Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

Send us Fan MailThursday, 8 May 2025Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Antiphons and Readings on p 487 of the Daily Missal First Reading: Acts 8:26-40In 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.Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66:8-9.16-17.20 (R. 1)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.Gospel: John 6:44-51At 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 ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven,  that a per