The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter
12
1. About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. 2. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. 3. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.)
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 1 to 3)
Oh holy Spirit of God, when the evil one, observes that there is a strong spirit of revival in the Roman Catholic Church, and even much good being done in many churches, this negative force attempts to stop this good from spreading. The devil stops at nothing in order to cause harm and confusion. Such scandals that have taken place in the Roman Catholic Church and cases of abuse and corruption are all happening in order to persuade the believers not to place their trust in priests or even in the Pope and hopefully continue to reduce the number of vocations in he Church and bring it to its end. However as much as there exist the forces of evil, Your Holy Spirit is always there protecting us like a hen protects its chickens.
4. When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5. While Peter was kept in prison. the church prayed fervently to God for him.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God, You told us that power has special powers, strong enough to move mountains. More0ver, You promised us that when two or three are praying together You are present in their midst. Therefore, let us unite as one power station of prayer and offer our prayers, for Pope Francesco, new and dynamic vocations, strengthened families and moreover a new revival of faith.
6. The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell of his wrists.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 6 to 7)
As in the case of Peter, we are all bound by the chains of our sins. However these chains that can be an addiction, and maybe even a misconception about You oh God and what You expect of us during our life on earth. These chains worldly chains can be broken at any time You want to my God and Father and be replaced with spiritual chains that bind us as Your prisoners forever. However as prisoners of God, we are not restricted as in the case of Peter but are free to do all that You want us to do.
8. The angel said to him, "Fasten your belt and put on your sandals." He did so Then he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me".
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 8)
Oh God even during stressful situations You still give value to human dignity and decency. On appearing to Peter the angel did not tell Peter that he was free and to get out of there as fast as possible even without clothes or sandals. You instructed Peter to put on cloak and mantle thus giving him back his dignity as Your servant, thus giving him the permission to upgrade his status, from that of a prisoner, to that of a free person in the control of Your Holy Spirit. Therefore during moments of tribulation You also care for our human dignity and help us to preserve it, for an important, part of our dignity is that of being Your sons and daughters.
9. Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel's help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 9)
Many times it happens my God and Father that You intervene in my life, and it appears to good to be true. At that moment in time I simply cannot believe that it is due to Your intervention, however at other times I realize that was had happened at the time was an answer to a prayer. A typical is scenario is what happened on the 23rd of February. Malta had been experiencing a drastic lack of rainfall, so much that the archbishop of Gozo decided to organize a pilgrimage in prayer to God to send us the needed rain. On the 23rd, Malta was enveloped by a mist that on having, cleared served as irrigation water that was pure and gentle on the land. You answered to our prayer. The next day a gale force came which also is under Your control in order to enable the needed rain. However, the rain that is needed most is that of Your Holy Spirit so that You can renew our spirits and our faith in You my God and Father.
10. After they had passed the first and second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. 11. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 10 to 11)
At times oh God my Father we see one problem after another being solved one after each other without our intervention, one gate starts being opened after another. A typical example is when I used to experience 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome', which was a great barrier for me. When You healed me, it was one gate being opened, when You found me my current Job was another gate being opened, when You solved, the issue with the insurance, regarding the car accident that I was involved in was aother intervention, and when You gave me faith, my call to faith and the mission to share these prayers online by means of this blog was another big gate being opened. I thank You oh God for intervening with such love and care. Thank You Jesus.
12. As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 12)
Oh God my Father what a precious gift You gave us when You gave us Your Mother. In her we also find consolation and refuge even though many prefer to refer to You instead of her. In Your presence oh God my Father I acknowledge You as my Father and Your Mother Mary as being also my Mother.
13. When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. 14. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God with You all things are possible, there is no force or gate or any other barrier that can withstand Your presence, however when we are alone as in the case of Peter who without the aid of the angel was left behind another outer gate, the situation was totally different. Peter needed the response of others for the outer gate to be opened. Oh God I thank You for the many gates and opportunities that You gave me throughout my life, and even for those gates that have remained closed to this very day for my own good. I thank and praise Your name oh Jesus.
15. They said to her, "You are out of your mind! But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 15)
Oh God many times we are hindered from believing in You and Your message as found in the Bible, due to many biases, such as personal bias, gender bias as in the case of the Apostles and many other biases. With reference to biases in our lives and the strong impact they have on our decision-making processes please click on the following link:-
Biases in our lives
16. Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 16)
Oh God as in the case of Peter You are also knocking on the doors of our heart. At times You find us in a good mood and willing to accept You and take You at Your word, however at other times we decide to be stupid and stubborn and leave You knocking at our doors until Your knuckles are bleeding from knocking. However even though at may take time before we answer the door, You never ever give up on us and stop knocking on our door.
17. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, "Tell this to James and to the believers." Then he left and went to another place.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 17)
Oh God we dearly need to be silent for we live in a very noisy world. Many people are going around with head phones on their cell phones. When doing so we shut out all forms of communication both human and spiritual. Therefore we need to spend some time in quiet in order to reflect on our spiritual life with You and how we live it with others which also reflects our level of relationship with You. Amen.
18. When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 18 to 19)
When Herod realized that he had been fooled. This oh God made him ashamed and angry so much that he left Judea and went to Caesarea. However even though this seems to be a purely human intervention oh God Your hand was at work throughout the process. The worst part of this episode is that Herod experienced anger management issues so much that he vented his anger on the guards who were with Peter and condemned them to death. Oh, Jesus, I pray even for myself that during moments of anger I do not vent my anger on others but use anger management skills and retreat in prayer to help me regain inner peace, love and relationship with both You and those who may have made me angry. Amen
As a means of help in the management of this powerful feeling of anger I invite you to click on this link which refers
Practical anger management skills
20. Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 20)
Again oh God my Father we witness Herod who was again put to the tests, facing conflict and anger with his people at Tyre and Sidon. By moving to a different place, leaving one wife in order to move in with another man's wife we think, that we are going to solve the problems in our relationship, however if the problem is from our side as in the case of King Herod the issue, will remain with us until, we work on it and destroy it or else it will destroy us.
21. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. 22. The people kept shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!" 23. And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 21 to 23)
Oh God my Father before Herod because they were greatly influenced by his address, and because they needed his approval for their daily livelihood which may have been their main agenda for commenting as they did, the people said that these words were those of a god. When they saw You in such a state of pain and agony whipped and butchered they also yelled but to have You crucified. Today we are faced with the same decision. Who are we going to choose. Herod, the media with all its manipulation and public influence, politicians and lawyers who try to influence us by their public appearances, the market that offers us products that can perform super things on the package and then end up faulty and we end up manipulated by the terms and conditions or are we going to choose You my God? The day has come to make a serious and committed choice amen. If we had to make a sincere vote at a polling booth for general election whom would we vote for:-
King Herod
(The World)
Kings of Kings
Jesus Christ
Whoever we choose to keep in mind that the battle between good and evil is still raging in our world but Jesus will always be the winner and Satan will always be the looser. Praise be to God!
24. But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. 25. Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John whose other name was Mark.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 24 and 25)
On having ended their mission Barnabas and Paul headed back to Jerusalem which was the headquarters of the Apostles. During our times, we have the Roman Catholic Church who has its 'headquarters ' at the Vatican. As one body the parts communicate with the head that is driven by the Holy Spirit of God in the person of the Pope Francesco.
Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
God my Father we are bombarded by many messages. The media influences many of our choices and so does politics and the world of finance and economics as the social trends, norms and values and even beliefs which at times may be pagan that we are being exposed to. I pray oh God that you give us the light of wisdom and discernment in order to make the right choices and choose You over the world Amen.
4. When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5. While Peter was kept in prison. the church prayed fervently to God for him.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God, You told us that power has special powers, strong enough to move mountains. More0ver, You promised us that when two or three are praying together You are present in their midst. Therefore, let us unite as one power station of prayer and offer our prayers, for Pope Francesco, new and dynamic vocations, strengthened families and moreover a new revival of faith.
6. The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell of his wrists.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 6 to 7)
As in the case of Peter, we are all bound by the chains of our sins. However these chains that can be an addiction, and maybe even a misconception about You oh God and what You expect of us during our life on earth. These chains worldly chains can be broken at any time You want to my God and Father and be replaced with spiritual chains that bind us as Your prisoners forever. However as prisoners of God, we are not restricted as in the case of Peter but are free to do all that You want us to do.
8. The angel said to him, "Fasten your belt and put on your sandals." He did so Then he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me".
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 8)
Oh God even during stressful situations You still give value to human dignity and decency. On appearing to Peter the angel did not tell Peter that he was free and to get out of there as fast as possible even without clothes or sandals. You instructed Peter to put on cloak and mantle thus giving him back his dignity as Your servant, thus giving him the permission to upgrade his status, from that of a prisoner, to that of a free person in the control of Your Holy Spirit. Therefore during moments of tribulation You also care for our human dignity and help us to preserve it, for an important, part of our dignity is that of being Your sons and daughters.
9. Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel's help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 9)
Many times it happens my God and Father that You intervene in my life, and it appears to good to be true. At that moment in time I simply cannot believe that it is due to Your intervention, however at other times I realize that was had happened at the time was an answer to a prayer. A typical is scenario is what happened on the 23rd of February. Malta had been experiencing a drastic lack of rainfall, so much that the archbishop of Gozo decided to organize a pilgrimage in prayer to God to send us the needed rain. On the 23rd, Malta was enveloped by a mist that on having, cleared served as irrigation water that was pure and gentle on the land. You answered to our prayer. The next day a gale force came which also is under Your control in order to enable the needed rain. However, the rain that is needed most is that of Your Holy Spirit so that You can renew our spirits and our faith in You my God and Father.
10. After they had passed the first and second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. 11. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 10 to 11)
At times oh God my Father we see one problem after another being solved one after each other without our intervention, one gate starts being opened after another. A typical example is when I used to experience 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome', which was a great barrier for me. When You healed me, it was one gate being opened, when You found me my current Job was another gate being opened, when You solved, the issue with the insurance, regarding the car accident that I was involved in was aother intervention, and when You gave me faith, my call to faith and the mission to share these prayers online by means of this blog was another big gate being opened. I thank You oh God for intervening with such love and care. Thank You Jesus.
12. As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 12)
Oh God my Father what a precious gift You gave us when You gave us Your Mother. In her we also find consolation and refuge even though many prefer to refer to You instead of her. In Your presence oh God my Father I acknowledge You as my Father and Your Mother Mary as being also my Mother.
13. When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. 14. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God with You all things are possible, there is no force or gate or any other barrier that can withstand Your presence, however when we are alone as in the case of Peter who without the aid of the angel was left behind another outer gate, the situation was totally different. Peter needed the response of others for the outer gate to be opened. Oh God I thank You for the many gates and opportunities that You gave me throughout my life, and even for those gates that have remained closed to this very day for my own good. I thank and praise Your name oh Jesus.
15. They said to her, "You are out of your mind! But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 15)
Oh God many times we are hindered from believing in You and Your message as found in the Bible, due to many biases, such as personal bias, gender bias as in the case of the Apostles and many other biases. With reference to biases in our lives and the strong impact they have on our decision-making processes please click on the following link:-
Biases in our lives
16. Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 16)
Oh God as in the case of Peter You are also knocking on the doors of our heart. At times You find us in a good mood and willing to accept You and take You at Your word, however at other times we decide to be stupid and stubborn and leave You knocking at our doors until Your knuckles are bleeding from knocking. However even though at may take time before we answer the door, You never ever give up on us and stop knocking on our door.
17. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, "Tell this to James and to the believers." Then he left and went to another place.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 17)
Oh God we dearly need to be silent for we live in a very noisy world. Many people are going around with head phones on their cell phones. When doing so we shut out all forms of communication both human and spiritual. Therefore we need to spend some time in quiet in order to reflect on our spiritual life with You and how we live it with others which also reflects our level of relationship with You. Amen.
18. When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 18 to 19)
When Herod realized that he had been fooled. This oh God made him ashamed and angry so much that he left Judea and went to Caesarea. However even though this seems to be a purely human intervention oh God Your hand was at work throughout the process. The worst part of this episode is that Herod experienced anger management issues so much that he vented his anger on the guards who were with Peter and condemned them to death. Oh, Jesus, I pray even for myself that during moments of anger I do not vent my anger on others but use anger management skills and retreat in prayer to help me regain inner peace, love and relationship with both You and those who may have made me angry. Amen
As a means of help in the management of this powerful feeling of anger I invite you to click on this link which refers
Practical anger management skills
20. Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verse 20)
Again oh God my Father we witness Herod who was again put to the tests, facing conflict and anger with his people at Tyre and Sidon. By moving to a different place, leaving one wife in order to move in with another man's wife we think, that we are going to solve the problems in our relationship, however if the problem is from our side as in the case of King Herod the issue, will remain with us until, we work on it and destroy it or else it will destroy us.
21. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. 22. The people kept shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!" 23. And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 21 to 23)
Oh God my Father before Herod because they were greatly influenced by his address, and because they needed his approval for their daily livelihood which may have been their main agenda for commenting as they did, the people said that these words were those of a god. When they saw You in such a state of pain and agony whipped and butchered they also yelled but to have You crucified. Today we are faced with the same decision. Who are we going to choose. Herod, the media with all its manipulation and public influence, politicians and lawyers who try to influence us by their public appearances, the market that offers us products that can perform super things on the package and then end up faulty and we end up manipulated by the terms and conditions or are we going to choose You my God? The day has come to make a serious and committed choice amen. If we had to make a sincere vote at a polling booth for general election whom would we vote for:-
King Herod
(The World)
Kings of Kings
Jesus Christ
Whoever we choose to keep in mind that the battle between good and evil is still raging in our world but Jesus will always be the winner and Satan will always be the looser. Praise be to God!
24. But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. 25. Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John whose other name was Mark.
(Acts of the Apostles Chapter 12 verses 24 and 25)
On having ended their mission Barnabas and Paul headed back to Jerusalem which was the headquarters of the Apostles. During our times, we have the Roman Catholic Church who has its 'headquarters ' at the Vatican. As one body the parts communicate with the head that is driven by the Holy Spirit of God in the person of the Pope Francesco.
Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
God my Father we are bombarded by many messages. The media influences many of our choices and so does politics and the world of finance and economics as the social trends, norms and values and even beliefs which at times may be pagan that we are being exposed to. I pray oh God that you give us the light of wisdom and discernment in order to make the right choices and choose You over the world Amen.
