Sample Lesson from ACTS 2025-2026

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Lesson 1 – Study Questions
Foreword and Introduction to Commentary
Acts 1:1-26

Review: From your experience at last week’s introductory meeting of the Cornerstone, share something that helped build your faith.

NOTE: Welcome to the study of the Acts of the Apostles! You will find that Acts is both significant for chronicling the spread of the gospel and amazing in its history of the growth, successes, and challenges of the early Church. Acts of the Apostles is often considered the “second part” of the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke ends with Jesus’ Ascension, while Acts continues with the Holy Spirit guiding the early Christian community and building on Jesus’ teaching regarding the kingdom of God, a lesson which continues to this present day through his Holy Catholic Church and each of us. That is one reason Fr. McBride entitled his Commentary “The Gospel of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts itself can be neatly divided into two sections, the first dealing primarily with the ministry of Peter in Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts 1–12) and the second following Paul on his missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 13–28).

If you have studied this book before, hopefully you can allow this study to help you delve more deeply into its application to your faith journey, leading you to walk more closely with the Holy Spirit and develop the “holy boldness” of the apostles.

DAY ONE
Read the Foreword to “The Gospel of the Holy Spirit.”

1. Fr. McBride begins our Commentary by referring to the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus gives a Scripture lesson to two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Fr. McBride says that hearing this lesson was so moving that “within the listeners it caused a personal spiritual and moral conversion.” According to the Commentary, what are two key impacts of this on Christian scripture study?

2. How would you describe or deﬁne a “spiritual conversion”?

THINK: Changes occur in us that can be both uplifting and challenging as we progress through life. We may experience many conversions in our lifetime as God seeks to bring us closer to him to help us grow in holiness. Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high. (Holy and Healthy Catholic.com, “Conversion”) What are your thoughts on why any of us might need a spiritual conversion?

3. Because Scripture study can lead to spiritual conversion, Fr. McBride intends his Acts Commentary to “open up the person, message, and work of Jesus Christ, whose work of salvation in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit is presented. (It is) therefore, Jesus centered, and faith growth envisioned.” What is one goal you have for your study of Acts?

4. Fr. McBride ends the Foreword by describing an old folk custom in which a child was formally introduced to the sweetness of the Word of God by giving them a page of the Bible spread with honey and asking them to taste it. Is there a song, prayer, or Catholic tradition from your childhood that was particularly meaningful or “sweet” to you?

5. CONNECTION: From the road to Emmaus to our own time, the study of God’s word is central to our faith. Look back at your faith journey and jot down a few important “stops” along the way: For example, when did you ﬁrst begin to study the word of God, or what has been your favorite study or book of the Bible, or who has had the greatest impact on your understanding or love of scripture? Share a thought or two with your small group.

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and write a short prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide you on your journey through Acts.

DAY TWO
Read the Introduction to the Commentary.

6. For what reason does Fr. McBride indicate that he thinks Luke was often an eyewitness of the events he describes in Acts?

7. In the “Grand Design” of Acts, Luke follows the progress of the apostles taking the Gospel from Asia Minor to Greece then to Rome. Rome at that time was considered “the end of the earth”. He cites as the reason for this great progress the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit. Consider the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, then read and record John 14:16-17.

NOTE: Fr. McBride continues by touching on the “extraordinary graces” reported within Acts. These included gifts such as speaking in tongues, healing, exorcism, discernment, and boldness.

These gifts of the Spirit gave the first disciples extraordinary power and ability and guided them in the way they were to serve God and help to build the early Church.

8. In the section “From Kingdom to Church,” Fr. McBride describes the early followers of Christ. List one or two of his descriptions of these early Christians.

9. Fr. McBride says, “One of the ﬁrst results of the religious experience in Acts is the creation of community.” What are some of the most important elements to you in your own Christian communities: Cornerstone, prayer group, book club or parish?

THINK: Could the elements you identified have applied to the first Christians?

10. CONNECTION: “Watching how the ﬁrst Christians confronted the moral and spiritual problems of their day with the power of Christ’s Gospel and the dynamism of the Holy Spirit, inspires us to approach our own dilemmas with equal faith and conﬁdence.” (Commentary) Share a time when the Holy Spirit assisted you with a challenging situation, or a remembrance of a time of unexpected peace, forgiveness or acceptance, realizing that indeed, this could be the Spirit at work.

“The Spirit of truth and charity reminds us of all that Christ said and helps us enter ever more fully into the meaning of his words. We all have this experience: one moment, in any situation, there is an idea and then another connects with a passage from Scripture… It is the Spirit who leads us to take this path…”(excerpt from “Walking with Jesus,” Pope Francis) With these words in mind, pray today the Holy Spirit prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, ﬁll the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the ﬁre of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.

DAY THREE
Read Acts 1:1-7

NOTE: Acts of the Apostles will resume the story, as told in Luke’s Gospel. This week’s lesson begins with Luke’s prologue to Acts, in which “he recapitulates the end of his Gospel with the risen Jesus’ final appearance to the disciples.” Felix Just, S.J., PhD, “The Acts of the Apostles.” Luke begins by addressing his work to Theophilus (whose name means “lover of God”) and reminding him that the first book (The Gospel of Luke) contained the story of Jesus from his nativity to the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. (Acts 1:1-3)

11. During the 40 days after his resurrection Jesus presented himself to the apostles and offered them many convincing proofs of his bodily resurrection and spoke to them of the kingdom of God. Record one or more of these examples of Jesus’ convincing proofs:

Luke 24:39-40
John 20:27
1 Corinthians 15:6

12. In verses 4-5 Luke records Jesus’ command to the apostles not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. Record the promise from the last phrase of verse 5.

13. Jesus’ reminder of the Father’s promise must have led to varying reactions among the disciples, perhaps confusion or fright, or excitement, joy or conﬁdence. Recall a time when God’s plan for you may have evoked one of these reactions and share in what way(s) your faith in the Holy Spirit helped you to fulﬁll God’s plan for you.

14. Even though Jesus had taught that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), the disciples’ question about restoring the kingdom of Israel in verse 6 implies that they still do not understand. In verse 7 Jesus conﬁrms not only that God’s kingdom is still unfolding, but also that God’s timing is for God alone to Read Matthew 24:35-36 and record verse 36.

NOTE: “Judaism hoped for a militant Messiah who would redeem Israel from the yoke of Roman oppression (Lk 24:21) and rebuild the kingdom of David that had lain in ruins since the sixth century B.C.” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible) This hope is reflected in the question of the disciples regarding the timing of the restoration of the kingdom in verse 6.

15. CONNECTION: Jesus assured the disciples that it was pointless for them to speculate regarding the coming of the kingdom. Jesus has afﬁrmed the coming of the kingdom but stressed that it is not for them (or us) to know God’s plans. When we apply this to questions we have in our life journey such as: “who, what, where, when and how,” it means we must step back, continue to prayerfully discern, live and work in faith. We must realize God is in charge. What is an example of a daily challenge you may have in “letting go and letting God”?

Read and record Proverbs 19:21 and let these thoughts bring you peace.

DAY FOUR
Read Acts 1:8-12

16. In verse 8 Jesus conﬁrms to the disciples that the promise of the Father will be fulﬁlled; they will receive power from the Holy Spirit and shall be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria. Look up the deﬁnition of the word “witness” and describe how and why you think the apostles were to be witnesses.

17. Thinking more about the word “witness”, how and why do you witness for Christ?

18. Verses 9-11 report Jesus’ ascension on the In both the Hebrew Testament and New Testament, we read of God’s glory and majesty associated with clouds. Read one of the following passages and describe its connection to Jesus’ ascension:

Daniel 7:13
2 Kings 2:11

NOTE: For Luke, the ascension marks the end of the appearances of Jesus except for the extraordinary appearance to Paul. With regard to Luke’s understanding of salvation history, the ascension also marks the end of the time of Jesus (Lk 24:50–53) and signals the beginning of the time of the church. USCCB Notes on Acts 1:6-11

19. The followers of Jesus were met both at the empty tomb and at the ascension by two men in white robes, two angels (per McBride). God often sends people into our lives when we are confused, overwhelmed or Recall a time when you believe a person entered your life just when you needed an “angel.”

20. CONNECTION: The apostles return to Jerusalem “from the mount called ”

(verse 12) The Mount of Olives was the site of the Ascension; but it was also a place where Jesus went to pray alone and with his disciples (Luke 22:39-44). We too may beneﬁt from a special place to pray, to study the Bible, prepare our weekly lessons, or just listen for the Spirit. A sacred space does not have to be a room; it could even be a favorite chair, a window, or even a religious object. If you have a sacred space, share a few thoughts on why it is important to you.

Read and record Matthew 6:6 and spend a few quiet minutes with the Lord.

DAY FIVE
Read Acts 1:13-26

NOTE: In verses 13-14 Luke lists the remaining 11 apostles, as well as Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and noted “other women.” The “women” mentioned are probably the seven women disciples, who with the Virgin Mary accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem from the Galilee: Mary Magdala, Mary of Cleopas, Joanna, probably Susannah, Mary and Martha of Bethany, and Salome the mother of the apostles James and John. (Agape Bible Study- Acts of the Apostles and also Matthew 27:55-56 and Mark 15:40-41) The apostles and women would be joined by about 120 other believers, referred to by Luke as “the brethren.”

21. As today’s lesson begins, Peter began his ﬁrst speech – an act of leadership following the authority given to him by Refer to Matthew 16:18-19 and comment on how these verses could indicate Peter’s responsibility.

22. Peter explains that Judas’ betrayal of Christ was prophesied (see Psalm 41:10) and that his replacement should be someone who had accompanied and known Jesus. What does Peter note are some of the things the replacement would have seen (verses 21-22) and why would this be important?

NOTE: With Judas’ death, Peter determines the need to replace him before the coming of the Holy Spirit. “His decision signifies that Peter understood the symbolic significance of the leadership of the Twelve among the disciples and for the redeemed Israel of the New Covenant Church…In addition, in the significance of numbers in Scripture, twelve is the number of “divine perfection in government.” The significance of the number twelve has been related to the restoration of the new/redeemed Israel from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in his selection of the Twelve Apostles.” Agape, Acts of the Apostles

23. Two men were proposed as Judas’ replacement. The apostles began to discern by praying. Record the ﬁrst part of their prayer (verse 24) and comment on anything you ﬁnd notable about this prayer.

24. Following their prayer, they cast lots to determine the man to ﬁll Judas’ place as an Casting lots was seen as an impartial and traditional way of making a difﬁcult decision that would allow for the will of God to come to fruition and that arguments would not occur. (Ascension Press: Choosing Matthias: Much More than Casting Lots) What do you think was the most important part of their discernment process?

25. CONNECTION: Just as the disciples had a difficult decision to make, and they prayed that the LORD would help them make the choice, we too have choices to make that are truly important in our lives and for which we need divine direction. Brieﬂy describe a decision or a choice you have had to make. Share how prayer was involved and how you think it affected the outcome.

Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act.” With that thought in mind, write a brief prayer asking the Lord to strengthen your faith in his plans for you.

FINAL QUESTION for the WEEK

The disciples are gathered, waiting and praying for the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father. Indeed, the Holy Spirit was active throughout the Old Covenant in the lives of the people of Israel (Acts 1:16). The early Christians understood the Spirit as a powerful force that inspired their work. What is the Holy Spirit’s role in your faith life?

Read Chapter 1 in The Gospel of the Holy Spirit, Meditation and Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles by Alfred McBride, O. Praem., © 1992. Reprinted 2013 by St. Benedict Press, LLC. The Cornerstone Catholic Scripture Study acknowledges that scripture quotations in this study are from the Bible text: New Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition (NRSVCE),

thecornerstonescripturestudy.org