"The Lord opened her heart to listen." Acts 16:14, on Lydia of Thyatira
Caption
"The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul." (Acts 16:14) Today's first reading introduces Lydia... a successful businesswoman, a "dealer in purple cloth" from Thyatira, and the first recorded European convert to Christianity. She listened. She believed. She was baptized along with her household. And then she opened her home to Paul and his companions, becoming the foundation of the church at Philippi. Lydia teaches us something quiet but radical: the work of evangelization in any age begins with a heart that listens. Not a heart that argues, postures, or performs, but one that pays attention. In our own time of constant noise, ask the Lord today for the grace Lydia received: a heart open to hear what he is saying.
