Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“Do not be afraid.” —Acts 18:9 It’s likely God wouldn’t have told St. Paul to not be afraid unless Paul was actually afraid of something. The city of Corinth must have been a rough place, for by this time in Paul’s life, he had already been stoned, apparently to death, at Lystra (Acts 14:19ff), and then stood back up and returned to town. He’d been jailed and beaten at Philippi, but miraculously freed by an earthquake. You’d think Paul would not fear anything at this point. But fear is a strong temptation, even to veteran disciples. The Pentecost Novena begins...

“They opposed him and insulted him.” —Acts 18:6 As I write this, a storm has just blown in. There’s a strong, driving wind outside (cf Acts 2:2). Lightning is darting throughout the sky and powerful blasts of thunder shake the windows. I hear sirens from fire trucks, police cars, and a tornado warning. It seems like this storm is turning the town upside down. Tomorrow we begin praying the Pentecost Novena, nine days of fervent prayer to prepare for receiving a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. What storm will result if you receive the Holy Spirit during...

“When He comes, however, being the Spirit of truth He will guide you to all truth.” —John 16:13 Life in Christ is a life of love, for Jesus is Love (see 1 Jn 4:8, 16). Love requires freedom. We cannot force people to love us. Freedom requires knowledge. Without some knowledge, we cannot freely decide to love. Therefore, knowledge of the truth is very important because truth is an absolute prerequisite for love. The Lord “wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth” (1 Tm 2:4). The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love (Gal 5:22)...

“The jailer was given instructions to guard them well. Upon receipt of these instructions, he put them in maximum security, going so far as to chain their feet to a stake.” —Acts 16:23-24 The jailer of Paul and Silas did his job to the best of his ability. He may have even gone above and beyond in his job performance, “going so far as to chain [the feet of Paul and Silas] to a stake.” That was probably unnecessary when they were already in maximum security. However, the jailer planned to do his job well. An earthquake shook the jailer’s...

“After she and her household had been baptized, she extended us an invitation: ‘If you are convinced that I believe in the Lord, come and stay at my house.’ ” —Acts 16:15 After her conversion, the first words of Lydia, the first convert of the Western world, involved making her home a base for evangelization. Jesus stayed at home for about thirty years before His three years of public ministry. The Church met primarily in homes for its first three hundred years. The Church fathers taught that the Christian home is a “domestic church” (see Catechism of the Catholic Church,...