16 April 2026 (Thursday) | Thursday of the 2nd week of Eastertide | Easter Weekday | Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

16 April 2026 (Thursday)

Thursday of the 2nd week of Eastertide.

Easter Weekday.
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: Acts 5: 27-33
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33(34):2,9,17‐20
℟. 7a or: ℟. Alleluia.
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: John 20: 29
Gospel: John 3: 31-36
Liturgical year 2026 (Cycle A/II)
Liturgical color: White or Gold.

First Reading : Acts 5:27‐33

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

When the officials had brought the apostles in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demanded an explanation. ‘We gave you a formal warning’ he said ‘not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man’s death on us.’ In reply Peter and the apostles said, ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’ This so infuriated them that they wanted to put them to death.

(Reader) The Word of the Lord.
(All) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33(34):2,9,17‐20
℟. 7a or: ℟. Alleluia.
℟. (7a) This poor man called and the Lord heard him. or: ℟. Alleluia.

This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
I will bless the Lord at all times,
  his praise always on my lips;
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
  He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord turns his eyes to the just
  and his ears to their appeal.
They call and the Lord hears
  and rescues them in all their distress.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is close to the broken‐hearted;
  those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
Many are the trials of the just man
  but from them all the Lord will rescue him.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: John 20: 29
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
29 You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
(24. Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25. So the other disciples said to him, 'We have seen the Lord,' but he answered, 'Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.'26. Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you,' he said. 27. Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe.' 28. Thomas replied, 'My Lord and my God!'29. Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. 30. There were many other signs that Jesus worked in the sight of the disciples, but they are not recorded in this book. 31. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.)

Gospel : John 3:31‐36

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

John the Baptist said to his disciples:
‘He who comes from above is above all others;
he who is born of the earth is earthly himself
and speaks in an earthly way.
He who comes from heaven
bears witness to the things he has seen and heard,
even if his testimony is not accepted;
though all who do accept his testimony
are attesting the truthfulness of God,
since he whom God has sent
speaks God’s own words:
God gives him the Spirit without reserve.
The Father loves the Son
and has entrusted everything to him.
Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life:
the anger of God stays on him.’

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

For our reflection today:

This means, then, that this final judgement is already in progress, it begins now over the course of our lives. Thus judgement is pronounced at every moment of life, as it sums up our faith in the salvation which is present and active in Christ, or of our unbelief, whereby we close in upon ourselves. But if we close ourselves to the love of Jesus, we condemn ourselves. Salvation is to open oneself to Jesus, it is he who saves us. If we are sinners — and we all are — we ask him for forgiveness and if we go to him with the desire to be good, the Lord forgives us. But for this we must open ourselves to Jesus’ love, which is stronger than all else. Jesus’ love is great, Jesus’ love is merciful, Jesus’ love forgives; but you have to open yourself and to open oneself means to repent, to accuse oneself of the things that are not good and which we have done. The Lord Jesus gave himself and he continues to give himself to us, in order to fill us with all of the mercy. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 11 December 2013)

Pope Francis         
11.04.13  Holy Mass Santa Marta    
Acts 5: 27-33, John 3: 31-36

What does “obeying God” mean? Does it mean that we must be like slaves, in bondage? No, the one who obeys God is free, he is not a slave! And how can this be? I obey, I do not follow my own will, how am I free? It seems like a contradiction. It is not a contradiction. In fact, the word “'obey' comes from Latin, it means to listen, to hear others. Obeying God is listening to God, having an open heart to follow the path that God points out to us. Obedience to God is listening to God and it sets us free.

Peter, “in front of these scribes, priests even the high priest, and the Pharisees”, was called “to make a decision”. Peter “heard what the Pharisees and priests said and he listened to what Jesus was saying in his heart: 'what should I do?'. He said: 'I will do what Jesus tells me and not what you want me to do'. And he went ahead like this”.

In our lives we often are proposed things which do not come from Jesus, which do not come from God. It is clear that at times our weaknesses take us down the wrong road. Or even a more dangerous road. We make a pact, a little of God and a little of you. We make this pact and we go forward in life with a double life: a little bit of the life that Jesus tells us about and a little of the life that the world, the forces of the world and many others tell us about. This is a system that's no good. In fact in the book of Revelation, the Lord says: this is not good because you are neither good nor evil. You are lukewarm. I condemn you.

If Peter had said to these priests: 'let's speak like friends and let's find a status vivendi ', perhaps everything would have worked out”. But it would not have been a decision “of love which comes when we listen to Jesus”. It is a decision which has consequences. What happens when we hear Jesus? At times those who make the other proposal get angry and the road finishes with persecution. In this moment, as I said, we have many brothers and sisters that who obey, hear, listen what Jesus asks them under persecution. We must always remember these brothers and sisters who placed themselves in the fire and they tell us with their lives: 'I want to obey and to follow the path that Jesus tells me.

In today's liturgy “the Church invites us to take Jesus' path” and “not to listen to the world's proposals, the so-so proposals, the half and half proposals”. They are, he said, a way of living “that is not right” and they “wont' make us happy”.

In choosing to obey God and not the world, in giving no way to compromise, the Christian is not alone. Where can we find help in finding the way to listening to Jesus? In the Holy Spirit. We ourselves are witnesses to this. God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him. It is the Holy Spirit inside of us who gives us the strength to go forward. The Gospel of John (cf. 3:31-36), proclaimed at the celebration, includes this beautiful passage of assurance: “'He whom God sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit'. Our Father gives us the Spirit without measure to listen to Jesus, to hear Jesus and to follow the path of Jesus”.

Let us ask for the grace of courage. We will always sin; we are all sinners. But we must have “the courage to say: 'Lord I am a sinner, sometimes I obey mundane things but I want to obey you, I want follow your path”. Let us ask for this grace, to always follow on Jesus' path. And when we do not, let us ask for forgiveness: the Lord forgives us, because he is so good.

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)