Drawn by the Father, Drawn to the Nations

Voice over by Angeline Chue Chue

Acts 8:26-40, Psalm: 65, Jn 6:44-51

Memorial of Saint George, martyr

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint George, a martyr who laid down his life rather than deny his Lord, the Church presents us with two movements of divine grace. One is a man drawn by the Spirit to encounter the Scriptures; the other is the Lord Himself declaring the source of our faith. Together, they reveal the hidden work of the Father who draws us, and the mission to which we are drawn.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Philip is sent by an angel to a desert road. There, he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great authority, returning from worshiping in Jerusalem. He is reading the prophet Isaiah, but cannot understand. The Spirit tells Philip to approach, and he finds the eunuch reading the passage about the suffering servant: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter.” Philip explains that this refers to Jesus, and he proclaims the good news. As they travel, they come to water, and the eunuch asks, “What is to prevent my being baptized?” Philip baptizes him, and the Spirit snatches Philip away. The eunuch goes on his way rejoicing. An outsider, a seeker, a man from the ends of the earth, has been drawn into the family of God.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals the hidden mechanism of faith: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Faith is not a human achievement; it is a divine gift. The Father draws souls, and those who are drawn come to the Son. And the Son’s promise is sure: “I will raise him on the last day.” Then Jesus declares the source of this drawing power: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat of it and not die.”

The Ethiopian eunuch is the perfect illustration of what Jesus teaches. He was drawn by the Father to seek truth in Jerusalem. He was drawn to the Scriptures, though he could not yet understand. He was drawn to Philip, who explained the Word. And in the waters of baptism, he received the true bread from heaven, the food that endures to eternal life.

Pope Benedict XVI reflected, “The encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch shows us that the Gospel is for everyone, and that the Spirit is constantly at work drawing souls to Christ.” St. Augustine, contemplating this mystery, wrote, “The Father draws us, not by force, but by the delight of truth.”

Saint George understood this drawing. He was drawn to Christ, and that drawing led him not to comfort but to witness, not to safety but to martyrdom. His life became a testimony that the bread of life is worth more than any earthly kingdom.

For us today, the message is twofold. First, we must recognize that our own faith is a gift. We did not find God; He found us. We did not choose Him; He drew us. This should fill us with gratitude and humility. Second, we are called to be like Philip—ready to explain the Scriptures to those who seek, ready to point them to the waters of baptism, ready to be instruments of the Spirit’s drawing.

This Easter season, let us marvel at the Father who draws us. Let us feast on the bread that gives eternal life. And let us go to the ends of our own world, sharing the joy of the one who has found the Lamb. Amen.

May God bless you all!