"He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God." – Acts 10:2
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Dear friends in Christ Jesus, as we live in a multi-religious context. Today's Bible passage is an eye-opener for each one of us. We come across a man whose name is Cornelius who was a centurion of the Italian Cohort. It is mentioned in that passage that he was a God- fearing man who gave alms to the people and also constantly prayed to God. I am sure that you all must have come across such a person in your life who is not a Christian. People who are sincere and genuine in their relationship with God. Genuine prayers from the heart are always answered by God which we read in Acts 10:4 –"Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God."
In this passage we can see how the Holy Spirit is leading Cornelius in the right direction in following God. The Holy Spirit is asking Peter to visit the family of Cornelius without any hesitation. Peter being a Jew and Cornelius being a Gentile it was not possible for both of them to meet each other. But the Holy Spirit is opening up the heart of Peter to take us to this challenge. The outcome of this visit is that the whole family of Cornelius became strong followers of Jesus.
Let us be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God wants us to lead many more Corneliuses to him. Once we co-operate with God, he can make use of us as his instruments to bring many people closer to him. Just like Cornelius, let us also raise up our genuine prayers constantly to God. Amen.
Reflection on Acts 10: 1-33 by Fr. George Joseph SVD
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