Friends, welcome to Word on Fire, Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an apostolate dedicated

to the mission of evangelization, using media both old and new to share the faith on every

continent and to facilitate and encounter with Christ and His Church. The efforts of

Word on Fire engage the culture and bring the transformative power of God's Word where

it is most needed. Today we invite you to join Bishop Robert Baron as he preaches

the gospel and shares the warmth and light of Christ with each of us.

Peace be with you. Friends, we're moving through this wonderful Easter season. It's

a time of a real contemplation, I think, when we're basking in the glow of the resurrection

of Jesus and we're watching the first Christians. As we read the Acts of the Apostles, it's

such a wonderful text and it's such a room-inative time to read it. We bask in the light of

the resurrection and we watch the first disciples do their works. It's a cool thing that

the Acts of the Apostles in Greek doesn't have the article. It's simply Acts of Apostles.

And see, all of us are Apostles. Apostelian means to send. We've all been sent by the

Lord Jesus. So we're meant to see in their Acts our Acts what we ought to be doing.

I think it's really true in regard to the reading for this week, this passage from the

Acts of the Apostles, which is our first reading for the weekend. Surprisingly instructive,

I think, for our time in the life of the church. And see, it witnesses to something that is

essential to Christianity, namely that we are a relentlessly public religion. Let me

say it again. I think it's extremely important for our time. We are a relentlessly public

religion. I remember vividly being in Rome back in 2007. I was at the North American

College and I used to go down whenever I could to hear Pope Benedict give his Wednesday

audience speech. And he was talking once about St. Irenaeus, one of my heroes. And the

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