Daily Gospel for April 27, 2020. Readings of the day. John 6:22-29

Readings of the day April 27. (III Monday of Easter)

First Reading. Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15. Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God." They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, "This man never stops saying things against (this) holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us." All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Daily Psalm. Psalm 119(118):23-24,26-27,29-30.

(R). "They are happy whose life is blameless".

Though princes meet and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. (R).

I declared my ways, and you answered me; teach me your statutes. Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. (R).

Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law. The way of truth I have chosen; I have set your ordinances before me. (R).

Daily Gospel Acclamation. April 27.

Alleluia, alleluia! You believe, Thomas, because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe. Alleluia! (Cfr. John 20:29)

Daily Gospel. Gospel of the day April 27, 2020. John 6:22-29

Reading for the Gospel of the day - (III Monday of Easter - Working for the food that lasts for eternal life) [After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

Daily Gospel Commentaries by Pope Francis.

In the Gospel of the day, Do we follow the Lord out of love or to gain some advantage? Because we are all sinners and there is always something of interest that must be purified in following Jesus; and we must work interiorly to follow Him for love.

Jesus alludes to three attitudes that are not good for following Him or for seeking God. I will explain each of them below

1. Vanity.

In particular it refers to those notables, to those leaders who give alms or fast to make themselves known. These leaders wanted to be seen, they liked to strut their stuff and behaved like real turkeys... They were like that. And Jesus says: "No, no: this is not right. It´s not going."

Vanity is not good. And sometimes, we do things trying to make ourselves look a little bit, looking for vanity. Vanity is dangerous, because it makes us fall immediately into pride, arrogance, and then everything ends there. And I ask myself: How do I follow Jesus? Do the good things I do, do I do them in secret, or do I like to make myself seen?

2. Seek power.

The other thing that Jesus reproaches those who follow Him is power. Some follow Jesus, but a little, not quite consciously, a little unconsciously.

Because they seek power, don´t they? The clearest case is John and James, the sons of Zebedee, who were asking Jesus for the grace to be prime minister and vice prime minister when the Kingdom came.

And in the Church, there are creepers... Do not come to the Church to climb. And Jesus reproaches these climbers who seek power.

3. Looking for the money.

The third thing that keeps us from the righteousness of intentions is money. Those who follow Jesus for money try to take advantage of the parish, the diocese, the Christian community, the hospital, the school.

This temptation was there from the beginning, and we have met so many good Catholics, good Christians, friends, benefactors of the Church, even with various decorations

From those who were later found to have done some obscure business: they were real speculators, and made so much money. They presented themselves as benefactors of the Church but they received so much money and it was not always clean money.

Let us ask the Lord for the grace to give us the Holy Spirit to go after Him with righteousness of intention-only for Him. Without vanity, without desire for power and without desire for money (Homily of today´s Gospel. Saint Martha, May 5, 2014)

Pope´s quotes.

"What patience the Lord has with each of us! He respects our situation, walks at our side as He did with the disciples of Emmaus, and listens to our dissatisfactions. He respects us. He enjoys listening to how we speak so as to understand us well and give us the correct response." (04.26.2020 - @pontifex)

Daily Gospel. Meditation in video for Gospel of the day April 27.