holy bishops

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 25 : 13b-21

As King Agrippa and his sister Berenice were to stay in Caesarea several days, Festus told him about Paul’s case and said to him, “We have here a man whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews accused him and asked me to sentence him.”

“I told them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a man without giving him an opportunity to defend himself in front of his accusers. So they came and I took my seat without delay on the tribunal and sent for the man. When the accusers had the floor, they did not accuse him of any of the crimes that I was led to think he had committed; instead they quarrelled with him about religion and about a certain Jesus Who has died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.”

“I did not know what to do about this case, so I asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to be tried there. But Paul appealed to be judged by the Emperor. So I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.”

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to continue to put our trust and faith in the Lord, to be united to Him and to be united with one another, with our fellow brothers and sisters. That is because if we are united with God and are united with our fellow brethren, united in our purpose and faith, then we will be strong against all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in life, and we will not be easily swayed by the temptations, pressures and coercions around us. We have to be resilient and faithful, trusting in the Lord and His Providence, while also praying for one another and helping each other in our journey towards God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when St. Paul faced the whole Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, consisting of the members of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two most influential groups within the Jewish community at that time. The Pharisees were those religious and intellectual elites of the community, who were highly educated and knowledgeable about the Torah and the saying of the prophets, and who also espoused a rather strict interpretation of the Law of God, enforcing it upon the people of God. In contrast, the Sadducees were the ones who were influential in worldly ways, the opposite of the Pharisees in nature, as they upheld worldly influences more, and their members included the chief priests and the High Priest, those who have been given worldly importance and power.

And it was against these two groups that St. Paul was facing, with both groups fully intent on bringing about condemnation and punishment upon the faithful servant of God. St. Paul himself was a former Pharisee, as early in his youth, as Saul, he was a very ardent and zealous young Pharisee, dedicating himself and his works to try and destroy the early Church, arresting and persecuting Christians in various places, using even violent and harsh methods in doing so. But he was converted to the true faith in the Lord after the encounter which he had on the way to Damascus, and thereafter becoming a great champion and defender of the Christian faith and truth. St. Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, knew of the division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who were fielding a lot of accusations against him.

Hence, as we heard, he was speaking about how he did believe what the Pharisees were believing, in matters such as the resurrection and other beliefs which the Sadducees were very loathful against, and as we heard, a great argument immediately broke out in the place where St. Paul was to be judged by the Sanhedrin. This proves to all of us that as united as the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the Sanhedrin were in their desire to stamp out the Christian faith and the efforts of St. Paul, but in the face of the Wisdom and truth of the Lord, their facade of unity came apart, and they ended up fighting each other and continuing their old bickering and disagreements rather than to do what they had originally intended to do.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard the continuation of the prayer that the Lord Jesus prayed on behalf of His disciples and followers, directed to His heavenly Father, which took place not long before He was to embark on His last mission, the moment of His Passion, His path of suffering and the Cross, and His ultimate sacrifice on that same Cross, to die for the sins of the whole world. He prayed for the unity of all those who have followed Him and became His disciples, so that they would truly be one in unity just as He Himself and the Father are One, the Holy Trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. With the same unity therefore, the Lord wanted His faithful ones in His Church to have, to be truly united in the one Body of all believers, the Body of Christ, the Church of God.

This is the prayer that the Lord Jesus offered to His Father, the prayer which He has prayed for all of us His faithful ones, for the unity of our purpose and our existence as those who have followed Him and entrusted ourselves to Him, so that we will not be divided one against another anymore. As we heard from our first reading passage today, we can see what happens when people were not united in their purpose and action, as what happened in the bickering between the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. They ended up quarrelling and fighting each other, and being distracted and misguided in their ways and path, instead of doing what the Lord had entrusted to them and wanted them to do. As Christians, we should not end up doing the same against one another, against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Instead, as Christians, unity should always be an important priority for us, and we should always strive for unity in our actions and purpose, remaining firmly united in the Lord, in remaining as a united body of believers, and not to stray from God and be divided against each other. In the past history of the Church, there had been quite a number of occasions when this unity had been threatened and harmed, and led to the divisions and bitter tears and break in the unity of the Body of Christ, the Church of God. And all these divisions bring about difficulties and obstacles in the many good things that the Church could have done together, in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, and in doing what the Lord has commanded us to do. If only we have stayed united in the Lord, there could have been so many more great things we can do together instead of by ourselves, or worse still, us working against each other.

One of the main reason of this division is pride and stubbornness, our prideful attitude and stubbornness in refusing to listen to the Lord and to one another. It is when we stop to listen actively and properly to one another that we end up being divided against each other. As our Pope, Pope Leo XIV himself said that, ‘We have to know how to listen, not to judge, and not to shut doors as if we hold all the truth and no one else has anything else to offer.’ This attitude of thinking that we know it better than others and thinking that we are superior than another is what often led to bitter divisions in the Church, harming many souls and all those who have been caught in the division. Who ultimately benefits from all these? It is Satan, the evil one, the orchestrator of division.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Boniface, a great and holy man of God, a devoted bishop and martyr, who was known particularly for his great commitment to the works of mission, in evangelising to the pagans and to all those who have not yet known God. St. Boniface is also known as the Apostle to the Germans for his great contributions in the area of evangelisation and mission amongst the pagan German peoples at the time. St. Boniface was known for his missionary zeal and efforts in introducing Christ to the people in Germania, especially the northern parts where pagan worship was still commonplace. In one often known story, St. Boniface chopped down a sacred oak that was held sacred to Odin, the chief god of the Norse and Germanic paganism, and the people there expected that St. Boniface would be struck down from doing so. But when he remained unharmed, many were convinced and became Christians.

St. Boniface himself tirelessly went to do many works and efforts to build up the Church in the areas that he has visited, planting the firm foundation for the Church in those areas, and as bishop, he established the Church and its various institutions among the new communities that he had helped establish by his courageous missionary zeal and works. And in the midst of one of these many missionary works and journeys, St. Boniface and his entourage was beset by Frisian bandits, who attacked him and killed him, and hence, he died a martyr for the faith, thinking that the items that they had been holding and carrying were precious treasures and wealth. Instead, they were in fact the Scriptures and other holy books of the faith. To the very end, St. Boniface carried out his mission with faith, and many people were inspired by his dedication and example long after his martyrdom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to do our best in our own lives, to strive for unity in the Church, by first maintaining unity among ourselves, among our fellow brothers and sisters. Let us always be ready to listen to one another and to understand each other, instead of being so ready to judge and point fingers to others, or to disagree without first trying to listen and empathise to another. Let us also continue to pray for one another and support each other in our journey together towards God. Let us continue to be united as one Church in our mission to proclaim the Lord, His Good News and truth to all the people of all the nations. Amen.

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to continue to put our trust and faith in the Lord, to be united to Him and to be united with one another, with our fellow brothers and sisters. That is because if we are united with God and are united with our fellow brethren, united in our purpose and faith, then we will be strong against all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in life, and we will not be easily swayed by the temptations, pressures and coercions around us. We have to be resilient and faithful, trusting in the Lord and His Providence, while also praying for one another and helping each other in our journey towards God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when St. Paul faced the whole Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, consisting of the members of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two most influential groups within the Jewish community at that time. The Pharisees were those religious and intellectual elites of the community, who were highly educated and knowledgeable about the Torah and the saying of the prophets, and who also espoused a rather strict interpretation of the Law of God, enforcing it upon the people of God. In contrast, the Sadducees were the ones who were influential in worldly ways, the opposite of the Pharisees in nature, as they upheld worldly influences more, and their members included the chief priests and the High Priest, those who have been given worldly importance and power.

And it was against these two groups that St. Paul was facing, with both groups fully intent on bringing about condemnation and punishment upon the faithful servant of God. St. Paul himself was a former Pharisee, as early in his youth, as Saul, he was a very ardent and zealous young Pharisee, dedicating himself and his works to try and destroy the early Church, arresting and persecuting Christians in various places, using even violent and harsh methods in doing so. But he was converted to the true faith in the Lord after the encounter which he had on the way to Damascus, and thereafter becoming a great champion and defender of the Christian faith and truth. St. Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, knew of the division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who were fielding a lot of accusations against him.

Hence, as we heard, he was speaking about how he did believe what the Pharisees were believing, in matters such as the resurrection and other beliefs which the Sadducees were very loathful against, and as we heard, a great argument immediately broke out in the place where St. Paul was to be judged by the Sanhedrin. This proves to all of us that as united as the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the Sanhedrin were in their desire to stamp out the Christian faith and the efforts of St. Paul, but in the face of the Wisdom and truth of the Lord, their facade of unity came apart, and they ended up fighting each other and continuing their old bickering and disagreements rather than to do what they had originally intended to do.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard the continuation of the prayer that the Lord Jesus prayed on behalf of His disciples and followers, directed to His heavenly Father, which took place not long before He was to embark on His last mission, the moment of His Passion, His path of suffering and the Cross, and His ultimate sacrifice on that same Cross, to die for the sins of the whole world. He prayed for the unity of all those who have followed Him and became His disciples, so that they would truly be one in unity just as He Himself and the Father are One, the Holy Trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. With the same unity therefore, the Lord wanted His faithful ones in His Church to have, to be truly united in the one Body of all believers, the Body of Christ, the Church of God.

This is the prayer that the Lord Jesus offered to His Father, the prayer which He has prayed for all of us His faithful ones, for the unity of our purpose and our existence as those who have followed Him and entrusted ourselves to Him, so that we will not be divided one against another anymore. As we heard from our first reading passage today, we can see what happens when people were not united in their purpose and action, as what happened in the bickering between the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. They ended up quarrelling and fighting each other, and being distracted and misguided in their ways and path, instead of doing what the Lord had entrusted to them and wanted them to do. As Christians, we should not end up doing the same against one another, against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Instead, as Christians, unity should always be an important priority for us, and we should always strive for unity in our actions and purpose, remaining firmly united in the Lord, in remaining as a united body of believers, and not to stray from God and be divided against each other. In the past history of the Church, there had been quite a number of occasions when this unity had been threatened and harmed, and led to the divisions and bitter tears and break in the unity of the Body of Christ, the Church of God. And all these divisions bring about difficulties and obstacles in the many good things that the Church could have done together, in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, and in doing what the Lord has commanded us to do. If only we have stayed united in the Lord, there could have been so many more great things we can do together instead of by ourselves, or worse still, us working against each other.

One of the main reason of this division is pride and stubbornness, our prideful attitude and stubbornness in refusing to listen to the Lord and to one another. It is when we stop to listen actively and properly to one another that we end up being divided against each other. As our Pope, Pope Leo XIV himself said that, ‘We have to know how to listen, not to judge, and not to shut doors as if we hold all the truth and no one else has anything else to offer.’ This attitude of thinking that we know it better than others and thinking that we are superior than another is what often led to bitter divisions in the Church, harming many souls and all those who have been caught in the division. Who ultimately benefits from all these? It is Satan, the evil one, the orchestrator of division.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Boniface, a great and holy man of God, a devoted bishop and martyr, who was known particularly for his great commitment to the works of mission, in evangelising to the pagans and to all those who have not yet known God. St. Boniface is also known as the Apostle to the Germans for his great contributions in the area of evangelisation and mission amongst the pagan German peoples at the time. St. Boniface was known for his missionary zeal and efforts in introducing Christ to the people in Germania, especially the northern parts where pagan worship was still commonplace. In one often known story, St. Boniface chopped down a sacred oak that was held sacred to Odin, the chief god of the Norse and Germanic paganism, and the people there expected that St. Boniface would be struck down from doing so. But when he remained unharmed, many were convinced and became Christians.

St. Boniface himself tirelessly went to do many works and efforts to build up the Church in the areas that he has visited, planting the firm foundation for the Church in those areas, and as bishop, he established the Church and its various institutions among the new communities that he had helped establish by his courageous missionary zeal and works. And in the midst of one of these many missionary works and journeys, St. Boniface and his entourage was beset by Frisian bandits, who attacked him and killed him, and hence, he died a martyr for the faith, thinking that the items that they had been holding and carrying were precious treasures and wealth. Instead, they were in fact the Scriptures and other holy books of the faith. To the very end, St. Boniface carried out his mission with faith, and many people were inspired by his dedication and example long after his martyrdom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to do our best in our own lives, to strive for unity in the Church, by first maintaining unity among ourselves, among our fellow brothers and sisters. Let us always be ready to listen to one another and to understand each other, instead of being so ready to judge and point fingers to others, or to disagree without first trying to listen and empathise to another. Let us also continue to pray for one another and support each other in our journey together towards God. Let us continue to be united as one Church in our mission to proclaim the Lord, His Good News and truth to all the people of all the nations. Amen.

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 17 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus prayed to God His Father, “I pray not only for these, but also for those who through their word will believe in Me. May they all be one, as You Father are in Me and I am in You. May they be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

“I have given them the glory You have given Me, that they may be one as We are One : I in them and You in Me. Thus they shall reach perfection in unity; and the world shall know that You have sent Me, and that I have loved them, just as You loved Me.”

“Father, since You have given them to Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, and see the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You have sent Me.”

“As I revealed Your Name to them, so will I continue to reveal it, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and also may be in them.”

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I bless the Lord Who counsels me; even at night my inmost self instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices; my body too will rest assured. For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will You suffer Your Holy One to see decay in the land of the dead.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence the fullness of joy, at Your right hand happiness forever.

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 22 : 30 and Acts 23 : 6-11

The next day the commander wanted to know for certain the charges the Jews were making against Paul. So he released him from prison and called together the High Priest and the whole Council; and they brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul knew that part of the Council were Sadducees and others Pharisees; so he spoke out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee. It is for the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial here.”

At these words, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the whole assembly was divided. For the Sadducees claim that there is neither resurrection, nor Angels nor spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all these things.

Then the shouting grew louder, and some teachers of the Law of the Pharisee party protested, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Maybe a spirit or an Angel has spoken to him.” With this the argument became so violent that the commander feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He therefore ordered the soldiers to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him back to the fortress.

That night the Lord stood by Paul and said, “Courage! As you have borne witness to Me here in Jerusalem, so must you do in Rome.”

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Tuesday, 27 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should continue to have hope in the Lord, believing that in His Providence, His presence and help, we will always find hope and strength, as well as the sure path out of our predicaments and sufferings, all the hardships and challenges that we have had to endure in our lives. We must never allow ourselves to be easily swayed and pressured by fear, indecision and doubt. We must continue to hold up firmly that faith in the Lord, that we should always have in our hearts and minds. That is why we are all called to reflect upon this hope which He has placed in us, so that we may continue to faithfully serve Him at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the continuation of the account of the works of the Apostles in the ministry of the proclaiming of the Good News of God among the people, calling more and more towards the Lord and to His salvation. And even in the midst of their predicament and hardships, the Apostles continued to receive guidance, strength and encouragement from the Lord. God did not abandon those whom He had called and chosen to be His own, and He heard the prayers of those who have fervently prayed to Him and kept their faith in Him. We heard how a great earthquake struck when St. Paul and the other faithful disciples of the Lord were put in incarceration, and they were miraculously freed.

But what was even more wonderful was the fact that the Lord did not in fact just free St. Paul and the other disciples from their bondage and imprisonment, but He also made it such that the jailor and his family were also freed from their own bondage and slavery to sin, as St. Paul convinced the jailor not to take his own life out of guilt, but rather to put his trust in the Lord, and which led therefore to his conversion together with that of his own family members. Therefore, God did not just bring His servants to their safety, but was even adding to their numbers in such moments of darkness and suffering. All of these serve to remind us ever more of God’s greatness and His wonderful grace towards us, in how He has constantly and patiently guided us in our journey through faith and life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, in which the Lord Jesus continued to speak to His disciples about what would happen to Him at the moment surrounding His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, all of which would soon happen, and He told these all to the disciples so that they would not fall into despair and fear, and that they would continue to put their trust and faith in Him even in difficult times. And as He had shared with the disciples in today’s passage, that everything had to happen as according to the will of the Father in Heaven, Who would send to them all the Helper or the Advocate, which refers to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God that would strengthen all of the followers of the Lord.

And the Lord told them all that everything had to happen as it had been planned by God, or else, the Holy Spirit would not come into this world as He should have. Through the Holy Spirit that eventually came upon all the disciples, guiding the Church of God, the Lord would do wonderful things for His people, growing the reach of His works to the whole world through the works of evangelisation and mission, as the disciples of the Lord courageously went forth to proclaim the Good News and the truth about God and His salvation, strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, sent unto them by the Lord Himself, dwelling in their hearts. Through the tireless effoorts and works of these dedicated missionaries and many other holy and faithful people of God, countless people and souls have been saved from eternal damnation and brought into the light of God’s salvation.

Today, the Church also marks the occasion of the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbu ry, the very first bishop of the restored Church hierarchy and structure in England, after the turmoil and destruction of the previous two centuries when civil upheavals and problems led to the loss of contact between the Church in England and that in the rest of the Christendom at the time. After the downfall of the Roman Empire in the Western Europe, as well as the invasion of England by the pagan Anglo-Saxons, the state of the Church in the formerly Christian England was dire, but this did not lead to total destruction of the Christian faith in the region as many still held onto their faith in God despite being separated from the hierarchy and administration of the Church.

And most importantly, at that time, Pope St. Gregory the Great initiated important efforts to reevangelise the many areas that had fallen back to paganism and where the faith had floundered, sending among others, St. Augustine of Canterbury to be the Papal representative and missionary in England. It was at Canterbury in southeastern England where he ministered and worked patiently for the Lord’s sake, eventually leading to the conversion of many to the Lord, and beginning a great period of rejuvenation of the Christian faith there, that in the end brought back the whole England to the faith, as the Anglo-Saxons eventually completely and entirely adopted the Christian faith and were baptised in the Lord. Thanks to the courageous and tireless efforts of St. Augustine of Canterbury and the many other missionaries, all these good things happened.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard today from our Scripture passages and also from the life and works of St. Augustine of Canterbury among others, let us all therefore be evangelising and missionary in our own actions, words and all the things that we do in our respective lives daily, in each and every moments, and in all of our encounters with those whom we meet in our lives. Let us all therefore be the faithful and worthy beacons of God’s light and truth, His Good News, love and hope to everyone around us. May the Lord bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and bring us all to be the great examples to all the people, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 27 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 16 : 5-11

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “But now I am going to the One Who sent Me, and none of you asks Me where I am going; instead you are overcome with grief, because of what I have said.”

“Believe Me, it is better for you that I go away, because as long as I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away, it is to send Him to you, and when He comes, He will vindicate the truth before a sinful world; and He will vindicate the paths of righteousness and justice.”

“What is the world’s sin, in regard to Me? Disbelief. What is the path of righteousness? It is the path I walk, by which I go to the Father; and you shall see Me no more. What is the path of justice? It is the path on which the prince of this world will always stand condemned.”

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Tuesday, 27 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 137 : 1-2a, 2bc-3, 7c-8

I thank You, o Lord with all my heart, for You have heard the word of my lips. I sing Your praise in the presence of the gods. I bow down towards Your holy Temple and give thanks to Your Name.

For Your love and faithfulness, for Your word which exceeds everything. You answered me when I called; You restored my soul and made me strong.

You save me from the wrath of my foes, with Your right hand You deliver me. How the Lord cares for me! Your kindness, o Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the work of Your hands.

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Tuesday, 27 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 16 : 22-34

So the slave owners of Philippi set the crowd against Paul and Silas and the officials tore the clothes of them and ordered them to be flogged. And after inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them safely. Upon receiving these instructions, he threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly a severe earthquake shook the place, rocking the prison to its foundations. Immediately all the doors flew open and the chains of all the prisoners fell off.

The jailer woke up to see the prison gates wide open. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself, but Paul shouted to him, “Do not harm yourself! We are all still here.” The jailer asked for a light, then rushed in, and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas. After he had secured the other prisoners, he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.” Then they spoke the word of God to him and to all his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer took care of them and washed their wounds; and he and his whole household were baptised at once. He led them to his house, spread a meal before them and joyfully celebrated with his whole household his newfound faith in God.