Lydia: The Open Hearted Witness

Lydia – The Open-Hearted Witness

Welcome back, truth-seekers, to another illuminating episode of the “Witness Series.”

I’m your host, Fr. Veigas Dominic SVD, and today, we embark on a journey into the early church, meeting a remarkable woman whose open heart led to a significant milestone in the spread of the Gospel.

In this eleventh episode of Season 7, we talk about Lydia, “The Open-Hearted Witness.” She was a successful businesswoman, a seeker of God, and the first recorded convert in Europe. Her story is a powerful reminder that God prepares hearts and that a welcoming spirit can open doors for the Gospel to flourish in new places.

Lydia’s life resonates with us today because it speaks to the importance of spiritual readiness and the profound impact of hospitality in advancing God’s kingdom. Her witness reminds us that when our hearts are open to God, He can use us not only to receive His truth but also to support His work and provide a spiritual home for others.

Today, we’ll unpack Lydia’s life, her powerful message as an open-hearted witness, and how her example can inspire our own receptivity to God’s Word and our willingness to serve His mission. Let’s get started.

Who was Lydia?

Imagine the Apostle Paul, guided by a vision, crossing into Macedonia, which marks the first entry of the Gospel into Europe. His journey brings him to Philippi, a Roman colony. On the Sabbath, Paul and his companions went outside the city gate to a riverside, a customary place of prayer where they expected to find Jewish worshipers.

There, among a group of women who had gathered, was Lydia. Acts chapter 16 introduces her in verse 14: “One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God.” This description tells us several important things about her. She was from Thyatira, a city renowned for its purple dye industry, suggesting that she was not only a skilled businesswoman but also likely a person of considerable means and independence, possibly a prosperous merchant. She was also a “worshiper of God,” indicating she was a Gentile who had embraced the God of Israel, a seeker of truth who was already oriented towards spiritual matters.