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From: Acts 16:11-15

They Go Over Into Macedonia

[11] Setting sail therefore from Troas we made a direct voyage to Samothrace,
and the following day to Neapolis, [12] and from there to Philippi, which is the
leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony.

The Conversion of Lydia

We remained in this city some days; [13] and on the Sabbath day we went out-
side the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer;
and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. [14] One who
heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple
goods, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to
what was said by Paul. [15] And when she was baptized, with her household,
she besought us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come
to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

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Commentary:

12. Philippi was a prosperous city, founded by the father of Alexander the Great
(in the 4th century B.C.). Nearby, in 42 B.C., there took place the battle in which
those who assassinated Julius Caesar were defeated. Octavius raised Philippi to
the status of a “colonia” and endowed it with many privileges.

Very few Jews lived in the city, as can be seen from the fact that it had no syna-
gogue (for there to be a synagogue there had to be at least ten Jewish men living
in a place). The text refers only to a group of women who met on the riverside to
pray — a location probably chosen for the purpose of ritual purification.

14. Lydia was probably a surname taken from the region this woman came from.
She was not a Jew by birth but a “God-fearer” (cf. note on Acts 2:5-11). God
chose her from this group of women to enlighten her with the light of faith, ope-
ning her heart to understand the words of the Apostle. Origen explains that “God
opens our mouth, our ears and our eyes to make us say, hear and see divine
things” (”In Ex. Hom.”, III, 2). This shows that we can and ought to address God
using the words of the Church’s liturgy: “Open my lips, Lord, to bless your holy
name; clean my heart from all evil thoughts; enlighten my understanding and in-
flame my will... so that I merit to be admitted to Your presence” (”Liturgy of the
Hours”, Introductory Prayer).

When Christians address God, they ask Him for the grace to pray well—not only
at times of prayer but also in the course of everyday activities: “Lord, be the
beginning and end of all that we do and say. Prompt our actions with Your grace,
and complete them with Your all-powerful help” (”ibid.”, Morning Prayer, Monday,
First Week).

This episode shows faith to be a gift from God, stemming from His goodness and
wisdom: for “no one can give his assent to the Gospel message in a truly salvific
way except it be by the light and inspiration of the Holy Spirit: He it is who gives
to all the power necessary for affirming and believing the truth” (Vatican I, “Dei
Filius”, Chapter 3).

15. St. Luke’s succinct account shows that Lydia’s good dispositions allow St.
Paul’s preaching to bear fruit very quickly. Her whole family receives Baptism and
she insists on the Apostles’ staying in her house. “Look at her wisdom, how full
of humility her words are: ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord.’ Nothing
could be more persuasive. Who would not have been softened by these words.
She did not simply request or entreat: she left them free to decide and yet by her
insistence obliged them to stay at her house. See how she straightaway bears
fruit and accounts her calling a great gain” (St. John Chrysostom, “Hom. on
Acts”, 35).

It is worth reflecting on the fact that Christianity began in Europe through a house-
wife’s response to God’s calling. Lydia set about her mission to Christianize the
whole world from within, starting with her own family. Commenting on the role of
women in the spread of Christianity, St. Escriva says: “The main thing is that like
Mary, who was a woman, a virgin and a mother, they live with their eyes on God
repeating her words ‘fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum’ (Luke 1:38) ‘let it be done
to me according to your word’. On these words depends the faithfulness to one’s
personal vocation — which is always unique and non-transferable — which will
make us all cooperators in the work of salvation which God carries out in us and
in the entire world” (”Conversations”, 112).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.