Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday of the third week of Easter, April 24th, 2026

Delivered by Melissa Heidy from the Parish of Christ the King in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 9: 1-20; Rs psalm 117: 1.2; John 6: 52-59.TO BECOME GOD'S CHOSEN INSTRUMENT The theme for our meditation today is: To BecomeGod’s Chosen Instrument.When a baby is still in the womb, and later when thechild is born and begins to grow, people naturally have many hopes and dreamsfor the child’s future. For example, a couple married for one year may alreadyhave many expectations for their newborn, even if the baby is only two weeksold. That baby brings great joy to the parents. The father may say that his son will grow up to belike him, suited for work in politics or social life. The mother, on the otherhand, may think the child resembles her and is better suited to become aneducator, like herself. But who truly knows what the child will become in thefuture? Often, reality turns out differently from human expectations. We mustaccept that only God knows the future of every person. It is true, then, that while we make plans, God is theone who ultimately determines the outcome. Still, preparation is necessarybecause it is part of God’s will. Scripture and the teachings of the Churchremind us to be ready and vigilant. The purpose of preparation is to make usready to be used by God as His instruments for a particular mission. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, theChurch received a great mission: to preach the Gospel to the whole world, notonly in Jerusalem and its surroundings. This mission required seriouspreparation. One remarkable example is the conversion of Saul on the road toDamascus. Saul, once known as a persecutor of the early Church, experienced agreat transformation. He became Paul, an apostle chosen by Jesus to preach tothe nations, even though he was not one of the original Twelve Apostles. Saul’s conversion was a turning point in his life.Once he became part of Christ’s mission, he remained faithful and never turnedback, despite many difficulties. He fully committed himself to the missionentrusted to him. Today, the Lord Jesus teaches that to be His true disciples,like Paul, we must partake in His Body and Blood. Through baptism, we are allcalled to this mission. Letus pray.In the name of the Father…O Lord Jesus, renew us so that we may become Your true followers in our dailylives.Hail Mary, full of grace…In the name of the Father…