Acts 16:11-15

I opened my gmail yesterday and this unknown person, ok at least i don't recall myself knowing this person, sent me an email saying, "Hello Lydia! Today's reading mentions your name. God bless!"

I was like Ok, great... I can't even recall if I actually know you. And I didn't have the time to go read the reading of the day.

And today Thelma told me the same thing! She said, "oh well, it's a short mentioning of you in the book of Acts, but it didn't mentioned where Luke was though." HAHA! ok great! If you guys get the joke. So anywayz, it says:

Lydia's Conversion in Philippi

11From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

I picked up Word Among Us to have a read at it:

Monday, 28th April 2008

In today’s first reading, Paul journeys to Europe, where he meets a businesswoman named Lydia. And what began as a normal day by the river turned into a life-changing spiritual encounter for Lydia and her family. Lydia, a Gentile, was already a worshipper of the God of the Jews, but God had plans for her to know his Son as well. Luke tells us that God opened Lydia’s heart to Paul’s preaching, and she became his first European convert to Christianity (Acts 16:14). From this point on, Lydia’s life would now be characterized by a loving, life-giving relationship with Jesus.

This is the very nature of conversion: God touches our hearts and makes us aware of his love, our sinfulness, and our need for his mercy. Such an awareness moves us to turn toward him so that he can begin a process of teaching and empowering us to embrace his goodness and reject the glamour of evil.

While the story of Lydia in Acts is short, we can be sure that it didn’t end where Luke leaves it. Lydia’s conversion not only prompted her to accept baptism; it also moved her to welcome Paul and his companions into her home. Such an act of generosity shows that “conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures, and works of penance” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1430). It also shows that conversion is not just a one-time event but a lifelong process. It involves continually being open to God and bearing good fruit as we learn to cooperate with his Spirit.

As God continues to help us open our hearts to him, we are transformed bit by bit. The most important changes we experience do not come as a result of big, spectacular events but from the ordinary events of our day. We leave behind the marks of our old life as selfishness gives way to service, wasted time becomes opportunities for prayer, and the approval of God eclipses human praise. So let us keep the door of our hearts wide open to Jesus so we can be remolded into his beautiful image!

Happening!

And it reminded me of the time when I encountered this story from the bible, it was through a good friend of mine. I remember what she said to me. We sat down one day and she read this passage to me. And she said, "Look! It says Lydia was a worshipper of God!"

I went, "Oh great! I love worshipping the Lord and I love singing to God!"

And she continued, "And you know what? She invited Paul to stay at her house! And you know, Paul, he don't anyhow stay in people's house when he goes on his missions to spread the gospel one!"

I didn't get it. So i went, "Ah huh? So what does it mean?"

She said, "Babe! It means Lydia had such a great gift of hospitality that Paul couldn't reject her offer!"

And i went AHHHHH!!! Praise the Lord!

It's so profound how important/meaningful/prophetic a name is to a person. And I thank God that my parents gave such a wonderful name! I could so identify myself with the story.

So parents-to-be out there (not that many that I know of except my colleague, who's expecting a boy, she just got the results yesterday!), choose a prophetic name for your kid! Like really, it will speak a lot about them.

I love Jesus! Weeee......