Thursday in the fourth week of Easter

Invitation

May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?

This invitation wants to share with You the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.

Available every day.

Consideration
It is curious that suddenly there is talk of Paul and his companions. Barnabas went to get him in Tarsus as a helper. He went with Saul to Jerusalem to bring money. Saul is last in the list of those sent in Antioch. In Cyprus, he suddenly became Paul and would not relinquish leadership. Barnabas becomes second in command and will not even see the next missionary journey. Since we know the amazing personality of Paul, not only in Acts but also from his letters, this can no longer surprise us.

FIRST READING                 Acts 13:13-25
From the offspring of David, God brought forth Jesus the Saviour.

From the Acts of the Apostles

Paul’s company now sailed away from Paphos
and went to Perge in Pamphylia ;
there John separated from them and returned to Jerusalem.
From Perge they travelled on
and they reached Antioch in Pisidia,
where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath
and took their seats.
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets
the rulers of the synagogue made them say :
“Men brethren,
if you have a stirring word to say to the people
then speak.”
Paul stood up, beckoned with his hand and said :
“Men of Israel and God-fearers ,
listen.
“The God of this people Israel has chosen our fathers ,
and made the people great while they were in Egypt
and carried them out of there with a mighty hand.
“About forty years
he surrounded them with cares in the desert ;
after which He destroyed seven nations in Canaan
and gave them possession of the land.
“This comprised about four hundred and fifty years.
“Then He gave them judges :
This lasted until the prophet Samuel.
“After this they asked for a king
and God gave them Saul, the son of Kis,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin ,
for forty years.
“After He had rejected him
he raised David to be their king.
“Of this one He gave testimony :
I have found David, the son of Isai,
a man after my heart
who will accomplish my will in all things.
“From his descendants God has
according to promise
brought forth for Israel a Saviour,
Jesus ;
after already John before his appearance
had preached a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel.
“When John was at the end of his career he said :
What you think I am
i am not ;
but after me comes one
whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen.”

INTERLUDIUM                   Hymns Ps. 9(88), 2-3, 21-22, 25, 27

Your favours, Lord, I want to sing,
proclaim your faithfulness to every generation.

Your favours, Lord, I want to sing,
proclaim your faithfulness to every generation.
You have said : My favour endures forever,
heaven is the foundation of my faithfulness.

My servant David have I sought
and anointed him with my consecrated oil;
as a sign that my hand will always support him
and that my arm will give him strength.

My faithfulness and My mercy will guide him,
my Name will grant him victory.
He will call upon Me: Thou art my Father,
my God, the rock of my salvation.

ALLELUIA           Rom. 6, 9

Alleluia
Christ, once risen from the dead
dies no more ;
death has no more power over Him.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL            Jn 13:16-20
Whoever takes up Him whom I will send, takes up Me.

From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John

After Jesus had washed the feet of His disciples
he said to them :
“Verily, verily, I say unto you :
A servant is not above his lord
and a messenger not above him who sent him.
“When ye realise this :
Blessed are ye if ye act upon it.
“I cannot say this of you all.
“I know whom I have chosen
but the Word of Scripture must be fulfilled :
He who eats My bread lifts up his heel against Me,
“Even now I tell you before it happens,
that when it happens, ye may believe that I am.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you : He that accepteth him whom I shall send
accepts Me,
and whoever accepts Me
accepts Him who sent Me.”

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Fratelli tutti

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On brotherhood and social friendship

278. Called to incarnate in every situation and through the
centuries to be present in every place on earth – meaning
“Catholic” -, the Church, starting from her own experience of grace
and sin, understand the beauty of the invitation to universal love.
After all, “all that is human concerns us. […] Everywhere the assemblies
of peoples meet to establish the rights and duties of man
determine, we are honoured when they allow us to take our place among
them to take a seat”.274 For many Christians, this path of brotherhood has
also included a Mother called Mary. Under the cross, she has received this
universal motherhood (cf. Jn 19:26) and her attention is
focused not only on Jesus, but also on “the rest of her children”
(Apok. 12, 17). With the power of the Risen One, she wants to give birth to a new world
birth, where we are all brothers and sisters, where there is room for all those who are
rejected by our societies, where justice and peace
shine

To be continued
Every day at 1 am