DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION

APRIL 24, 2024

WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

(OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, PRIEST AND MARTYR)

FIRST READING

ACTS 12:24—13:5 OR (COLOSSIANS 1:24-29 / REVELATION 3:7-8, 10-12 / 2 TIMOTHY 2:8-13; 3:10-12)

12 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark.13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyre'ne, Man'a-en a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleu'cia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Sal'amis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.

The Word of the Lord
_

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSALMS 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8 OR (PSALMS 34:2-9 / PSALMS 118(119):137-144)

Response: O God, let all the nations praise thee!
Or
R. Alleluia.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that thy way may be known upon earth,
thy saving power among all nations.

R. O God, let all the nations praise thee!
Or
R. Alleluia.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for thou dost judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.

R. O God, let all the nations praise thee!
Or
R. Alleluia.

Let the peoples praise thee, O God;
let all the peoples praise thee!
God has blessed us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

GOSPEL

Believe in me - that you may not remain in darkness

JOHN 12:44-50 OR (JOHN 17:20-26 / JOHN 10:11-16)

44 And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And he who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me."

The Gospel of the Lord
_

REFLECTION

DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS

Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father, by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"[Our Lord] gradually accustoms their minds to penetrate the depth of the mysteries concerning himself, [leading them] not to the human person but to that which was of the divine essence. He does this inasmuch as the Godhead is apprehended completely in the person of God the Father, for he has in himself the Son and the Spirit. With exceeding wisdom he carries them onward, for he does not exclude himself from being believed on by us because he is God by nature and has shone forth from God the Father. But skillfully (as has been said) he handles the mind of the weak to mold them to godliness in order that you might understand him to say something like this: 'When you believe on me I who, for your sakes, am a man like yourselves, but who also am God by reason of my own nature and because of the Father from whom I exist do not suppose that it is on a man you are setting your faith. For I am by nature God, notwithstanding that I appear like one of yourselves, and I have within myself him who begat me. Forasmuch therefore as I am consubstantial with him that has begotten me, your faith will assuredly pass on also to the Father himself.' As we said therefore, the Lord, gradually trains them to something better and profitably interweaves the human with what is God-befitting."

(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 8.7)
_

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.