Thursday of the Third week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

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.

Psalms

Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
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.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

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."

St. Zita of Lucca(Virgin (1218-1278))

SAINT ZITA Virgin (1218-1278) Zita lived for forty-eight years in the service of Fatinelli, a citizen of Lucca. During this time, she rose each morning, while the household was asleep, to hear Mass, and then toiled incessantly till night came, doing the work of others as well as her own. Once, absorbed in prayer, Zita remained in church past the usual hour of her bread-making. She hastened home, reproaching herself with neglect of duty, and found the bread made and ready for the oven. She never doubted that her mistress or one of her servants had kneaded it, and going to them, thanked them; but they were astonished. No human being had made the bread. A delicious perfume rose from it, for angels had made it during her prayer. Whenever Zita's master and mistress treated her as a mere drudge, or her fellow-servants resented her diligence, Zita united these sufferings with those of Christ her Lord. She never changed the tone of her voice nor forgot her gentle and quiet ways. At length, Fatinelli, seeing the success which attended Zita's undertakings, gave her charge of his children and of the household. She was apprehensive at first, but scrupulously fulfilled her trust. By her holy economy, her master's goods were multiplied, while the poor were fed at his door. Gradually, her unfailing patience conquered the jealousy of her fellow-servants, and she became their advocate with their hot-tempered master, who dared not give way to his anger before Zita. In the end, her prayer and toil sanctified the whole house, and drew down upon it the benediction of Heaven. She passed away in 1278. At the moment of her death, a bright star appeared above her attic, showing that she gained eternal life.

St. Liberale()

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2023 / Catholic Missal of april 2023