Thursday of the 3rd week of Easter

26Then an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.” 27He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” 30Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

32Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this,

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.

As a lamb before his shearer is silent,

so he doesn’t open his mouth.

33In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away.

Who will declare His generation?

For his life is taken from the earth.”

34The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?” 35Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus. 36As they went on the way, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?” 37 38He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

8Praise our God, you peoples!

Make the sound of his praise heard,

9who preserves our life among the living,

and doesn’t allow our feet to be moved.

…

16Come and hear, all you who fear God.

I will declare what he has done for my soul.

17I cried to him with my mouth.

He was extolled with my tongue.

…

20Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer,

nor his loving kindness from me.

44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father and has learned, comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. 50This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”