Scripture for
meditation: Acts 16:25:34
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly
there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were
shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one’s fetters were
unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the prison doors were open, he
drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had
escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are
all here.” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he
fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and Said, “Men, what must
I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and
to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and
washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once with all his family. Then he
brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with
all his household that he had believed in God.
Scripture for
reflection: Exodus 19:4
You have seen for yourselves how I bore you up on eagle
wings and brought you here to myself.
The Navarre Bible
Commentary tells us: St. Bede notes the example Paul and Silas give
Christians who are experiencing trials or temptations: “ The piety and energy
which fires the hearts of the apostles expresses itself in prayer and brings
them to sing hymns even in prison. Their praise causes the earth to move, the foundations
to quake, the doors to open and even their fetters to break. Similarly, that
Christian who rejoices when he is happy, let him rejoice also in his weakness,
when he is tempted, so that Christ’s strength comes to his aid. And then let
him praise the Lord with hymns, as Paul and Silas did in the darkness of their
prison and sing with the psalmist, ‘Thou does encompass me with deliverance’”
(Ps 32:7) (St. Bede, Super Act exposition, ad loc.). This incident so affects
the jailer with religious awe that he comes to be converted. He has been helped
to react in this way as a result of listening to the prayers and hymns of the
apostles: “Notice how the jailer reveres the apostles. He opens his heart to
them, when he sees the doors of the prison open. He lights the way further with
his torch, but it is another kind of torch that lights up his soul. Then he
cleans their wounds, and his soul is cleansed from the filth of sin. On
offering them material food, he receives in return a heavenly one. His docility
shows that he sincerely believed that all his sins had been forgiven (Chrysostom,
Homily on Acts, 36). A person can meet up with God in all kinds of unexpected
situations – in which case he or she needs to have the same kind of docility as
the jailer in order to receive the grace of God through the channels which God
has established, normally the sacraments. (The Navarre Bible, Acts of the
Apostles, Text and Commentaries, Four Courts Press, 1992)
Prayer: Psalm 8
How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the
earth! Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and
of babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the
rebel. When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars
which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that
you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and
honor you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hand, put all
things under his feet. All of them, sheep and cattle, yes, even the savage
beasts, birds of the air, and fish that make their way through the waters. How
great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
My thoughts: There
are so many lessons in this passage for us today. First of all, we need to
praise God in our adversity. That is what makes us different from the rest of
the world. That is the witness that will bring others to God. Through our
difficulties, we see the hand of our loving Father, and he can use our
situation as a means of conversion for others, if we but trust in him and sing
his praises always. Second, we learn that the earth shook and fetters were
broken. I doubt the earth will really shake when we remain strong in our faith,
but the point is very clear. The disbelief of others will be shaken and can
even be broken if they see a strong faith in us. God can use every situation as
a means of evangelization if we are open to being used for that purpose. Third,
we can also identify with the jailer. God will use any means possible to reach
out to us with his mercy and love. We
need to be like the jailer, and seize the opportunity for forgiveness and grace
when it comes our way. None of us is perfect in his faith; God will use us to
evangelize, and he will use others to evangelize to us. We must be open to
facing our weaknesses and sins when they are pointed out to us. Only then can
we conquer the sin of pride and become a clear and sparkling vessel of God’s
mercy.
Our prayer to God:
St. John Chrysostom says that night time is not only for renewing our
bodies; it is also “a help in sanctifying your soul.” He tells us, “One prayer,
said well, is enough. Offer God this sacrifice of a moment of prayer and he
will reward you.” (Homily on Acts, 36). The nighttime prayer of Paul and Silas
worked a miracle. I think ours can, too. Let us start tonight to offer one
well-said prayer to God, then let us place our hearts in his hands, to remake
them in his image for the new day to come.
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