He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God. //Acts 16:34
When I was sixteen years old, I had an encounter with the Living God. At a conference far from home, surrounded by thousands of other teenagers, the Lord revealed Himself to me in a very intimate way. In that moment, in those days at that conference, my life was changed. I was never the same again.
I was transformed by God, forever changed by the truth that the faith given to me by my parents was real. In that connection with the Lord, I understood this truth.
In today’s First Reading, we witness God’s transforming power. The jail guard’s life was changed forever. Paul and Silas were worshiping the Lord when an earthquake shook the foundation of the jail, the doors were flung open, and the prisoners’ chains were broken.
The jailer was terrified; he was so afraid of failing in his duties that he considered killing himself. Paul and Silas assured him they were still in the cell, and the guard realized the earthquake was from the Lord.
“Sirs,” he asked them, “what must I do to be saved?”
This encounter with the Living God is so transformative that the guard changed from a fear-filled man willing to harm himself to a believer who brought Paul and Silas to his home to care for them. He cleaned their wounds and then invited them to dine with his family to celebrate being saved.
What a celebration: the knowledge of Our Savior!
Each one of us understands this goodness, this healing power. We, too, have been touched by God’s power; we, too, celebrate the goodness of a Living God Whose love and freedom has changed our lives. How will you celebrate today?
Rachel Balducci has a Masters degree from the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia and teaches at Augusta University. She and her husband Paul have five sons and one daughter and are part of an intentional Christian community in Augusta, Georgia. Rachel is the author of several books and is the co-host of The Gist of CatholicTV. Find out more about her here.
2026 Prayer Pledge
Get Your Prayerful Planner
