Today’s Readings

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.  On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?”  The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”  The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”  He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”  The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”  So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight.  He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.

He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.  

R.    (Mark 16:15)  Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or: R.    Alleluia. Praise the LORD, all you nations;     glorify him, all you peoples! R.    Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or: R.    Alleluia. For steadfast is his kindness toward us,     and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever. R.    Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or: R.    Alleluia.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood, remains in me and I in him, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”  Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”  These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.

R.    (1)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.    Alleluia. Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,     sing praise to the glory of his name;     proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!” R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.    Alleluia. “Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,     sing praise to your name!” Come and see the works of God,     his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam. R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.    Alleluia. He has changed the sea into dry land;     through the river they passed on foot;     therefore let us rejoice in him. He rules by his might forever. R.    Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.    Alleluia.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”