Liturgical Readings for : Wednesday, 10th April, 2024
Wednesday of Second Week of Easter
God’s love calls for a response of faith in Jesus. This in turn demands truth from us.
FIRST READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26
The men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are standing there preaching to the people.
The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol. But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out,
‘Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.‘
They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach.
When the high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin – this was the full Senate of Israel – and sent to the gaol for them to be brought. But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not inside, so they went back and reported,
‘We found the gaol securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one inside.’
When the captain of the Temple and the chief priests heard this news they wondered what this could mean. Then a man arrived with fresh news. ‘At this very moment’ he said ‘the men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are standing there preaching to the people.’
The captain went with his men and fetched them. They were afraid to use force in case the people stoned them.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33
Response This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
Or Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad. Response
2. Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free. Response
3. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress. Response
4. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him. Response
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Christ has risen and shone upon us whom he redeemed with his blood.
Alleluia!
or Jn 3: 16
Alleluia, Alleluia!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son;
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 3:16-21 Glory to you, O Lord
God sent his Son into the world so that through him the world might be saved.
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be condemned;
but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,
because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.
On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.’
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Reflection Wednesday. Second Week of Easter John 3:16-21
The first reading suggests that no human power can block the preaching of the gospel, not even the imprisonment of the apostles, Jesus’ closest associates. The risen Lord will always find a way for the gospel to be proclaimed, in spite of people’s best efforts to silence it. That is because, in the words of today’s gospel reading, ‘God so loved the world’. God sent his Son into the world so that everyone may have eternal life. For God, it is a matter of the greatest urgency that the gospel that was proclaimed and lived by his Son, now risen Lord, be announced to as many people as possible. God will stop at nothing to ensure that the world of humanity hears the gospel of God’s saving love for all. The light of God’s love shines through the gospel and God passionately desires that this light would shine upon all, in every time and place, just as the earthly sun shines on all.
Yet, the gospel reading also states that people need to be open to this light, to come out into the light, to love the light of God’s enduring love. In the words of today’s psalm, we need to look towards the light so that we can be radiant. Nothing we do or fail to do will prevent the light of the gospel of God’s love from shining upon us, but we can chose to turn away from the light, to block it out, just as, at the last supper, Judas went out into the night. The good news is that even when we turn from the light and chose darkness, the light shines in the darkness and, if there is even the smallest opening in us to the light, the darkness will not overcome it.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
