Lydia was a seller of purple cloth from Thyatira, living in Philippi, whom Saint Paul met by the riverside where women had gathered to pray (Acts 16). The Lord opened her heart to Paul's preaching, and she was baptized with her household, becoming the first recorded Christian convert in Europe. She then welcomed Paul and his companions into her home, which became a gathering place for the young church in Philippi.
Lydia shows that holiness can begin quietly — a heart open in prayer, listening, ready to receive God's word. She teaches us the grace of hospitality: once she believed, she immediately opened her home and her life to others. Her example reminds grieving hearts that God is at work opening hearts even by quiet riversides, in ordinary days.
Saint Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, pray that our hearts too may be open to His word and His comfort, and that our homes may be places of welcome and faith. Amen.