Father Mike Schmitz

They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead.

But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.

It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery, and Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him.

And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.

They presented many gifts to us, and when we sailed, they put on board whatever we needed."

Paul comes to Rome.

After three months, we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin brothers as figurehead.

Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.

And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Regium.

And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.

There we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days.

And so we came to Rome.

And the brethren there, when they heard of us, came as far as the forum of Appius and three taverns to meet us.

On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier that guarded him.

Paul and Jewish leaders in Rome.

After three days, he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, Brethren, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.

But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, though I had no charge to bring against my nation.