Daily Readings - Tue Apr 28 2020
Acts
51Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.52Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:53Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.54When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
John
30They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?31Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Sermon
The readings today present us with powerful lessons about faith, persecution, and the ultimate source of our spiritual nourishment. In the first reading from Acts, we witness the martyrdom of Stephen, one of the first deacons of the early Church. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly confronts the people for their resistance to God’s truth, just as their ancestors had done. Despite their anger and violence, Stephen forgives his persecutors and entrusts his spirit to the Lord. This moment marks the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem, scattering the believers but also spreading the Gospel to new regions.
The Gospel reading from John complements this narrative by inviting us to reflect on the nature of true faith and spiritual hunger. The people ask Jesus for a sign, referencing the manna their ancestors ate in the desert. Jesus responds by revealing himself as the true bread from heaven, the source of eternal life. He emphasizes that faith in him satisfies a deeper hunger than physical bread ever could. This exchange reminds us that our ultimate fulfillment comes not from the things of this world but from a relationship with Christ.
These readings challenge us to examine our own resistance to God’s will and our openness to the Holy Spirit. Like Stephen, we are called to stand firm in our faith, even in the face of adversity. And like the crowd in the Gospel, we are invited to recognize Jesus as the bread of life, the one who sustains us on our journey. May we, too, trust in God’s providence, forgive those who wrong us, and seek spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist, the true bread from heaven.