Tuesday 16 May, 2023 | Sixth Week of Easter |Readings: Acts 16:22-34; Psalm 137(138):1-3,7-8; John 16:5-11 (You can find these in full on the Universalis website – Click here)
“The strength of a nation derives from the strength of the home,” said Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and politician who lived 500 years before Christ’s birth. He had been at the forefront of establishing knowledge on the issues of justice and morality in government and in personal and social relationships, and his teachings remain influential across China and east Asia to this day. In the quote about nation and home, he addresses the role of the family in the growth of a nation. In his opinion, Confucius stated that the stronger the family values, the stronger the nation would be.
In the reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, we are taken into the household of an unnamed gaoler. After the miraculous earthquake, he fears that all the prisoners have escaped, and he can only imagine what will happen to him now. He is about to fall upon his own sword when Paul and Silas call to him. They offer him a way of being saved that is beyond his imagining. ‘What must I do to be saved?’ he asks. ‘Become a believer in the Lord Jesus,’ they reply, ‘and you will be saved, and your household too.” He is baptised, along with his whole household. He welcomes Paul and Silas into his home, they share a meal, and celebrate together as the life of his whole family is transformed.
We often overlook the importance of the house and home in the celebration of our faith, to our life of prayer, and in the nurture of children in the Christian Faith. Whilst each household and family are unique (and may even consist of people with very different beliefs) it is important, for us, that the home is a sanctuary of faith, a house of worship, a school of prayer, a place where the Christian faith is taught and practiced. Perhaps we could take the teaching of Confucius and adapt it to our own circumstances and say that the strength of a church derives from the strength of the home. When we are at home, are we at home with God? When we are behind closed doors, do our hearts and lives continue to be open to the God who has come to live among us? When we seek home comforts, do we seek the comfort of the One whom Jesus promised, the Spirit of Truth, who will lead us into all Truth?
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Mass today (Tuesday May, 2023) is celebrated at St Saviour’s Church, Splott at 10am and St Mary’s Church, Butetown at 7pm | If you would like to send a prayer request then click on the ‘REQUEST PRAYER’ Button. You can discover more about Worship across the Ministry Area on our Worship page
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