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The Word today, Easter4C


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May 12 - May 17, 2025


St Pancras, martyr


Acts 11:1-18 Should followers of Jesus follow all the Jewish Law, including circumcision, Sabbath and food regulations? It was an important question for the first generation. The answer, given three times in a vision, shaped the future of Christianity.


John 10:1-10 We encounter another of the seven I AM sentences of this Gospel, perhaps one of the less remembered ones: I am the gate. We need to think of point of access or encounter, as in“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).


Our Lady of Fátima


Acts 11:19-26 This is a summary statement, letting us know about the expansion of The Way after the decision not to impose Jewish regulations on Gentiles.


John 10:22-30 The feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) is mentioned: this feast celebrated the rededication of the Temple in the previous century. At the time of writing that restored Temple was also in ruins, causing consternation for both Jews and Christians. The Christian response was to name Jesus as our shepherd, who would lead us both to God and to eternal life.


St Matthias, apostle


Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 The writer of the Acts has great esteem for the Twelve and, as part of the continuity between the two Testaments, the “college” of the apostles is restored after the betrayal and death of Judas. The prayer of discernment shows confidence in God’s presence and inspiration.


John 15:9-17 What would you choose to represent the heart of the Christian proclamation? Following Jesus’ own example, our Gospel places at the heart of the Christian project the command to love. We may put “command” in inverted commas: really we are dealing with loving and being loved.


St Carthage, bishop


Acts 13:13-25 The continuing story of Paul takes us rather breathlessly to Antioch in Pisidia (Turkey today). We hear the first part of a sermon, outlining the story of salvation until the ministry of John the Baptism. You may notice the emphasis on David—great symbol of God’s faithfulness through time, fulfilled in Jesus. Tomorrow we get to hear the second part of the sermon, when Paul challenges the hearers directly.


John 13:16-20 Our reading from John takes place at the Last Supper and follows the washing of the feet. As it draws out some of the meaning of the foot washing it also looks ahead to Jesus betrayal.


St Brendan the Navigator, abbot


Acts 13:26-33 For this scene, we have moved to Antioch in Pisidia. In a typical speech, Paul started yesterday reviewing the history of salvation; today Paul gives an account of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in the light of the Holy Scriptures.


John 14:7-14 Today we hear a reading familiar from funerals. However, it is really about Jesus own departure / death first of all. NB: one of the great I AM sentences from this Gospel.



Acts 13:44-52 The switch to the Gentiles is signalled yet again in this brief story. Most likely, the Gentiles were the so-called Godfearers, that is, people already attracted to Judaism because of its pure doctrine of God, high moral code and its antiquity.


John 14:7-14 Our reading from John is very rich again today. It does contain a startling line: whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works. What could that possible mean? Somehow it means that after the great event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, our task is to offer salvation, the salvation not yet achieved or somehow not available before Good Friday and Easter Sunday.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025al, May 11). Fourth Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051125.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, Easter3C


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May 05 - May 10, 2025


Bl. Edmund Ignatius Rice, religious


Acts 6:8-15 Stephen, whose feast we celebrate on 26 December, was one of the seven chosen to relieve the pressure on the apostles (Acts 6:5). Today we begin his story, a story of extraordinary witness leading to martyrdom. The Greek for a “witness” is martys, whence our word martyrdom.


John 6:22-29 The focus throughout John 6 is really on the person of Jesus. This is very evident in today’s Gospel: ‘This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’



Acts 7:51-8:1 As we listen to the story of Stephen’s death, we might notice echoes of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion peculiar to Luke’s Gospel. This is intentional, because Luke sees Jesus’ death as also that of a prophet-martyr.


John 6:30-35 Appetites, such are hunger and thirst, are often used metaphorically to speak of hungers of the heart. Today, Jesus satisfies our hunger because he is our bread of life.



Acts 8:1-8 Three important characters overlap in today’s narrative: Stephen, Paul and Philip. We will hear much of Paul later; for the moment the story of Philip is taken up. He was also one of the seven chosen in Acts 6:5. Is this the same Philip who was an apostle? This is not so clear, although early tradition affirms it is one and the same person.


John 6:35-40 Our Gospel today is rich in invitation. The words of Pope Francis come to mind: Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed.



Acts 8:26-40 Today we hear a memorable anecdote involving an exotic figure, the finance minister of the “Candace” or queen of Ethiopia. There are considerable links with the Emmaus story: the unrecognised “guest”, the explanation of the Scriptures, the sudden disappearance and displacement. Luke wants us to “hear” these stories together.


John 6:44-51 The sermon on the bread of life continues. You may notice references to the incarnation, the cross and the resurrection.



Acts 9:1-20 The story of Saul / Paul begins today, a story which will occupy the rest of the Acts. The conversion of Paul was a key event for early Christianity, placing at the service of The Way a remarkable person of faith, intelligence and energy.


John 6:52-59 The “giving of my flesh” takes place in this Gospel at the crucifixion. Eating and drinking are metaphors for faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, celebrated sacramentally in the Eucharist.


St Combgall, abbot

St John of Ávila, priest and doctor


Acts 9:31-42 The story we are about to hear has a double resonance. It resembles the story of Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8, which in turn resembles the story of Elijah and the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17. Luke’s message is clear: prophetic actions continue among the followers of The Way.


John 6:60-69 There are several things “going on” in this reading. The departure of some mostly likely refers to a split in the community when some walked away (no unknown today, alas). The close of John 6 is a version of the scene in Capernaum—who do you say I am? The wording is very different, but Peter is the spokesman and this affirmation of faith is one of the strongest in this Gospel.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025ak, May 4). Third Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050425.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, Easter2C

Updated: Apr 27


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April 28 - May 03, 2025


St Peter Chanel, priest and martyr St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, priest


Acts 2:14, 22-33 The cross was a shock to the first Christians and so was the resurrection. In this speech of Peter, we “overhear” the first disciples using the Old Testament—especially the psalms—to understand what had taken place. The primary proclamation is focused on Jesus of Nazareth.


Matthew 28:8-15 The central proclamation—Jesus’ appearance to the women at the tomb—is unique to Matthew. In effect, it places the previous proclamation of the angel on the very lips of Jesus himself. In this way, Matthew—ever the teacher—make the implicit explicit.


St Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor


1 John 1:5-2:2 The reading, with its emphasis on writing, is suitable for feast of St Catherine. It is also suitable for Eastertide, taking us to the message of love and forgiveness at the heart of it all.


Matthew 11:25-30 This wonderful reading is also suitable for the feast, given the simplicity and humility of St Catherine. These verses, also present in Luke, give us a window on the prayer of Jesus himself.


St Pius V, bishop of Rome


Acts 5:17-26 This miraculous anecdote (not lacking in humour) illustrates how irrepressible the preaching of The Way was and how its bearers were and are still today under God’s protection.


John 3:16-21 The opening words in this Gospel are justly famous—surely one of the greatest affirmations in Scripture. They echo the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. The rest of the Gospel is difficult for us, until we remember that we are overhearing the robust dialogue between the Church and Synagogue from about AD 90. It may be best to understand the harsh line on judgment to refer to full believers who have walked away.


St Joseph the Worker


Acts 5:27-33 In this passage, Peter responds to those who would silence him. The clarity of his defence might help us today: obedience to God comes before obedience to humans.


John 3:31-36 Our reading of John 3 moves forward to the teaching on the lips of John the Baptist. The writer is looking back with the 2020 vision of (theological) hindsight. While it is very unlikely that the historical John the Baptist expressed himself in the vocabulary of the Johannine community (!), nevertheless our reading gives us a rich reflection on Jesus and what he means to us today.


St Athanasius of Alexandria, bishop and doctor


Acts 4:1-12 The religious authorities of the time were against the teaching of resurrection at all and very much against saying Jesus was risen. These are the very same people who brought about the crucifixion of Jesus. Here Peter, using the Old Testament, make the case for the resurrection of Jesus.


John 21:1-14 Chapter 21—an early addition to John —reminds us of the three-fold denial of Peter by means of his three-fold restoration. The fishing scene takes us back to the original call of Peter and his brothers. That earlier call is still “valid” and at the same time strengthened in the light of the resurrection.


Sts Philip and James, apostles


1 Corinthians 15:1-8 The witnesses to the Risen Lord are foundational for Paul and among them we find James, one of today’s saints. We are to be witnesses in our day.


John 14:6-14 The Gospel mentions Philip, who is given a relatively high profile in John. He certainly cannot be accused of setting his sights too low — and still, his interjection leads to a rich and invigorating teaching from the Johannine Jesus.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025ai, April 27). Second Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042725.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 
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