Wednesday April 17, 2024
Office: Psalter Week 3
Mass of the day; Preface of Easter
Vestment: White
Today’s Rosary: The Glorious Mysteries
Death Anniversary: Bishop E. J Fitzgibbon, SPS (Warri) 17/04/10
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Ps 71:8.23
My mouth is filled with your praise, that I may sing aloud; my lips shall shout for joy, when I sing to you, alleluia.
COLLECT
Be present to your family, O Lord, we pray, and graciously ensure those you have endowed with the grace of faith an eternal share in the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you
FIRST READING
“They went about preaching the word.”
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8: 1b-8)
On that day a great persecution arose against the Church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. But Saul laid waste the Church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralysed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.
The word of the Lord.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Tuesday, April 16th, 2024
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 66:1-3a.4-5.6-7a (R. 1)
R/. Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
Or: Alleluia.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth;
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God, “How awesome your deeds!” R/.
“Before you all the earth shall bow down,
shall sing to you, sing to your name!”
Come and see the works of God:
awesome his deeds among the children of men. R/.
He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
Let our joy, then, be in him;
he rules forever by his might. R/.
ALLELUIA John 6:40
Alleluia. Every one who believes in the Son has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day, says the Lord. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“This is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son should have eternal life.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 6:35-40)
At that time: Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down ‘from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
To believe in Jesus is to see who he really is. It is the Father’s loving initiative that enables human beings to attain salvation through the Son. St Augustine of Hippo says that they enter where enters the good and faithful servant to whom the Lord will say, “Enter into the joy of your Lord” and where they will be fully satisfied. But the crowd that saw him did not recognize him as the Son of God and did not believe in him. Often our seeing is similar; our fleeting look fails to see in depth, and so we do not grasp the real meaning of what we see. Jesus who “alone has seen the Father” (Jn 6:47) has come to enable us to see God. Those who are pure of heart see God in him, and he guarantees that they will be raise to eternal life.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL
– Ask for mercy for the times you refused to accept God’s task or left it uncompleted.
– Pray for the grace and anointing to finish your Christian race well and strong.
– Tell God about that particular divine task assigned to you and the difficulties you are facing.
– Pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to complete that physical project/work He has started in you
– Pray against all evil forces working to prevent you from completing your task, in your family, office, church.
Let Us Pray,
Holy Father, in the name of Jesus, I cry out for your mercy and forgiveness of my sins. I repent and renounce all of them. Forgive me, my God, for offending your image and likeness in me, for offending this same image and likeness in my neighbour.
Cleanse me in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, purify every stain of sin in me, have mercy on me. And now, Father, I want to open a blank page for this day that is beginning and I ask you, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, and my Lord, to fill it out with everything that happens to me today according to your will. Subject my will to yours as I put myself entirely in your hands to be led by the Holy Spirit through your pathways.
I proclaim that you are my God and Lord, the one who saves, sustains, exalts, protects, and heals me, in whom I put all my hope and trust. For everything I have received from you, I give you glory and thanks; for everything I am yet to receive, I praise and bless you. Amen, Alleluia
