Cornelius

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.

One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.

While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.

“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.

Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

…and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.