We now turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13:14,43-52

No one can stop the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will flow and inspire, filling the earth beyond all borders. No one can stop God’s word.

Some tried anyway. The enemies of Paul and Barnabas tried to stop them from preaching, trying to contain the message of the gospel. It didn’t work.

Paul and Barnabas, traveling on a missionary journey, spoke at a synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism listened. By the following week the crowds were so large that the Jewish leaders of the city tried to stop the apostles from preaching. Paul and Barnabas simply preached to a wider audience. They no longer preached to Jews alone. Now they were preaching to Gentiles.

As Christianity continued to spread, the Jewish leaders started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. They did the only thing they could do. They went to another city. And they preached the gospel there.

If the Holy Spirit has a message, that message will be proclaimed. And if the message is within us, we will speak it. Not everyone is prepared to hear the message. Not everyone will receive its point. But the Spirit will speak.

When someone tries to keep you from saying what you know is important, the Spirit may be looking for a wider audience.

Written by Paul Turner. Liturgy Training Publications
Copyright 2003, Archdiocese of Chicago