On Monday, October 26, our pilgrims visited the island of Rhodes, where St. Paul’s ship put in on his last voyage to Jerusalem. At St. Paul’s Bay in Lindos, beneath the ancient acropolis, a plaque marks the place tradition associates with his visit, with the words of his Letter to the Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
When we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
Acts 21:1
From St. Paul’s Bay
I am standing here in Rhodes, and behind me is the harbor traditionally associated with the visit of St. Paul. He was traveling from Ephesus to Jerusalem, concluding his third missionary journey. And we are in the footsteps of St. Paul.
As St. Paul was headed to Jerusalem, he stopped here in Rhodes. The Holy Spirit had warned him along the way that there would be difficulty for him ahead in Jerusalem (Acts 20:22-23), and yet he had collected this money to give to the poor Christians in Jerusalem. He was set on that mission no matter what the cost.
Ultimately, in Jerusalem he would be imprisoned, and then he would appeal to Caesar so that he could have his trial in Rome. He would go from Jerusalem to Rome, and there in Rome, we know, he was eventually martyred.
We can be inspired by the example of St. Paul, who, having been warned by the Holy Spirit, still continued in that mission to be faithful to the Gospel no matter the price. We can be inspired by his charity, his desire to support those poor Christians. We can be inspired by his desire to serve the unity of the Church. We are here in the footsteps of St. Paul.
