The public flogging and imprisonment of Paul in Silas in Philippi came about because of an incident that is not included in the Lectionary for Daily Mass. In Philippi a young woman who was possessed of an evil spirit was being used by some men as a fortune teller. They were making money off her talent for predicting the future without any concern for the evil spirit which possessed her. Though they tried to avoid her, Paul and Silas found themselves being followed by this girl who was loudly proclaiming that they knew the way to salvation. Paul then cast the evil spirit from her, angering the men who were profiting at her expense. They were brought before the magistrates of Philippi by the men who had been profiting off the young woman’s skills.
We could regard this story as one of those occasions when God finds a way to bring something good out of a bad situation. Though Paul and Silas are made to suffer for the Gospel, it results in the conversion of the jailor and his family as well as a significant number of people in Philippi. We know from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians that this community was one of the most faithful to the teachings of the Gospel.
When the magistrates learn that they have beaten a Roman citizen in public, they realize that their positions in this Roman community are at risk. Severe punishments such as this were forbidden if the person were a citizen of Rome. They try to sweep the incident under the rug, but Paul does not let them off lightly. They are forced to face Paul in person. Like the Gerasenes in the Gospel who ask Jesus to leave their city after he casts out an evil spirit, the magistrates of Philippi ask Paul and Silas to leave the community without causing a scene. However, they stay with a woman named Lydia and spend time speaking with those who have come to faith in the Gospel.
The crisis that Paul and Silas experience becomes an occasion for them to put their trust in God, in the Holy Spirit symbolized in the earthquake while they are in prison, and in Jesus who has promised to stay with them. They stand as examples of how we can respond to the various crises in our lives.