[Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God more accurately. // Acts 18:26
I nudged and looked laughingly at my husband as the above verse (Acts 18:26) was read aloud at the Archdiocesan retreat day for parishioners who had been asked by their pastors to participate in a discipleship training. While I had read the book of Acts multiple times before, I had not realized until that moment that there was a precedent in Scripture for the calling my husband and I have been given. We have a similar mission to that of Saints Priscilla and Aquila.
As a philosophy professor at a university with a Catholic seminary, my husband teaches many future priests and deacons, explaining to them “the Way of God more accurately.” And in my position as theological editor here at Blessed as She and in my writing for other Catholic publications, I spend a lot of my time explaining Truth to the best of my ability. The hope is that like Apollo in today’s First Reading, those we teach will be able to pass on truth with confidence and vigor.
As a Catholic woman with multiple degrees in theology, I have often felt a little unsure about my place in the Church. But Saint Priscilla’s example encourages me to not be afraid to offer my gifts to the Church and to use them as God calls me, both when my pastor invites me to volunteer in the parish and when other ministries need me to share my God-given gifts.
Sister, we all can be inspired by the call of the lay married couple Saints Priscilla and Aquila. We have all been given gifts, and the Lord wants us to use them to build up the Church. My husband and I joke that as I am approaching the age of forty, I am becoming more and more of a “church lady,” but the reality is that all of us women are called to be church ladies according to our gifts. Where is the Lord calling you to serve His Church?
Saints Priscilla and Aquila, pray for us!
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Content and Theological Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer, editor, and speaker living with her philosopher husband and four kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of the Gospel Studies including Seek His Kingdom: A Meditation on Matthew; narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God; a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up; and Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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