Mass Readings for : Saturday, 13th April, 2024

Liturgical Readings for : Saturday, 13th April, 2024

Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
Optional memorial of St Martin I, pope and martyr

The Church continues to grow as the apostles re-order the church ministries
to cope with different needs while the Spirit brings peace.

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7
They elected seven men filled with the Spirit.

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked.
So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them,
‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.‘

The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm   Ps 32:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
Response      May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
Or    Alleluia!

1. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp, with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs. Response

2. For the word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love. Response

3. The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine. Response

Gospel Acclamation Rom 6:9
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.
‘ Death has no power over him any more’.
Alleluia

Or
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Christ has risen: he who created all things, and has granted his mercy to men.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 6:16-21 Glory to you, O Lord
They saw Jesus walking on the lake.

In the evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them, but he said, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.‘

They were for taking him into the boat, but in no time it reached the shore at the place they were making for.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection Saturday Second Week of Easter John 6:16-21

According to the verse before our gospel reading (Jn 6:15), Jesus had withdrawn to the mountain by himself, in response to the crowd wanting to make him king. The suggestion is that Jesus needed to be in communion with God in prayer. Jesus’ prayer did not remove him from the struggles of his disciples. It was while he was at prayer that he became aware of the disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee struggling with a strong wind and a rough sea. He immediately came to them, speaking a reassuring word, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid’. The literal translation would be ‘I am. Do not be afraid’.

In this fourth gospel, the words ‘I am’ on the lips of Jesus suggest the name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus comes to his disciples as God in human form. Once the disciples show a willingness to take Jesus into the boat with them, they reach the shore. The prayer of Jesus created a space for him to be present to his disciples in a very troubling moment. The first reading puts before us a troubling moment in the life of the church, conflict between Greek speaking and Aramaic speaking Jewish Christian widows over the distribution of food. This conflict in the church required the Twelve to clarify for themselves and for the other members of the church what their priorities were to be, ‘We will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word’. The clarity with which the apostles could identify their priorities amid competing claims on their time is admirable. They understood, as Jesus did, that prayerful attentiveness to God’s word would allow their lives to be shaped by God’s purpose and would best serve the life of the believing community. Today’s readings remind us that prayerful attentiveness to God’s word needs to be at the heart of the church’s life, and of our own lives as individual disciples.