Lessons from the Ministry of Philip, the Deacon
During the Eastertide we hear so much from and about the Acts of the Apostles. The first reading of today focuses on the ministry of Philip, one of those seven who were appointed by the Apostles as deacons in Acts 6. Last Sunday we reflected on Chapter 7 of Acts of the Apostles regarding the ministry and the subsequent martyrdom of Stephen – one of those seven deacons too. This Sunday, we focus on two salient points that emerge from the ministry of Philip.
“Philip went to a Samaritan town”: Just like ‘Stephen’, ‘Philip’ also was a Greek name. Perhaps this is why they were among the seven chosen to minister to the Hellenist (Greek) Christians who had complained about being neglected in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6:1). Being a Greek Jew, Philip might have had some extra skills in dealing with people of non-Jewish background. The passage that we heard read in the first reading of today narrates to us about Philip’s ministry to the Samaritans, later in the next chapter (Acts 8) Philip ministers to the Ethiopian eunuch, and in the last verse of the chapter, Philip is found in Azotus and Caesarea which were basically non-Jewish towns.
“Philip went to a Samaritan town.” Philip going among the Samaritans – led by the Spirit – might have meant a lot to the early Christian community – it was a daring ministry. Thank God for people like Philip who took the courage to reach out to other communities, making Christianity a universal faith. How come, we who are beneficiaries of this universal movement, tend to be parochial in our own attitude towards people and even Christians who are not part of our ethnic groups or castes!
They “prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit”: Philip’s message was accompanied by signs. But it seems that these powerful miracles were distinct from being anointed by the Holy Spirit. Even though Philip preached and performed miracles (Acts 8:5-8), it was Peter and John who came to pray for the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-16). Philip baptizes and the apostles confirm. We could draw at least two lessons from this narrative for the contemporary Church: 1) Miracles seem to be independent of the arrival of the Holy Spirit; 2) Peter and John coming to pray over the people for the Holy Spirit was not a humiliation to Philip. There are varieties of gifts, including the leadership role played by some in the community. And Philip respects this. May we learn from Philip!
Fr. Franco Pereira, S.D.B.
