Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection April 21, 2026
Tuesday – 3rd Week of Easter
21st April 2026 (Tuesday)
Psalter: Week 3
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Acts 7:51-8:1a
In those days: Stephen said to the people and the elders and the scribes, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of his execution.
Psalm 31:3bc-4, 6 and 7b-8a, 17 and 21ab (R. 6a)
R/. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. I am the bread of life, says the Lord; whoever comes to me shall not hunger.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: John 6:30-35
At that time: The people said to Jesus, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Tuesday – 3rd Week of Easter
Main Point: When the objectives are higher and more commendable, the efforts will also be higher and more deliberate.
1. Our goals and accomplishments will remain earthly as long as we are. We cannot improve our quality of life unless we elevate ourselves to a higher plane and aim for greater things.
2. Jesus’ inability to look beyond worldly elements such as ancestry, location, culture, food and drink, ability and power, reputation and popularity, etc. was a persistent issue with Jews. The Law, miracles, marvels, Moses’ supply of bread and water in the wilderness, etc., had only captured their attention.
3. Jesus seeks to elucidate and elevate their vision from the law to the person of Jesus, from manna and water to Jesus, the everlasting food and living water, from breathtaking wonders to the significant signs of the kingdom and triggers to faith, and from the heartless observance of the law to a hearty surrender to God’s will.
4. However, their legalism in shallow spirituality, their stiff-neckedness, their uncircumcised heart, and their envy cause them to reject both Jesus and Stephen, his fervent disciple, leading to his martyrdom.
5. However, Stephen, a joyful soul, does not use the transgression against them. Rather, like Jesus, he begs on their behalf and pardons them. He is like Jesus in both life and death. Frequently, the main issue is not so much whether the methods or actions are correct or bad.
6. Instead, the aims and ends are incorrect and distorted. Thus, we have to thoroughly examine our goals and objectives. The direction will be the same as the goal and the outcome. The procedure will be the same as the goal and the aim. The methods will be the same as the purpose and the goal.
My Practice: The only person who can quench hunger and thirst is Jesus, who is the bread and drink of life. If so, why do so many people suffer thirsty and hungry without looking for him out of conceit and stubbornness?
