Belief Beyond the Purple Cloth

Memorial of Saint Phillip Neri, Priest
Memorial Day (USA)

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Acts of the Apostles 16:11-15 
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.

In 2007, I attended a Womens A.C.T.S. Retreat hosted by my parish.  I was fairly new to Saint Joseph. I hoped by attending this retreat I'd meet some women, forming new friendships.  It was a wonderful experience!  So much laughter, so many personal testimonies, and so many tears shed over the course of the weekend.     

At our Faith-sharing table, we were asked to name our group after a prominent woman in the bible.  At this time, I wasn't very familiar with many of the women in the bible except for Ruth, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary.  Most of the "big names" were already taken by the other groups.   One of my table-mates suggested we name ourselves "Lydia." Personally, I never heard of this woman named Lydia.  How obscure and unusual!  Yet, when we read the passage from the bible about the "dealer in purple cloth" opening her heart to God's message we all knew we had to take her name.  Lydia became "Patroness" of our group's A.C.T.S. retreat experience.

Whenever a woman is mentioned by name in the bible, usually she has made a significant impact in biblical history. Most of the time they've been holy and courageous women such as Ruth and Mary Magdalene.  Other women have been vicious such as Jezelbel.  However, with not much attention paid to women in antiquity we should be thankful that the biblical writers thought wisely to preserve their names in history.  Can you imagine no prominent women mentioned in the bible?  What if the Blessed Virgin was even left out?  Salvation History would not be the same.

Belief Beyond the Purple Cloth  Today in the United States we celebrate Memorial Day.  It is a special day we remember all of the fallen men and women who so bravely served in our military forces.  Most of us know at least one family member who served in the military at one time or another.  Both of my grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II.  My brother-in-law is an active Air Force surgeon.  I thank the Lord every day that my family members are still alive and well.  Many others did not make it.  However, they will always be remembered for their courageous service and love for our country.

Lydia's belief in Jesus Christ extended beyond the purple cloth.  Likewise, our military's belief in protecting our country from dangerous threats extend beyond the stars and stripes of the American flag...... 

Underlying the belief in serving and protecting our country is clearly God.  I can't imagine America being such a strong and resilient country without the assistance of the Lord Almighty along with the Blessed Virgin Mary's intercession.  Some people want to shoo God out of military life just like they want Our Lord out of our schools, places of work, and even public places.... 

Why not allow God to protect us from evil and help us in time of war?

Lydia clearly understood the importance of immersing her heart in Christ's message.  This message of peace, love, and hope is something we all need, especially in times of war, death, and tragedy.  Allow Jesus to wrap his purple cloak of divinity around your shoulders.  Allow him to hug and embrace you, sheltering you from fear and insecurity.  Allow his amazing grace to pour inside of you so that you can fight the good fight.  Keep Christ present in our society!  Don't allow belief to die but allow it to flourish and remain alive.

-J.