Born in Sigmaringen, Germany in 1577, St Fidelus started his adult life as a lawyer who traveled around Europe tutoring aristocrats and defending the poor. He became a Franciscan Capuchin monk in 1612. He became a Catholic missionary in Switzerland in that area Europe that had become heavily Protestant after the Reformation. Accused of being a spy for the Austrian empire, he was stabbed to death in 1622. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIV.
In our reading from Acts, we hear about Peter and John heading off to the Temple to pray when a lame man stops them and asks them for assistance. Instead of giving him money to help him economically, they heal him through the Holy Spirit. This man is overcome by joy as he leaps around and shouts praises to God. This commotion draws the attention of a large crowd, which gives Peter the opportunity to preach to the people about Jesus. They tell the crowd about what happened to their Lord. They want the people to repent, to change their lives, to become followers of the Lord. But it is not the miracle itself that draws our attention, but rather the power and the truth behind that miracle, the way it teaches us about God’s kingdom and about our faith.
May we learn from the growth and development of the early Church this week in our first readings at daily Mass from the Acts of the Apostles.
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