Daily Bible Readings Tuesday April 21 2009 Second Week of Easter

April 21 2009 Tuesday Second Week of Easter
Saint of the Day – St. Anselm

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/042109.shtml

Acts 4:32-37
Haydock New Testament

And the multitude of the believers had but one heart and one soul: neither did any one say, that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them. And with great power did the apostles give testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord: and great grace was in them all. For neither was there any one among them that wanted. For as many as were owners of lands, or houses, sold them, and brought the price of the things they sold, And laid it down before the feet of the apostles. And distribution was made to every one, according as he had need. And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is by interpretation the son of consolation) a Levite, a Cyprian born, Having land, sold it, and brought the price, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.

Responsorial Psalm 92:1-2, 5 (Ps 93 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty:
the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself.
For he hath established the world which shall not be moved.
My throne is prepared from of old: thou art from everlasting.
Thy testimonies are become exceedingly credible:
holiness becometh thy house, O Lord, unto length of days.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint John 3:7b-15
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

Wonder not that I said to thee, you must be born again. The Spirit breatheth where he will, and thou hearest his voice; but thou knowest not whence he cometh, nor whither he goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus answered, and said to him:

How can these things be done?

Jesus answered, and said to him:

Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things? Amen, amen, I say to thee: that we speak what we know, and we testify what we have seen, and you receive not our testimony. If I have spoken to you earthly things, and you believe not: how will you believe if I shall speak to you heavenly things? And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so much the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.

Haydock Commentary Acts 4:32-37
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 32. All things were common. Happy would it be for society, if the rich of the present day were to imitate, in some degree, this charity of the first disciples, by distributing to those that want. Both would hereby become more happy; nor would the rich derive less pleasure from such actions, than the poor. S. Chrys. hom. xi. in Acts. — That cold and fatal word, mine, and thine, which has caused so many misfortunes and wars, was banished from among them. Id. hom. de S. Philogon. — Some take this to be the origin of a monastic life: but according to the Fathers, it is rather its progress and increase; for it began in the family of Jesus Christ. The apostles, indeed, may be said to institute here that common life, which they led under Christ, our Lord, and of which Peter speaks: behold, we have left all. This life, by S. Augustin and others, is called apostolic, and there among all, wives are particularly specified. Cajetan thinks no vow was required: S. Augustin is of a different sentiment. Serm. de diversis & alibi.
• Ver. 33. And great grace was in them all. All of them were present, were replenished with extraordinary graces of charity, zeal, &c. Wi.
• Ver. 36-37. Joseph . . . surnamed Barnabas, the son of consolation, &c. He seems to be mentioned as the first that sold all he had, and brought the price, and laid it at the feet of the apostles. Wi. — There was at that time a great number of Jews established in this city. V.
• Ver. 37. Sold it, &c. It is probable, that the faithful of Palestine disposed of all their property, because they knew that presently Judea would be delivered up to its enemies, and they would be obliged to fly, to avoid the persecution of their countrymen, as well as of strangers. D. Thomas ad Galatas. xi. — At the feet of the apostles, out of respect. Thus, the Sunamitess fell down and embraced Eliseus’s feet. Many that asked favours of Christ, fell down at his feet, and Mary kissed his feet. Such are signs of reverence paid both to Christ, and to other sacred persons, prophets, apostles, popes. See in S. Jerom, how the people of Jerusalem flocked together to the venerable bishop Epiphanius, in Cyprus, presenting their children for his blessing, kissing his feet, plucking the hem of his garment, so that he could not move for the throng. S. Jer. Ep. lxi. c. 4. contr. error. Jovin.

Haydock Commentary John 3:7-15

• Ver. 8. The Spirit breatheth where he will. The Prot. translation has the wind: and so it is expounded by S. Chrys. and S. Cyril on this verse; as if Christ compared the motions of the Holy Ghost to the wind, of which men can give so little account, whence it comes, or whither it goes. Yet many others, as S. Aug. S. Amb. S. Greg. understand this expression of the Holy Ghost, of whom it can only be properly said, that he breatheth where he will. Wi.
• Ver. 10. And knoweth not these things. That is, of baptism given by in a visible manner, and you understand not, how will you comprehend greater and heavenly things, if I speak of them? Wi. — Many passages, both in the law and the prophets, implied this doctrine of regeneration; for what else can be the meaning of the circumcision of the heart, commanded by Moses; (Deut. x. 16.) of the renewal of a clean and right spirit, prayed for by David; (Ps. 1.) of God’s giving his people a new heart and a new spirit. Ezech. xxxvi. 26, &c. But the Pharisees, taken up with their rites and traditions, paid little attention to spiritual things of greater moment.
• Ver. 11. We speak what we know. It may perhaps be asked here, why Christ speaks in the plural number? To this we must answer, that it is the only Son of God, who is here speaking, showing us how the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceeding from both. S. Tho. Aquin.
• Ver. 13. No man hath ascended — but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven. These words, divers times repeated by our Saviour, in their literal and obvious sense, shew that Christ was in heaven, and had a being before he was born of the Virgin Mary, against the Cerinthians, &c. That he descended from heaven: that when he was made man, and conversed with men on earth, hew was at the same time in heaven. Some Socinians give us here their groundless fancy, that Jesus after his baptism took a journey to heaven, and returned again before his death. Nor yet would this make him in heaven, when he spoke this to his disciples. Wi.
• Ver. 14. This comparison of the serpent lifted up in the desert, upon which whoever looked was immediately cured from the bite of the fiery serpents, is a figure of the crucifixion of Christ on Calvary. And we remark, that our divine Saviour makes use of these words, the Son of man must be lifted up or exalted; (exaltari) by which form of expression he would teach us, that he does not consider the cross as a disgrace, but as a glory; (Theo. and S. Chrys.) and moreover, that as the Israelites, bitten by the fiery serpents, were cured by looking upon the brazen serpent, so are Christians cured by looking up with an active faith, replete with love and confidence, on Jesus Christ crucified.