Easter: April 22nd

MASS READINGS

April 22, 2026 (Readings on USCCB website)

PROPERS [Show]

Mass Propers for Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter:

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 71 (70):8,23: Let my mouth be filled with your praise, that I may sing aloud; my lips shall shout for joy, when I sing to you, alleluia.

Alleluia Verse, Cf. Jn 6:40: Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day, says the Lord.

Preface II of Easter: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, at all times to acclaim you, O Lord, but in this time above all to laud you yet more gloriously, when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

Through him the children of light rise to eternal life and the halls of the heavenly Kingdom are thrown open to the faithful; for his Death is our ransom from death, and in his rising the life of all has risen.

Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exults in your praise and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your glory, as they acclaim:

Communion Antiphon: The Lord has risen and shone his light upon us, whom he has redeemed by His Blood, alleluia.

COLLECT PRAYER

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter: Be present to your family, O Lord, we pray, and graciously ensure those you have endowed with the grace of faith an eternal share in the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

• Buffalo Mozzarella

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Activities (3)

• Orderliness
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: April
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: April

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Prayers (3)

• Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven)
• Prayers for the Easter Season
• Novena to St. Catherine of Siena

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Library (2)

• Popes Through the Ages | Joseph Brusher
• Was Peter the First Pope? | Art Kelly

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The Roman Martyrology commemorates two pope saints, Soter and Caius, separated by a century. Pope St. Soter (d. 175) was the twelfth pope, and succeeded Anicetus as Pope in 166. He died a martyr in 175, under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Pope St. Caius (d. 296) was the 28th pope. Caius governed the Church from 283 until he died on April 22, 296. The popes of the first centuries suffered the heavy anxiety of the persecutions which continually threatened their flocks; the pontificate of Caius, however, was marked by a long period of peace, some ten years before the terrible persecution under Emperor Diocletian.

The Church also commemorates St. Epipodius (d. 178), a young Christian man of Lyons, France—unmarried and of good position. During the fierce persecution of Marcus Aurelius in that city (178), with his friend St. Alexander of Lyon he was arrested, imprisoned, and finally brought before the governor. Their ready acknowledgment of being Christians elicited astonishment of the governor who was well aware of the fierce tortures and executions that had already been meted out to Christians. They were beheaded in the year 178.

Meditation for Wednesday in the Third Week of Easter
"A little while"
1. "Yet a little while," for you are only pilgrims and strangers on earth. The liturgy wishes to center our attention and our efforts on what is right and enduring, and on those things in which we can find true peace. That alone has permanent value.

2. "Yet a little while". Everything that exists on earth is temporal and passing. Our goods, our pleasures and our joys, our health, beauty, strength, youth, wealth, honors, friendships, even our suffering and misfortune, are of short duration and soon pass away. Man's life on earth is like a gust of wind, and his "days (are] measureable" (Ps. 88:6). "All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field. The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen because the spirit of the Lord hath blown upon it" (Isa. 40:6 f.). Every creature on earth bears this stamp on its forehead, "yet a little while." Why do we cling to the things of this earth? Why do we rely on them so persistently? What peace can we find in them? We are pilgrims on the earth for "a little while." He who can grasp this truth understands life. He who heeds this warning of our Lord, need fear no evil, for he can weather every storm. He is a pilgrim and a stranger, and is left undisturbed by the uneasy ebb and flow of life. We are "deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastised and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as needy, yet enriching many; as having nothing and possessing all things" (II Cor. 6:8-10).

Only one thing is permanent, our faith and our hope. "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you". The true Christian, the Christian who has risen with Christ, lives by faith and in the hope of those things that are to come. "I believe in life everlasting."

"But our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His glory, according to the operation whereby also He is able to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20 f.). Our Lord is already preparing Himself for His ascension into heaven. "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you; because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you also may be. And whither I go you know, and the way you know.... I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:1 ff.). "Heaven and earth shall pass, but My words shall not pass" (Matt. 24:35). "The word of our Lord endureth forever" (Isa. 40:8).

3. Our souls must meditate on our heavenly home that they may become strong. Only when buoyed up by such thoughts will they maintain the proper attitude and become strong enough to overcome the world, to despise worldly things, and remain true to their ideals. By virtue of this strength, Christians live for the future. They long for martyrdom, and with St. Paul they desire "to be dissolved and to be with Christ" (Phil. 1:29). They rejoice at the privilege of being allowed to suffer for their faith. "If you be reproached for the name of Christ, you shall be blessed; for that which is of the honor, glory, and power of God, and that which is of His Spirit, resteth on you (I Pet. 4:14).

"But the things that were gain to me, the same I have counted loss for Christ. Furthermore, I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but as dung that I may gain Christ. . . . That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death. If by any means I may attain to the resurrection which is from the dead....Forgetting the things that are behind and stretching forth myself to those things that are before, I press towards the mark to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:7 ff.).
—Benedict Baur, OSB, The Light of the World, Vol. 2

Pope St. Soter
St. Soter, the successor to Pope Anicetus, died a martyr's death in 175. He was noted for his kindness to certain Greeks who had been condemned to the mines because of their faith in Christ. When he ascended the chair of Peter he forbade consecrated virgins to touch the sacred vessels and palls, or to carry censers in church. He also obliged the faithful, except those in mortal sin, to receive holy Communion on Maundy Thursday. Soter is the author of a letter to the Corinthians.

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Soter:
  • Catholic Encyclopedia
  • uCatholic
  • Anastpaul
  • Catholic365
  • Catholicsaints.info
  • Popes in a Year
• St. Soter is traditionally venerated as a martyr, but no historical information exists today. He was originally buried in the Callistus cemetery in Rome, Italy.
• Listen along to Catholic Culture's newest podcast on the Lives of the Popes by Thomas Mirus.

Pope St. Caius
St. Caius (pope from 283 to 296) was closely related to the Emperor Diocletian. So that he might live to serve the faithful, he remained in concealment a long time and would not leave Rome. Ordinarily it was in the catacombs that he hid, and there he celebrated the holy mysteries and instructed many pagans. It was Pope Caius who decreed (according to the false Decretals) that the following steps must precede consecration to the episcopate: porter, lector, exorcist, acolyte, subdeacon, deacon, and priest. He died a natural death and was buried in the catacomb of Callistus on April 22. St. Susanna was his niece. Pope Urban VIII revived his memory in Rome by restoring his church, naming him as its patron saint, raising it to the rank of a station, and enriching it with the saint's relics.

Symbols and Representation: pope with Saint Nereus

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Caius:
  • Catholic Encyclopedia
  • Catholic News Agency
  • Popes of the Year
  • Golden Legend
  • uCatholic
• Listen along to Catholic Culture's newest podcast on the Lives of the Popes by Thomas Mirus.
• St. Caius' relics have been translated from the crypt of St. Eusebius in the Cemetery of Callixtus to San Silvestre in Capite, then to another church, then to the private chapel of the Barberini princes in Sant'Andrea della Valle.

St. Epipodius
Born during the 2nd century, St. Epipodius and St. Alexander of Lyon became best friends while growing up and attending school together. They were both raised Christian and shared a similar passion for their faith. It was not long until these two young men were put to the test during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

At the time there was a great persecution underway, especially in their own city of Lyons. Epipodius and Alexander kept secret about their faith and sought to hide from the local authorities. A servant betrayed Epipodius and Alexander and reported them to the governor. They were to be arrested for their Christian faith but they heard about the order and immediately fled the city. They escaped to a nearby town and found refuge in the house of a Christian widow. The two friends were concealed for a time and remained in hiding.

However, they were eventually discovered and immediately brought before the governor. The Roman official sought to torture Epipodius and Alexander in hopes of getting them to renounce their Christian faith. He separated the two and first questioned Epipodius, who replied, “I shall not suffer myself to be prevailed upon by this pretended and cruel compassion. Are you so ignorant as not to know that man is composed of two substances, a soul and a body? With us the soul commands and the body obeys. The abominations you are guilty of in honor of your pretended deities, afford pleasure to the body but kill the soul. We are engaged in a war against the body for the advantage of the soul. You, after having defiled yourselves with pleasures like brute beasts, find nothing at last but a sorrowful death; whereas we, when you destroy us, enter into eternal life.”

Outraged by his response, the governor had him stretched on a rack and severely tortured before cutting off his head.

The governor then brought in Alexander and put him to the test, explaining how his dear friend was tortured. Alexander replied, “I thank my God that the mention of the deaths of my brethren only confirms my desire of imitating their example. Do you imagine that their souls have died with their bodies? No; they have gone to the enjoyment of heaven. You are deceived, thinking that you can extinguish the Christian faith, which has been so established by God, that it is propagated by the death of the faithful. Those whom you believe to have killed are now in the enjoyment of heaven, which they shall continue to enjoy for all eternity; while, on the contrary, you and the objects of your adoration shall be cast into the fire of hell, to suffer for all eternity. I am a Christian, like my brother Epipodius, who is now reigning in heaven. Do therefore, to my body as it pleases you; for my soul shall be received by that God who created it.”

Alexander was crucified after being tortured and died immediately on the cross.

Epipodius and Alexander are known as the patron saints of bachelors, victims of betrayal, and victims of torture. Their steadfast example should give us courage to follow Christ to whatever end, even if that means betrayal and suffering. In the end, we must safeguard our soul above all else and not betray the God who gave up his own life so that we may live eternally.
—Excerpted from Aleteia

Patronage: bachelors; betrayal victims; torture victims

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Read more about Sts. Epipodius and Alexander at Bartleby.com
• Wikipedia
• Catholicsaints.info