Today, as you read through another portion of the Acts of the Apostles, what should be evident is this: true evolution is happening on several levels. I know you are wondering what the picture above has to do with the Acts reading. Be patient. You will find in later in this posting.
We are witnessing the formation of the early Church in the first reading. We are seeing and hearing experiences that lead us beyond the sensory realities to an awareness of the soul. Even as you read these words of this blogger, you are delving into his soul as he invites you to experience the movements caused by his encounter with a woman named Lydia. She is a merchant of St. Paul's time. Purple dye is her trade. But what is unique about Lydia is that she has a heart that is open to various human experiences. She hears Paul teaching about Jesus and his welcoming Gentiles. She listens intentively. Her soul has been stirred by what she hears. After mulling over Paul's messages, she sought baptism for herself. Obviously she was so moved by the message, her soul was moved to action: she encouraged her household to follow her journey into the faith that Paul was teaching. She had become a true disciple: she brings others to Jesus Christ. She gave witness to Jesus and what he had taught during his lifetime. She had heard beyond the words of the apostle. Her soul had drawn her to an invisible realm where she experienced the deepest of values.
It was Lydia's personality which brought an evolution in her life to seek and know the story and message of the preacher from Nazareth. In this personal evolution she allowed her personality to be active in the direction of her life. In this experience she encounters an authentic empowerment because she responds to the energy of her soul.
Now to the picture above: today's feast in the Catholic Church is a first time feast day for one of the newest saints, canonized only within the last several months, October 11, 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. He is a man few would recognize by his given and family names: Joseph de Veuster. But the world knows this priest, one of the four Roman Catholic priests honored by an artistic creation in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. You and most of the world know him as Damien the Leper, St. Damien of Moloka'i, Hawaii. Pictured above is a photo of the leper colony where Damien allowed his soul to direct his life. In the illness, Hansen's Disease, and suffering of the abandoned lepers (dumped into the waters around the island and told to swim ashore if they wished to survive) St Damien saw more than sores, more than rotting flesh. He gave witness to the suffering of Jesus Christ in the tragic lives of the lepers.
So, today we have two individuals whose personalities responded to a movement in their hearts. Naturally, then, the question arises: how intently do I look beyond the surface of the daily experiences in my life to allow my personality to be pulled into alignment with your soul? Are we so busy today that we forgo the opportunity to share authentic empowerment? Let us pray for ourselves and one another that we may, like Lydia and Damien, allow our personalities to lead us to know our soul's guidance each and every day.
The picture was taken from a high point across from the leper colony on the island of Moloka'i by the blogger on a visit to Hawaii two years ago.
