Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

LECTIONARY
275

FIRST READING

ACTS 8:1B-8

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 great joy in that city.

PSALM

PS 66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A

Response: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”

“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.

He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.

GOSPEL

JN 6:35-40

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.”

Daily Reflection

‘Whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.’ - Jn 6:40

We have all experienced death: the passing of a parent, a child, a spouse, a loved one, a friend or a member from our community. The moment of death to interment in the grave brings home the implacable message – life has been extinguished. No one has returned and told us otherwise and one is reminded of Dives’ impassioned plea to Father Abraham ‘if someone from the dead goes to them...’

But if we have faith in the Resurrection, we need no messenger from beyond the grave. Christ has promised us eternal life if we believe in him. And He has provided us the way: in the Eucharist, in the Sacraments and in ‘the least of our brethren’.

“The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence.” - Clarence W. Hall