Homily | April 23, 2026 | God Is Already Working Before You Notice (Episode 100)

God moves first, drawing us toward himself long before we think to search for him. We follow Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to see how obedience, guidance in Scripture, and decisive surrender open the door to real encounter with Christ. 
• God’s initiative as the starting point of the spiritual life 
• Philip’s obedience without a plan or map 
• The Ethiopian eunuch as an outsider who still seeks God 
• “Do you understand what you’re reading?” and the need for guidance 
• Proclaiming Jesus through the Scriptures rather than ideas 
• “What is to prevent me?” as a model for prompt surrender 
• Jesus as the Bread of Life and the Father drawing us in 
• Naming hesitation, fear, and delay as common spiritual obstacles 
• A practical examen question: where God is already at work 

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Transcript

Philip Obeys Without A Plan

The Eunuch Seeks Understanding

Scripture Opens To Jesus

What Stops Me From Baptism

The Father Draws Us To Jesus

Stop Delaying And Step In

SPEAKER_00 0:01

There's a moment in the spiritual life that changes everything. It's the moment when you realize God is already moving before you even know to look for Him. We talked about this on Sunday, third Sunday of Easter. But that's what we're seeing in the first reading. Philip is not planning a mission trip. He's not strategizing evangelization. He's not even building a program. And then an angel tells him, get up and go. No explanation, no map, just obedience. And he goes. And then on a desert road, he meets a man, not just any man, an outsider, a foreigner, a eunuch, someone who, by Jewish law, would have been kept at a distance. And yet this man is searching. He's reading Isaiah, he's trying, but he doesn't understand. And Philip asks him one of the most important questions in Scripture. Do you understand what you're reading? And the man answers with incredible honesty. How can I unless someone guides me, teaches me, explains it to me? That line should stop us. Because it tells us something we don't like to admit. You cannot walk the spiritual life alone. You need someone to guide you, to teach you, to interpret, to help you see what you cannot see on your own. And Philip does exactly that. Gets into the chariot, he opens the scriptures and begins with the passage like a sheep led to the slaughter. What does he do? He proclaims Jesus Christ, not ideas, not philosophy, Jesus. And then something beautiful happens. They come across water, and the eunuch says, What is to prevent me from being baptized? That's the question. Not, do I fully understand everything? Not am I perfectly ready? Not let me think about this. No, what is stopping me? And the answer is nothing. So they stop the chariot, they go down into the water, and he's baptized. Now notice what happens next. Philip disappears. Just like that, gone. No follow-up program, no continuing mentorship, no long-term plan. And the man goes on his way, rejoicing. Why? Well, because once you've encountered Christ, truly encountered him, you don't need to be carried anymore. You've been given everything. Now that brings us to the gospel. Jesus is something that should humble all of us. No one can come to me unless the Father draws him. Which means this even your desire for God is already God at work in you. That restlessness you feel, that pull towards something more, that dissatisfaction with a superficial life, that's not you figuring things out. That's God drawing you in. Where is he drawing you into? To himself. I am the bread of life, the living bread that came down from heaven. Not a symbol, not an idea, his very flesh. Given for the world, given for the life of the world. So if we put these readings together, God sends Philip, God draws the unit, God opens the scripture, God leads him to the water, and in the end, God gives himself. That's how it works. God is always the one moving first. So maybe a question for today is where is God already at work in your life that you're ignoring? Where is he prompting you, calling you, drawing you? Maybe through a conversation, a restlessness, a question you can't shake. And maybe the better question is this what's stopping you? What's stopping you from going deeper, from surrendering, from committing to that habit, that sin that you've been that keep falling into? What's stopping you from letting it go? Because it's usually not lack of clarity, it's hesitation, it's fear, it's fear of losing control, delay. But look at the eunuch. The moment he sees, he moves immediately. No delay. That's the invitation. God is already drawing you to himself. He's already speaking to your heart. He's already moving. Don't overcomplicate things. Don't overthink things. Don't delay. Get up. Step in. Receive what he is already trying to give you. He himself. And that's the greatest gift you'll ever receive. Amen.