The Easter Blog

Third Week of Easter - Thursday

Third Week of Easter - Thursday

First Reading Acts 8:26-40

Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being
baptized?

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head
south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the
desert route.” So he got up and set out. Now there was an
Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is,
the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire
treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was
returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the
prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up
with that chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading
Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are
reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs
me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. This
was the Scripture passage he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb
before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him, who will tell
of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth?

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about
whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about
someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning
with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to
prevent my being baptized?” Then he ordered the chariot to
stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the
water, and he baptized him. When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch
saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. Philip
came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

The Word of the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia Jn 6:51 - I am the living bread
that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this
bread will live forever. Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel Jn 6:44-51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the
last day. It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes
to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who
is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may
eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from
heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the
bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Add comment April 26th, 2007

Third Week of Easter - Wednesday

Third Week of Easter - Wednesday

First Reading Acts 8:1b-8

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

They went about preaching the word.

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church
in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the
countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over
him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the
word. Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and
proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the
crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when
they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean
spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many
possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people
were cured. There was a great joy in the city.

The Word of the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia See Jn 6:40 - Everyone who
believes in the Son has eternal life, and I shall raise
him on the last day, says the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel Jn 6:35-40

This is the will of my Father, that all who see the
Son may have eternal life.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John

Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever
comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me
will never thirst. But I told you that although you have
seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father
gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone
who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to
do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And
this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not
lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise
it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have
eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Add comment April 26th, 2007