Daily Mass Readings for April 21, 2026: Gospel — Jo 6, 30-35

5 ¹ “You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did! 5 ² Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! 5 ³ You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it.” 5 ⁴ When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him. 5 ⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 5 ⁶ “Look!” he said. “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 5 ⁷ But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 5 ⁸ When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 5 ⁹ They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 6 ⁰ Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he died. 8 :¹ And Saul agreed completely with killing him. Now on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.