21 April 2026 -- Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter
H O M I L Y
The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, continues to describe the early days of the Church in Jerusalem. Yesterday we saw how the deacon Stephen, filled with the grace and power of God, performed signs and wonders, and how his opponents could not compete with the divine wisdom with which he was filled. Today we have the account of his violent death. Stephen is not only the first martyr in the history of the Church, but the quintessential model of steadfastness and strength in the supreme witness unto death. He commends his spirit to Jesus just as Jesus had commended His spirit to the Father, and in this supreme act of surrender, his eyes are opened and, even before he breathes his last, he beholds the glory of God.
In yesterday’s Gospel, taken from chapter 6 of John on the Bread of Life, Jesus rebuked the crowd that had joined Him on the other side of the lake, saying they were following Him not because they had seen signs but because they had eaten their fill of bread. Today it is the same people who ask Him for a sign, even though they have not understood the sign of the multiplication of the loaves. And Jesus replies that the true sign is the true bread that came down from heaven, which the Father gives them. This true bread is Himself.
This bread satisfies every hunger and every thirst. Whoever comes to Jesus—that is, whoever believes in Him—will never hunger or thirst again.
Receiving the Eucharist is therefore first and foremost an act of faith in Jesus, recognising Him as our Master and our nourishment at the same time. The grace we have to celebrate the Eucharist every day may accustom us to this mystery to the point where we no longer always perceive its full richness. It is not impossible that our participation in the Eucharist is often merely a ritual gesture. Let us ask God to rekindle our faith so that every Eucharist may truly be an act of faith that engages our whole being.
Today we commemorate Saint Anselm
Armand Veilleux