Daily Bible Readings Tuesday April 28 2009 Third Week of Easter

April 28 2009 Tuesday Third Week of Easter
Saint of the Day – St. Peter Chanel

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/042809.shtml

Acts 7:51 – 8:1a
Haydock New Testament

Stephen said:

Stoning of St Stephen - Pietro da Cortona 1660

Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One: of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of Angels, and have not kept it.

Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said:

Behold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.

And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord rushed violently upon him. And casting him out of the city, they stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying;

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, saying;

Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.

And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death. AND at that time there was raised a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem, and they were all dispersed through the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Responsorial Psalm 30:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
DR Challoner Text Only

Be thou unto me a God, a protector,
and a house of refuge, to save me.
For thou art my strength and my refuge;
and for thy name’s sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit:
thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.
But I have hoped in the Lord:
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;
save me in thy mercy.
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face,
from the disturbance of men.

The Gospel According to Saint John 6:30-35
Haydock NT

They said, therefore, to him:

What sign then dost thou shew that we may see, and may believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Then Jesus said to them:

Amen, amen, I say unto you: Moses gave you not bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world.

Then they said to him:

Lord, give us always this bread.

And Jesus said to them:

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me, shall not hunger: and he that believeth in me, shall never thirst.

Haydock Commentary Acts 7:51—8:1a (matches the readings)
Copied from the Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 51. Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart. S. Stephen, inspired by the Holy Ghost, knowing he should die a martyr, boldly reproaches them for persecuting the prophets, for putting to death the just one, that is, the Messias, foretold by the prophets. Wi. — Observe the holy indignation of S. Stephen at the obduracy of the incredulous Jews!
• Ver. 54. They were cut to the heart: exasperated even to rage and madness. See c. v, v. 33. Gnashing their teeth with indignation. Wi.
• Ver. 55. This is the comfort of all martyrs. B. — This the support of every Christian under the severest trials of either mind or body: this the sweetener of every burthen and cross.
• Ver. 56. Stopped their ears, crying out, blasphemy: and they stoned him to death. He praying for them, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, in imitation of his Lord and Master, our Saviour Christ. And[5] reposed in the Lord. Lit. slept. In most Greek copies, are now wanting, in the Lord; but it is no doubt the sense. Wi. — Rushed in violently upon him. This proceeding, without any sentence, or form of law, was altogether irregular; and never used in the better times of the Jewish government. This was called, judgment of zeal, and only allowed in one instance, viz. when any one came to draw the people to idolatry. Afterwards, this kind of proceeding was extended to other crimes. See Deut. xiii. 6. Num. xxiv. 1 Mac. Xi. 24, &c.
• Ver. 58. Invoking. See with what arms S. Stephen defended himself against the fury of his enemies. He puts on charity for a breast-place, and by that came off victorious. By his love of God, he resisted the enraged Jews; by the love he bore his neighbour, he prayed for those that stoned him. Through charity, he admonished them of their errors, in order to their amendment; through charity, he besought the divine goodness not to punish their crimes against him. Leaning on charity, he overcame the cruelty of Saul, and merited to have him a companion in heaven, who had been his chief persecutor on earth. S. Falgentius, Serm. de S. Steph. — We here again see the powerful intercession of the saints; “for,” says S. Augustin, “if Stephen had not thus prayed, the Church would not have to glory in a S. Paul. Si Stephanus non sic orasset, Ecclesia Paulum non haberet.” Serm. i. de S. Steph.

Haydock Commentary John 6:30-35

• Ver. 30. What sign then dost thou shew? And foreseeing that he might, with great propriety, allege the recent miracle, they contrast it with what Moses performed in the desert. It is true, they say, you once fed 5,000 persons with five loaves; but our fathers, to the number of 600,000 did eat, not for once, but during forty years, manna in the desert; a species of food infinitely superior to barley bread. V. See Numbers i. 46.
• Ver. 31. Christ having declared that he was greater than Moses, (since Moses could not promise them bread which should never perish) the Jews wished for some sign by which they might believe in him; therefore they say, Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, but you have only given us bread; where then is the food that perishes not? Christ therefore answers them, that the food which Moses gave them, was not the true manna from heaven, but that it was only a figure of himself, who came down from heaven to give life to the world. S. Aug. — S. Chrysostom observes, that the Jews here acknowledge Christ to be God, since they entreat Christ not merely to ask his Father to give it them; but, do thou thyself give it us.
• Ver. 32. Moses gave you not bread from heaven; i.e. the manna was not given to your forefathers by Moses, but by God’s goodness. 2dly, neither came it from heaven, but from the clouds, or from the region of the air only. 3dly, It did not make them that eat it live for ever; but they that spiritually eat me, the living bread; that is, believe in me, and keep my commandments, shall live for ever. — V. 37, 44, and 66. No one can come to me, unless the Father draw him.[1] These verses are commonly expounded of God’s elect; who are not only called, but saved, by a particular mercy and providence of God. God is said to draw them to himself by special and effectual graces, yet without any force or necessity, without prejudice to the liberty of their free-will. A man, says S. Aug. is said to be drawn by his pleasures, and by what he loves. Wi.
• Ver. 33. A life of immortality and eternal happiness to all who worthily receive it.
• Ver. 34. S. Aug. with all the Fathers, believed that the Jews did not understand this in its proper sense; but only understood a material bread, of superior excellence to the manna, which would preserve their health and life for ever (S. Aug.); or at least, a far more delicious bread, which they were to enjoy during the whole course of their lives.