"Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked. " — Acts 8:30 (NIV)
In the text it is narrated that there was a eunuch who had gone to Jerusalem to worship. He was an established man, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake Queen of Ethiopia. This is a very extraordinary thing. The eunuch's life had been established but he went to Jerusalem to worship. Not only that, he also made time to read the Bible. An Ethiopian, but longs to seek the God of Israel. Of course he would have had difficulty understanding the content and context of the Bible he was reading because he was not an Israelite.
But the Holy Spirit helped him. The Holy Spirit helped the eunuch to understand through Philip's presence. The Holy Spirit himself told Philip to go down that road and meet the eunuch (verses 26, 29). Finally the man understood and he willingly asked Philip to baptize him.
The spirit of this eunuch was extraordinary. We need to emulate the spirit of this eunuch. He persisted in reading even though he did not understand. The Holy Spirit will not remain silent. He through various ways will lead us to understand, as he guided the eunuch.
Let's persevere to read God's Word. It doesn't matter if you don't understand today. The Holy Spirit will always be with us.
Reflection on Acts 8: 26-40 by Fr. Fransiskus Diaz, SVD
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