Thursday, 22^nd April 2021
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Readings and Antiphons on p 487 of the Daily Missal 

Entrance Antiphon
Let us sing to the Lord for he has gloriously triumphed. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation, alleluia.

First Reading: Acts 8:26-40

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

In those days:
An angel of the Lord said to Philip,
“Rise and go toward the south
to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
This is a desert road. 

And he rose and went.
And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch,
a minister of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of all her treasure,
had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning;
seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
And the Spirit said to Philip,
“Go up and join this chariot.” 

So Philip ran to him, and heard him
reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked,
“Do you understand what you are reading?” 

And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this:
“As a sheep led to the slaughter
or a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken up from the earth.” 

And the eunuch said to Philip,
“Please, about whom does the prophet say this,
about himself or about someone else?” 

Then Philip opened his mouth
and beginning with this scripture
he told him the good news of Jesus.
And as they went along the road they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, “See, here is water!
What is to prevent my being baptized?”
And he commanded the chariot to stop,
and they both went down into the water,
Philip and the eunuch,
and he baptized him.
And when they came up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip;
and the eunuch saw him no more
and went on his way rejoicing.
But Philip was found at Azotus
and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns
till he came to Caesarea.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66:8-9.16-17.20 (R. 1)

Let us pray the Responsorial Psalm:

R/. Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.

O peoples, bless our God;
let the voice of his praise resound,
of the God who gave life to our souls
and kept our feet from stumbling.

Come and hear, all who fear God;
I will tell what he did for my soul.
To him I cried aloud,
with exultation ready on my tongue.

Blest be God, who did not reject my prayer,
nor withhold from me his merciful love.

R/. Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.

Please stand for the Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven, says the Lord; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
Alleluia.

Gospel: John 6:44-51

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

At that time:
Jesus said to the crowds,
“No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me draws him;
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets,
‘And they shall all be taught by God.’
Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father
comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except him who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Truly, truly, I say to you,
he who believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
This is the bread which comes down from heaven,
that a man may eat of it and not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven;
if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever;
and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world
is my flesh.”

The Gospel of the Lord