Third Week of Easter
18th April 2024 (Thursday)
Psalter: Week 3
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Acts 8:26-40
In those days: An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20 (R. 1)
R/. Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. . I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : John 6:44-51
At that time: Jesus said to the crowds, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Thursday – Third Week of Easter
Guidelines: Those who are open to the Spirit will be taught and illumined by His light. They will be led by the Spirit to lead others too to God
1. “They will all be taught by God”, thus Jesus refers to the Prophets. To the extent we are open to being taught by God, to that extent, we will grow in our faith and become strong in our mission. This is what happens in the lives of the apostles, especially in the life of Philip who is the central figure in the first reading of the Acts of the Apostles.
2. Philip remains open to the guidance of the Spirit. He follows the direction of the Spirit. Accordingly, he goes from Jerusalem to Gaza. He meets an Ethiopian, a eunuch, and evangelises him, baptizes him, and leads him to faith. Thereafter he continues his missionary journey.
3. Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. They will not be crushed by the powers of death. Those who ate the manna in the desert died. But those who receive Jesus, the bread of life will never taste death.
4. But how can we come to the Lord, experience him, believe him and live forever? The only way is to be humble and docile to be drawn by God and to be taught by Him. Let each one pose a personal question to himself, the same question as to the Ethiopian, “What prevents me from being baptized?”
5. This question has two aspects: on one hand, this reveals the deep desire to be baptized. On the other hand, it also invites us to become aware of all the possible obstacles to baptism. This is no longer the external ritual of baptism by water. Rather, it is the incorporation into Christ and anointing by the Spirit.
Practice: Let each one constantly self-check: “What prevents me from experiencing the grace of God, the power of God’s life and light? What prevents me from being drawn to God?”
