Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 276

Reading 1 Acts 8:26-40

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
“Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
“Go and join up with that chariot.”
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
He replied,
“How can I, unless someone instructs me?”
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
“I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?”
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?”
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Responsorial Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20

R.    (1)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia John 6:51

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowds:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Pius V, please go here.

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

“I beg of you…

“…about whom is the prophet saying this?”

Acts 8:34b

In the first reading, Philip only noticed the man in the chariot because he was listening to God. The angel of the Lord drew him to the chariot. If he hadn’t been paying attention, he might have let it go by, and never given the stranger inside another thought.

In the gospel reading, Jesus again underpins the necessity of listening to God.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.

It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God.’

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.

John 6:45

Begging for Jesus

It is not often that people come to us begging to know Jesus as the eunuch in the chariot did with Philip. At first glance, it seems we live in a world that is too busy to begrudge Jesus any time, let alone beg for Him. But if we slow down and pay attention, I think there are more people crying out for God than we realize.

God draws us to Him and He asks that we listen. Many people don’t hear God when He calls. When we are distracted by the world and we don’t hear the still, small voice drawing us to Jesus.

Focusing on Jesus’ Voice

Right now, people are hurting and searching and struggling. It is a huge part of why I chose to hit the launch button. Even when I didn’t feel ready to do so. It is why, instead of just working on my book, I am diving into the word of God and attempting to share it with others. I couldn’t shake the urge to talk to the strangers in the chariots. I couldn’t let them roll past me anymore.

Jesus put His church here to be a light in the dark. We are His church, and we are meant to share His light. And it is very dark right now. But just as Philip was only able to hear God when He knew how to listen, we also need to learn to slow down and strain to hear the voice of our Savior. And I need you here, to listen with me and to help me to listen when I get distracted.

Thank you for being here with me.