My Family Prayer Book

2026-04-12 Divine Mercy Sunday  Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 summarises the daily life of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem; marked by redistribution of resources. “From each according to his ability; to each according to his need,” - the communal living called 'Koinōnia' meant the community as a whole provided food for the hungry, resources for the impoverished, and burial assistance for the marginalised. Luke's Gospel and Acts both portray the material excess of the wealthy as a hindrance to spiritual access to the community of Christ. The Rich Man (often called "Dives") awakens in an afterlife of a fiery hellscape because of his neglect of the poor man Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31). We can also see this with Zacchaeus, who gained his wealth from being Rome’s chief collector of the financial penalty that Judeans had to pay for being conquered (Luke 19:1–10). Only after he says that he will pay back what he extorted does Jesus tell him that salvation has come ...

 2026-04-05 Easter Vigil (Year B)   Acts 10:34-43 Cornelius was a centurion of roughly 600 volunteer Italian citizens. Stationed in Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea, he held a position of significant authority and respect. In these verses, the apostle Peter delivers a compelling speech to God-fearer Cornelius and his household, concisely outlining the Christian message about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God-fearer" (phoboumenos ton Theon). This was a specific term for Gentiles who:     Worshipped the God of Israel.     Attended synagogue services.     Followed Jewish moral ethics.     However, they had not undergone circumcision or fully converted to Judaism. The interaction of Cornelius and Peter, sometimes refered to the Gentile Pentecost, involves a "double vision" designed to overcome the deep-seated cultural and religious barriers between Jews and Gentiles.     Cornelius’s Vision: An angel appeared to hi...

   2024-Mar-31: Easter Sunday Acts 10:34-43 The book of Acts is an epic tale of how a small group of Jesus followers develops into “the church.” In a book that describes miracle after miracle and takes its readers on adventure after adventure, it is in these few verses that Peter declares the complete gospel. Jesus of Nazareth was anointed and chosen by God. He received the Holy Spirit and with its power he goes around doing good and healing those who were oppressed. He was put to death, dying on a tree. God raised him on the third day and he appeared to a chosen few. Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. The good news or gospel is simple: it is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  But it is the context of this declaration that is important. Peter begins his homily by saying: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God.” If we read this declaration with...

  Second Sunday of Easter Acts 4:32-35 Who is my neighbor? This passage is to challenge us, to shake us and poke us when we have become too unquestioning and comfortable about our own way of living our faith. Do we even stop to think that people are not created to serve the economy but rather the economy should serve the people. Psalm 118 The cornerstone is sometimes translated to mean the capstone which is the very center stone at the top of an arch; it is truly what holds all the other pieces together. Without it, the arch would definitely fall. And so it is with us. Jesus is so crucial for our lives today. Without Him we would surely fall. John 5:1-6 This is a pastoral letter to churches in conflict––written to address the conflict of some who denied the Incarnation and the deity of Jesus and to prevent its spread. They could not accept that Jesus (the man) is the Christ (the messiah, the spiritual entity). They could accept that Jesus (the man) was “born of God the Father.” . I...

  Easter Sunday Acts 10:34a, 37-43 In this passage from Acts, Peter proclaimed the Good News to the household of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was a righteous Gentile, observant of Jewish practices but a non-convert due to his position/rank in the army. Cornelius did not convert; conversion to Judaism meant resigning his commission in the Army, since military service required offering incense to an image of the Emperor as a sign of allegiance. Offering incense to the Emperor's image was considered to be idolatry to Jews. And the message from the apostles as personal witnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus was clear, 'those who believed (regardless of nation, class, color or culture) in Christ (i.e., his "name") would receive the forgiveness that God offered to all.' Psalm 118 Christ is risen, Alleluia! But do we today bear witness “with great power” to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus  Colossians 3:1-4 After the resurrection of Christ believers shoul...