bound by human weakness; He can even accomplish His greater plans through our failures. In our own lives, we may face moments of uncertainty or challenges. It is essential to remain open to the Spirit’s guidance. When we seek God’s will in everything, the Holy Spirit will guide us on the right path and lead us away from error. Just as Paul was faithful in seeking God’s will, we too are called to discern God’s plan in our own journeys.

Today’s Bible verses

“The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)