Fifth Sunday of Easter
Also Read: Mass Readings for 28 April 2024 Homily for 28 April 2024 – Sunday
First Reading: Acts 9: 26-31
Meanwhile, the Church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. (31)
We learn from the reading today, how Saul of Tarsus attempted to join the disciples but was met with an initial resistance. That was due to Saul previously being a great persecutor of those who invoked the name of Jesus. Yet we learn further how powerfully the Holy Spirit worked among the disciples and Saul was accepted by the disciples. We know in the later chapters, how Saul turned into Paul and spearheaded the spread of the Gospel far and wide.
The first church was so amazingly led by the Holy Spirit and we praise God for this. We ask the Lord to grant us the grace to always listen to his Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 22: 26-28, 30-32
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. (27)
Alleluia!
Second Reading: First John 3: 18-24
Whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (20)
Today, we are reminded to love not only in our words but in our actions and in truth too. We are called to live truthful lives by the way we conduct ourselves too. We have been given the Holy Spirit “…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:7) Therefore we must walk in power, love, and self-discipline. A good way to begin is to work on self-discipline.
We ask the Good Lord to grant us the wisdom to walk in his Light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alleluia: John 15: 4a, 5b
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing. (4-5)
Gospel: John 15: 1-8
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (5)
Every verse of the Gospel today can be memorized and we must strive to live by them. We know without God we can do nothing. We praise God for allowing us to remain His branches. One of the most powerful ways to remain in the Lord is to keep speaking in tongues throughout the day. There have been many preachers and scholars who attest to the power of praying in tongues continuously.
We must also remind ourselves that the Lord prunes us so that we may bear much fruit. The lessons we need to learn every day will be repeated as many times as we need them!
Let us repeat the verses daily to ourselves. Many of the psalms too have been composed into beautiful hymns. Let us hum these heavenly tunes to heal our souls. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
