According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis focused his homily on the day’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (8:26-40), which details how the apostle Philip led the Ethiopian to faith and baptism. The first thing the account shows, the pope said, is Philip’s willingness to obey the Lord’s call to leave what he was doing and set out. “Without this docility to the voice of God, no one can evangelize.” Second, the Bible explains how Philip walked with the Ethiopian, listening to his concerns, respecting his sensibilities and offering explanations. “You cannot evangelize without dialogue. You just can’t because you must begin where the person is,” the pope said. “This is very important.” (From Catholic News Service)
We might be tempted to think that Philip had an easy task, when it came to zeroing in on God’s voice. Towns were small and life was uncomplicated. While you and I live and breathe complicated and noisy lives. After all, from the crack of dawn to lights out, we can be assaulted with many, even hundreds of voices: the singers we listen to (5 to 25), chatter at our work stations and lunch tables (10 to 30), voices on the phone, actors on television (10 to 20) per show, and what about all the silent voices behind text messages or the multitudes of inner voices some of us have in our heads. Who can count this high?
What we need is an orchestra conductor for all of these voices. Guess who that might be? Jesus, the Word of God made flesh among us. The key to being ready to evangelize is a daily sensitivity to his voice. The key is also listening to the whispers of God’s Spirit as we listen to all of these other voices. The key is an awareness, and a rejoicing when God moves among us. Jesus had this awareness when a woman with a severe, twelve-year hemorrhage approached (Lk. 8:43-48). He did not turn to her as if she had robbed him. Jesus turned to her so they could glorify the Father together. This is what happens when we evangelize. Why not take a few minutes to pray with a song about this woman’s evangelizing encounter with Jesus, who is the “Voice of God”, entitled, “He Just Brushed By?”