The Holy and Glorious Great-Martyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George.
All-Night Vigil Feast.
Acts 8:26-39; Acts 12:1-11; John 6:40-44; John 15:17-16:2.
Read Acts 8:26-39
The Deacon Philip was one of the seven men that were chosen to address various ministries in the “budding” early formation of the communities of Faith in Christ evolving through the preaching of the Apostles within the 50 years or so after Christ’s resurrection. (Acts 6:5,6) The “protomartyr” Stephen was also one of the seven who through his martyrdom, Saul, the future disciple Paul came to follow Christ. The period of great persecution began to siege these new Christians and led to them scattering throughout Judaea and Samaria. (Acts 8:1)
Philip went to the city of Samaria. Recall that the Samaritans were enemies of the Jews; recall also Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42) and the beginning of the people of Samarias’ conversion to belief in Christ through her as the new the disciple of Christ named Photini, which means “the enlightened one.” Recall also in that story of the Samaritan woman at that well how Jesus draws her to the desire for “living water” (John 4:10). Recall also How Jesus draws his disciple to the “food to eat that ‘they’ do not know” (John 4:32).
Philip left Jerusalem and on the road to Gaza was guided by an angel to stop and join a man from Ethiopia as he was sitting in his chariot. We know he was “a eunuch of great authority” and had “charge of the treasury” of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. We can infer that this eunuch had a thorough knowledge of Judaism, the scriptures and most likely, was a convert to Judaism.
This is the reading just before Saul’s encounter with the risen Jesus. That encounter lead to Saul’s conversion; he eventually being named Paul, who ultimately became the apostle in the expansion of the early church’s mission to evangelization of the gentiles, glory to God.
St. John Chrysostom, in his homily on Acts VIII proclaims about the eunuch, “Great is his studiousness, as even sitting in his chariot, he read …Observe also his piety: though he did not understand, he read, and then, after reading, examines …He reads the very text in which was the Passion and the Resurrection and the Gift …Mark the eager desire for baptism …Why did the Spirit of the Lord bear him away? Hereby the occurrence was shown to be more wonderful …That Philip might afterwards be a subject of wonder to him …See angels assisting the preaching, and not themselves preaching.”