Daily Reading for January 26 • Timothy, Titus, and Silas, Companions of St. Paul

The devotion of the apostles’ hearts and the power of prayer are expressed [here] together, since in the depths of the prison they sang hymns, and their praise moved the earth of the prison, shook the foundation, opened the doors and finally loosened the very chains of those who had been bound. In other words, anyone of the faithful “considers it all joy when he falls into various trials.” “And he gladly glories in his infirmities, so that the power of Christ may dwell in him.” Such a one undoubtedly sings hymns with Paul and Silas within the darkness of the prison, and with the psalmist he recites to the Lord, “You are my refuge from the distress which surrounds me, my exaltation.”

From Bede’s Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament V: Acts, edited by Francis Martin (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2006).