14 April 2026 (Tuesday) / Easter Weekday. Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

14 April 2026 (Tuesday)

Easter Weekday.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: Acts 4: 32-37
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 93: 1ab, 1cd-2, 5
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: John 3: 14-15
Gospel: John 3: 7b-15
Liturgical year 2026 (Cycle A/II)
Liturgical color: White or Gold.

First Reading: Acts 4: 32-37

(Reader) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

32 And the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul: neither did any one say that aught of the things which he possessed, was his own; but all things were common unto them.
33 And with great power did the apostles give testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord; and great grace was in them all.
34 For neither was there any one needy among them. For as many as were owners of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the price of the things they sold,
35 And laid it down before the feet of the apostles. And distribution was made to every one, according as he had need.
36 And Joseph, who, by the apostles, was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, by interpretation, The son of consolation,) a Levite, a Cyprian born,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the price, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.
(Reader) The Word of the Lord.
(All) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 93: 1ab, 1cd-2, 5

R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or
R. Alleluia.
1ab The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or
R. Alleluia.
1cd For he hath established the world which shall not be moved.
2 Thy throne is prepared from of old: thou art from everlasting.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or
R. Alleluia.
5 Thy testimonies are become exceedingly credible: holiness becometh thy house, O Lord, unto length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or
R. Alleluia.

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: John 3: 14-15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
14-15 The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
(13. No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of man;
14. as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up
15. so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
16. For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17. For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.)

Gospel: John 3: 7b-15

(Reader) A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
(All) Glory to you, O Lord.

7b Jesus said to Nicodemus: you must be born again.
8 The Spirit breatheth where he will; and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered, and said to him: How can these things be done?
10 Jesus answered, and said to him: Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Amen, amen I say to thee, that we speak what we know, and we testify what we have seen, and you receive not our testimony.
12 If I have spoken to you earthly things, and you believe not; how will you believe, if I shall speak to you heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him, may not perish; but may have life everlasting.

(Reader) The Gospel of the Lord.
(All) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

For our reflection today:

In order to live in harmony and in mutual support, the Christian community must be reborn in the Holy Spirit. There are two signs to help us understand whether we are on the right path: disinterest in money and the courage to bear witness to the Risen Christ. Pope Francis made this point during Mass at Santa Marta on Tuesday morning. He accompanied that suggestion with a warning not to confuse true harmony with a negotiated or hypocritical tranquillity.

“Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be reborn, but reborn by the Spirit: it is the Spirit who gives us a new identity, gives us strength, a new way of acting”. The Pontiff offered this key to understanding the day’s passage from the Gospel of John (3:7-15). This line, he pointed out, is seen “in the first reading, one of three or four summaries contained in the Acts of the Apostles” (4:32-37), a passage which recounts “how the first community lived, those who were ‘reborn’ by the Spirit”.

Francis indicated that they “lived in harmony”, but that it was “the harmony which only the Holy Spirit can give”. Indeed, “we can make agreements, a certain peace, but harmony is an interior grace which can only be made by the Holy Spirit”. Thus, these first “communities lived in harmony”. This can be understood from two distinct signs of harmony, the Pope explained.
The first sign is that “no one lives in need, that is, everything is held in common”. The authentic meaning is explained by the very passage taken from the Acts of the Apostles: they were “of one heart and soul and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.... There was not a needy person among them”.

Indeed, Francis affirmed, “the true harmony of the Holy Spirit has a very strong relationship to money: money is the enemy of harmony, money is selfish”. And “this is why the sign he gives is that everyone gave what was theirs, so that no one would be in need”.

In particular the Acts give “the example of ‘Joseph, who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus’, a field owner”. Joseph sold his field “and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet”. This, in a word, is the true “harmony” which then “is related to the spirit of poverty, the first of the Beatitudes”.

On the contrary, however, there is “the case of the couple, Ananias and Sapphira. They sold their field and gave everything, they said they gave everything to the Apostles, but they secretly stole so as to make an account on the side, for themselves”. This story is also narrated in the Acts of the Apostles (5:1-11). However, Francis recalled, “the Lord punishes these two with death, because Jesus clearly said that one cannot serve both God and money: they are two masters whose service is irreconcilable”.

However, the Pontiff pointed out, “harmony, which only the Holy Spirit can create, should not be confused with tranquillity”. Because “a community can be quite tranquil and get along well” yet not be in harmony. Once, the Pope shared, “I heard a bishop say something wise: ‘There is tranquillity in the diocese. But if you touch upon this problem or this problem or that problem, a war breaks out immediately’”.

However, this is “a negotiated harmony”, he explained, “and not that of the Holy Spirit: it is a hypocritical harmony, so to speak, like that of Ananias and Sapphira after what they had done”. Instead, “the harmony of the Holy Spirit gives us the generosity of having nothing of our own, as long as there is someone in need”.

Then there is a second attitude that arises from the harmony of the Holy Spirit, which Francis presented by repeating the words from the Acts: “with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all”.

In short, the second sign of true harmony is “courage”. Therefore, “when there is harmony in the Church, in the community, there is courage: the courage to witness to the Risen Lord”.

From this perspective the Pontiff recommended that we “read and reread this passage from the Acts of the Apostles: chapter 4, from verse 32 onward”. The reason is, he said, “because it is what Jesus asked of the Father at the Last Supper: that they be ‘one’, that there be harmony among them”. This is why, the Pope concluded, “it will do us good to read this passage today, and see the things that it says and how each of us can help our family, our neighbourhood, our city, coworkers, classmates, all those who are nearby, in order to create this harmony that is made in the name of the Risen Lord Jesus and which is a grace of the Holy Spirit”.

POPE FRANCIS
MORNING MEDITATION IN THE CHAPEL OF THEDOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE
How harmony is created
Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Pelayan Atasan Tertinggi / Most High Servant,
Yesus, Maria, Yusuf Pelayanan Kasih / Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)

My vocation is Blessed and Saints.

"I am the most humble of all the Saints in Heaven" Mary, Mother of God."

"I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me."

Mother Mary is the most humble Saint in Heaven and she is also the Mother of God for us all
(Luke 1:38)