Lydia

 This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

I would be remiss if I did not give a special nod to Lydia as I share these memories from back in 1987.

And by the way, did you know that there is a Lydia in the Bible?

A very significant Lydia at that.

Mentioned only briefly and  consequently easily overlooked or ignored, the Biblical Lydia is really a significant person in our history just as the Lydia in this writing is an easily overlooked, easily missed but significant piece of this story.

You can find the brief story of the biblical Lydia in Acts of the Apostles 16: 11 - 15.

And backing up just a bit in that chapter we can discover the significance of Paul meeting Lydia.

Seems that Paul was engaged in his usual missionary travels and at this time on his way into Asia Minor. He received a mysterious visitor who readjusted Paul's GPS, so to speak. Paul was informed that there was to be a course correction. He was to head into Europe rather than Asia Minor. He had not yet ever been there.

But he went and the first person he met was Lydia and, as you read in the few verses about her, she received Paul's message and was baptized. The first European to receive, welcome and respond to Paul's evangelizing effort was a woman named Lydia.

Technically, she opened the door to Europe for Paul and the message he was bringing. The Biblical Lydia paved the way for Europe to hear the message of Paul and discover Jesus Christ.

And another Lydia at another time became a key figure in making Communion happen at the Papal Mass.

This Lydia happened to be the secretary at the Church of the Precious Blood in Detroit where I, at that time, was pastor. In addition to being parish secretary, she was also a resource person for various projects for the Archdiocese. She was a sharp, well focused individual, a true resource. She was also, by the way, Hispanic, one of those all too unappreciated immigrants who continually so enrich the United States.

And this Lydia was a part of the scene of chaos that unfolded at the Silverdome rehearsal. Even before the total disintegration of any rehearsal attempts and while the ministers were being dismissed in total frustration, she was stepping up and stepping in.

By the next morning a meeting had been called and phone calls were being made and the wheels were strongly in  motion and Lydia was providing me with assurance. "Don't worry! We've got this. Everything is going to be just fine."

She was working to put together a team, my ground level coordinators as well as a crew of her friends, mostly other parish secretaries and pastoral ministers who were already recruited for the Communion ministry. And she was putting together lists of names and phone numbers of all ground level ministers. She was organizing!

By Friday afternoon her "team" had their own lists of ministers being placed into their care and each had a particular section of the ground level as their personal responsibility. Each was also already about the task of calling the ministers on their list. The ministers were being told what time to arrive at the Silverdome (earlier than originally planned) and where to meet. They were to look for their section "coordinator," most of whom would be identifiable by wearing a provided flower.

There would be on site, small group, section rehearsals on the day of, shortly before the crowds would descend into the stadium. Platforms would be in place properly and seats would be the same. No one would have to "imagine." They could see, feel and experience.

By the time I arrived and made my way to the section reserved for the ground level ministers, they were all in place, all trained, all ready to spring into action. Everything was ready, as ready as it was ever going to be. And everybody was smiling!

The chaos of that rehearsal evening had resolved into order.

And all of that was in a very large part due to a lady named Lydia who, like that Lydia of Acts, opened the door to the Gift of Jesus for so many of the faithful, this time for the Church of Detroit.

Oh Yes! Still more! - so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe!