As promised by Jesus before he departed from this world, the Holy Spirit, who comes from the Father, will guide and help the disciples in the work of witnessing. The Spirit of truth will assist them in remembering Jesus’ teachings as well as in infusing in them the courage to speak without fear.

We have an example of this in the First Reading today. The preceding verses (Acts 16:6-10) narrate how the Holy Spirit directed the feet of Paul and Timothy in the work of evangelization. Reaching the Roman colonies in Europe, they were graced to meet Lydia and her household, influential persons who later asked for baptism and became followers of Jesus.

Let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit of truth in the mission of discerning where we are called to testify to God’s marvels in the world. Not everybody will be open to welcome the Gospel. That is why it is necessary that we also beg for the gift of fortitude, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in our evangelizing mission.

We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

“The Lord takes delight in his people.” or “Alleluia.”

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”