April 10th, 2004, Wednesday of the second week of Easter.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

The high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees,

and, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail.

But during the night the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,

led them out and said,

Go and take your place in the temple area and tell the people everything about this life.

When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.

When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedron, the full senate

of the children of Israel, and sent it to the jail to have them brought in.

But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported,

we found the jail securely locked and the guard stationed outside the doors, but when we opened

them, we found no one inside.

When the captain of the Temple Guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were

at a loss about them as to what this would come to.

Then someone came in and reported to them,

the men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.

Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,

but without force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

The word of the Lord.

The response Oriol Psalm.

The response is, the Lord hears the cry of the poor.

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