Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17
Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Hearts Collectively Attuned
Philip’s ministry in Samaria shows the power of shared attention. The crowds did not simply hear words; they attended with one accord to both his message and the signs he performed. There is something profoundly human—and profoundly spiritual—about this kind of collective attentiveness.
Saint Ignatius counsels us to pay attention: to notice deeply and to let the heart engage fully with what is present. Here, the Samaritans’ unity of attention becomes a conduit for transformation. They are not passive observers; they are participants, opening themselves together to God’s movement.
“One accord” reminds us that the work of the Spirit often flows through communal attentiveness. This is synodality: walking together in listening and discernment, allowing God’s guidance to emerge not from one voice alone but from hearts attuned collectively, attentive to each other and to the Spirit.
—Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, serves as dean of Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
O God, you draw me into a community, learning to notice your presence together with others and to listen with care. Grant me the grace of shared attentiveness, so that I may listen deeply to others and discern your Spirit at work among us.
—Fr. Martin Connell, SJ