Daily Readings - 08/04/2026

^3:1 Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour,[*a]

^3:2 it happened that there was a man being carried past. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in.

^3:3 When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them.

^3:4 Both Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us’.

^3:5 He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them,

^3:6 but Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!’

^3:7 Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm,

^3:8 he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God.

^3:9 Everyone could see him walking and praising God,

^3:10 and they recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. They were all astonished and unable to explain what had happened to him.

^104:1 Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh my God, how great you are! Clothed in majesty and glory,

^104:2 wrapped in a robe of light! You stretch the heavens out like a tent,

^104:3 you build your palace on the waters above; using the clouds as your chariot, you advance on the wings of the wind;

^104:4 you use the winds as messengers and fiery flames as servants.

^104:5 You fixed the earth on its foundations, unshakeable for ever and ever;

^104:6 you wrapped it with the deep as with a robe, the waters overtopping the mountains.

^104:7 At your reproof the waters took to flight, they fled at the sound of your thunder,

^104:8 cascading over the mountains, into the valleys, down to the reservoir you made for them;

^104:9 you imposed the limits they must never cross again, or they would once more flood the land.

^104:10 You set springs gushing in ravines, running down between the mountains,

^104:11 supplying water for wild animals, attracting the thirsty wild donkeys;

^104:12 near there the birds of the air make their nests and sing among the branches.

^104:13 From your palace you water the uplands until the ground has had all that your heavens have to offer;

^104:14 you make fresh grass grow for cattle and those plants made use of by man, for them to get food from the soil:

^104:15 wine to make them cheerful, oil to make them happy and bread to make them strong.

^104:16 The trees of Yahweh get rain enough, those cedars of Lebanon he planted;

^104:17 here the little birds build their nest and, on the highest branches, the stork has its home.

^104:18 For the wild goats there are the mountains, in the crags rock-badgers hide.

^104:19 You made the moon to tell the seasons, the sun knows when to set:

^104:20 you bring darkness on, night falls, all the forest animals come out:

^104:21 savage lions roaring for their prey, claiming their food from God.

^104:22 The sun rises, they retire, going back to lie down in their lairs,

^104:23 and man goes out to work, and to labour until dusk.

^104:24 Yahweh, what variety you have created, arranging everything so wisely! Earth is completely full of things you have made:

^104:25 among them vast expanse of ocean, teeming with countless creatures, creatures large and small,

^104:26 with the ships going to and fro and Leviathan whom you made to amuse you.

^104:27 All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year;

^104:28 you provide the food they eat, with generous hand you satisfy their hunger.

^104:29 You turn your face away, they suffer, you stop their breath, they die and revert to dust.

^104:30 You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world.

^104:31 Glory for ever to Yahweh! May Yahweh find joy in what he creates,

^104:32 at whose glance the earth trembles, at whose touch the mountains smoke!

^104:33 I mean to sing to Yahweh all my life, I mean to play for my God as long as I live.

^104:34 May these reflections of mine give him pleasure, as much as Yahweh gives me!

^104:35 May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked exist no more! Bless Yahweh, my soul.

^24:13 That very same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles[*a] from Jerusalem,

^24:14 and they were talking together about all that had happened.

^24:15 Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side;

^24:16 but something prevented them from recognising him.

^24:17 He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.

^24:18 Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only is person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days’.

^24:19 ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people;

^24:20 and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.

^24:21 Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened;

^24:22 and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning,

^24:23 and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.

^24:24 Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’

^24:25 Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets!

^24:26 Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’

^24:27 Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

^24:28 When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on;

^24:29 but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.

^24:30 Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them.

^24:31 And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.

^24:32 Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’

^24:33 They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions,

^24:34 who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’

^24:35 Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.