In our first reading today, many wonderful things are happening. Saul has now converted and begins his transitioning to Saint Paul. The Church relaxes therefore and begins to enjoy a period of relative peace in Judea and Jerusalem. Saint Peter, who by then has been already actively engaged in ministry and performing many miracles through the empowerment he received from Jesus, continues to astound many people by word and powerful deeds and so the Church continues to grow in the vibrancy and the purpose of its mission. We are told that the followers of Christ in these areas were ‘building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit’ Acts 9:31.