Reading 1
Acts 8:26-40
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.
Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
Responsorial Psalm R. (1)
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Jn 6:44-51
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.”
Meditation: Acts 8:26-40
“Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30)
One thing about Philip: He was physically fit. It’s not everyone who could have caught up to that chariot—the first-century equivalent of a government limousine—as it clipped through the desert. And not everyone could have managed to jog alongside while holding a conversation with its passenger. But it’s not mainly because Philip was in good physical shape that the Ethiopian official responded to the word of God. Their encounter would have come to nothing if Philip hadn’t been scripturally fit as well.
Of course, Philip was “filled with the Spirit” (Acts 6:3) and ready to seize every opportunity to proclaim Jesus. And clearly, the Holy Spirit guided him as he did. But it’s also clear that Philip knew Scripture. He knew it so well that, having heard just a few verses read aloud, he instantly recognized the Suffering Servant prophecy (Isaiah 53:7-8). His heart must have leapt with joy because he had just seen this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. What better starting point for presenting the good news? And so, as Jesus did with the Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:27), Philip opened up the meaning of God’s word and led the Ethiopian to Christ.
God wants us to be able to do what Philip did that day. In his exhortation on the word of God, Pope Benedict XVI tells us: “There is no greater priority than this: to enable the people of our time once more to encounter God, the God who speaks to us and shares his love so that we might have life in abundance” (Verbum Domini, 2). First, though, we have to apply Philip’s question to ourselves: Do I understand what I am reading? If we are not immersing ourselves in God’s word—by studying, praying, and living it—how can we expect to be joyful, winning witnesses?
So put yourself on a scriptural fitness program. Get a good study Bible, if you don’t already have one, and read it every day. Develop a plan for what you will read, and when and where. Take advantage of the books, talks, study groups, and other helps that are out there. And as you do, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and help you get scripturally fit. “Ethiopians” are waiting all around you!
“Spirit of God, open up your word to me. And help me open it up to others.”
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