20260422 THE IRREVOCABLE AND INEXORABLE PLAN OF GOD
22 April 2026, Wednesday, 3rd Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 8:1-8 |
They went from place to place, preaching the Good News
That day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria.
There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him.
Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.
Those who had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 65(66):1-7 |
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Because of the greatness of your strength
your enemies cringe before you.
Before you all the earth shall bow;
shall sing to you, sing to your name!’
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the river dry-shod.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Let our joy then be in him;
he rules for ever by his might.
His eyes keep watch over the nations:
let rebels not rise against him.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Jn6:40 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is my Father’s will, says the Lord,
that whoever believes in the Son shall have eternal life,
and that I shall raise him up on the last day.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:35-40 |
It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son should have eternal life
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.
But, as I have told you,
you can see me and still you do not believe.
All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away;
because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will,
but to do the will of the one who sent me.
Now the will of him who sent me
is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me,
and that I should raise it up on the last day.
Yes, it is my Father’s will
that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life,
and that I shall raise him up on the last day.’
THE IRREVOCABLE AND INEXORABLE PLAN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 8:1-8; PS 65:1-7; JOHN 6:35-40]
The Scripture readings today bring much hope to us, especially when we face setbacks, failures and discouragement in life and in our desire to expand the Kingdom of God. In the First Reading, we read how the persecution in the early Church led to the spread of the Good News to neighbouring areas outside Jerusalem, after the Jewish leaders rejected the Good News. When a door to God is closed, He opens a window. Indeed, in the Gospel, Jesus made it clear, “Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day.” Truly, it is the Father’s will to save us all. St Paul says, He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4) Earlier in the Gospel, St John had written, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)
Indeed, the salvific plan of God is unstoppable and cannot be thwarted by the enemies of God and the sins of man. God will see through His plan for the salvation of humanity. St Paul wrote to the Romans, “If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17) And “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Rom 5:20) So what is important is that we do the will of God like Jesus did, and not ours. He said, I “have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of the one who sent me.” If we are doing the will of God, we should not be too concerned about failures and opposition to our plans. We must believe that if it is the work of God, His divine plan will succeed. We need to trust in Him and not take things into our own hands, let alone plot or attack our enemies. Everything will work in our favour if it is God’s plan. This is true for our daily life as well. We must learn to trust in God’s divine providence.
We see this truth revealed in the history of salvation in the aftermath of the death of Stephen. We read how Saul “worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.” Ironically, he forgot the advice of Gamaliel, who warned the Jewish leaders, “Keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts 5:38f) In fact, unknowingly, by persecuting the Christians, he was used by God to force the Christians to move out of their comfort zone to those areas that they never thought of venturing into, like Samaria, whose people were enemies of the Jews for centuries. Because of the hostile circumstances, Philip, one of the seven deacons, and like the rest of the early Christians, “fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria” and began to announce the Gospel to the people there.
When the leaders of the establishment rejected His plan, God stirred up the people to receive His Word. Quite often, the main obstacles to growth, unfortunately, come from those in leadership because of their desire to protect themselves within the establishment. They are not as receptive as the ordinary people. It is ironical that the common men and women were more receptive to the Gospel than the great leaders, doctors, and so called holy and religious men of Jerusalem. The Gospel was rejected by the leaders but was received widely by the common people. Ordinary people are less sophisticated and more docile to the Good News, unlike the learned teachers of the law, and the priests, because of their pride, insecurities and jealousy.
In truth, there is always the danger of those who are in institutional religions being averse to renewal and change. We can become very sophisticated in the way we practise our faith. We can unconsciously reduce our faith to practices, dogmas, laws and rituals. Over time, some of us get so good at these that we can even preach without preparing a homily, teach without having to study the doctrines, perform the rituals without praying, and spend our time debating all the meticulous details about the right rubrics, the Canon Laws, etc. This was the attitude of the Jewish religious leaders during Jesus’ time. They were telling the people what to do and what not to do. They were splitting hairs over the observances of the laws and customs. But there are more important things, namely, to help people encounter the love and power of God in their lives; and to heal them of their brokenness and pain. God will move us out if we fail to heed the signs of God.
That was what Philip the deacon did — he did not just talk about Jesus. He allowed Jesus to talk in and through him. St Luke wrote, “The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured.” Indeed, the people believed Philip — not simply because of his preaching, but he demonstrated the power of the Risen Lord through the miracles and exorcisms he performed in the name of Jesus.
Leaders must set the example of being firm in the faith in the face of opposition. We must not be afraid and succumb to fear, like the apostles who remained behind in Jerusalem to witness to Christ. They were both people of faith and leaders in faith. They were not afraid to stand by what they believed. They were ready to die for their faith. This perhaps explains why the authorities did not even dare to touch them. Indeed, when we are not in the wrong and our conscience is clear, there is nothing to fear or hide. It was the exemplary examples of the apostles that earned them respect not only from their flocks but from outside the faith as well. What the Church needs today are leaders, clerical and lay, who are outstanding in their faith, zealous and convicted, not only by what they say but in how they live their lives. The cause of scandals among our laity is always seen in the failure of leaders to exercise compassion, humility, charity and forgiveness in their dealings with others; and not living a life of integrity in fidelity to the Gospel they preach.
Regardless, at the end of the day, the criterion for whether we are open to the Spirit is whether the Gospel we proclaim brings joy, freedom and healing. What is significant is the remark that “there was great rejoicing in that town as a result.” When religion burdens us with meticulous laws and makes us guilty and condemned before God and man, it is not Good News. Jesus comes to proclaim the joy of the Gospel, the healing of humanity through forgiveness and reconciliation. He comes to set us free, filling us with joy and happiness, not to make our lives miserable.
So, if your faith is making you miserable, this is not the Gospel that has been preached to you. St Paul wrote to the Galatians, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, ‘If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.'” (Gal 1:8f) He reprimanded the Christians, “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain — if it really is in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal 3:2-5) As Christians, we are an Alleluia people of joy and hope. Like the psalmist, we should be saying, “Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among men. He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river dry-shod. Let our joy then be in him; he rules forever by his might. His eyes keep watch over the nations: let rebels not rise against him.”
Finally, there is a warning that comes with sadness for those who reject the Gospel. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away.” This is His promise, for He comes only to do the Father’s will, which is to save all of humanity. “Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day. Yes, it is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up on the last day.” Whilst no one can stop the Gospel from being proclaimed, yet the freedom of man is also respected. God does not force us to accept the Good News. Are we among those whom the Lord says, “But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe”? So, if we want to live today, and live joyfully in freedom and in peace, then the Lord invites us again, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” Let us learn from the ordinary faithful the way of humility and trust in coming to the Lord, and not from the sophisticated and the worldly wise!
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
