Mass Reading: Sunday - 19th May 2024

First reading
Acts 2:1-11
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak

    When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

    Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome – Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 103(104):1,24,29-31,34

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the Lord, my soul!
    Lord God, how great you are,
How many are your works, O Lord!
    The earth is full of your riches.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

You take back your spirit, they die,
    returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created;
    and you renew the face of the earth.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord last for ever!
    May the Lord rejoice in his works!
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
    I find my joy in the Lord.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

________

Second reading
Galatians 5:16-25
If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you

    If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires.

    Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

Sequence
Veni, sancte Spiritus

Holy Spirit, Lord of Light,
From the clear celestial height
Thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure
Come, thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best,
Thou, the soul’s delightful guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow

Thou in toil art comfort sweet
Pleasant coolness in the heat
Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal, light divine,
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill:

If thou take thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay
All his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew
On our dryness pour thy dew
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will
Melt the frozen, warm the chill
Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on us who evermore
Thee confess and thee adore,
With thy sevenfold gifts descend:

Give us comfort when we die
Give us life with thee on high
Give us joys that never end.

________

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 15:26-27,16:12-15
The Spirit of truth will lead you to the complete truth

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘When the Advocate comes,
whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father,
he will be my witness.
And you too will be witnesses,
because you have been with me from the outset.

‘I still have many things to say to you
but they would be too much for you now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
since he will not be speaking as from himself
but will say only what he has learnt;
and he will tell you of the things to come.
He will glorify me,
since all he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.
Everything the Father has is mine;
that is why I said:
All he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 19th May 2024

ACTS 2:1-11; PS 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 COR 12:3b-7, 12-13; JN 20:19-23


Our Easter season culminates with the glorious feast of Pentecost. Pentecost, meaning "fifty," is the day that the Holy Spirit descended on Mary and the apostles in the form of tongues of fire fifty days after Easter. We also celebrate this day as the birthday of the Church, for shortly after this event, St. Peter preached his first homily.

We can imagine how incredible that moment was for the apostles and all who witnessed it. The Holy Spirit was alive and working.

The Holy Spirit is just as alive and willing to work here and now in our day-to-day moments as back at our first Pentecost. It is our call as Christian disciples to be attentive and open to these workings. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God is in us and always around us — yet, we must call upon His name, seek His guidance and become aware of His presence in our lives.

Our First Reading bears witness to the first Pentecost. During this encounter with the Holy Spirit, the apostles and Mary felt a driving wind, there were tongues of fire on the heads of each of them and the Spirit allowed them to speak in different tongues proclaiming acts of God.

We might hear this reading and wish the Holy Spirit worked that obviously in our lives each day. The truth is, the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is obvious, we just might be blind to it, or it might be that we have closed ourselves off to the Holy Spirit’s wonderous works.

Our tongues of fire might be a profound conversation with a friend, something that you needed to hear in that exact moment; or a pushed-back deadline at work when you were swamped; or a moment of strength to speak the truth when you typically shy away; or even a closed door to an opportunity for something much, much greater. These are movements of the Holy Spirit in our everyday moments.

The more we take time to recognize them, the more we become aware of them. So, at the close of each day, try examining how the day went. Search for the moments where you witnessed the Holy Spirit working in your daily life and the life of your family and friends.

In our Second Reading, St. Paul reminds us of our unique role as Christian stewards as he says, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord… To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

Each one of us has been given unique gifts from the Holy Spirit. No two stewards are the same. Some of us might be confident in those gifts and some of us might not know what they are just yet. When we discover them and use them for God’s work, they are multiplied beyond what we could have imagined. It is our job to look inward and pray, "Come Holy Spirit, reveal my gifts to me so that I may use them for Your glory."

And when we live a life attentive to the Spirit’s workings and gifts, we can better live out Jesus’ call in our Gospel today, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” As disciples of Christ, we are sent out to gather more disciples. If we are constantly striving to be in tune with the Holy Spirit, God will do the rest by showing us the way.

On this Pentecost Sunday, let us give thanks to God for sending us His Holy Spirit. Let us strive to be in tune with the Holy Spirit by looking for the ways God has been working in our lives and let us ask for the grace to know our gifts and talents so that we can put them to good use.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 12th May 2024

 

ACTS 1: 1-11; PS 47: 2-3, 6-9; EPH 1: 17-23; MK 16: 15-20

During this Easter season many of our First Readings have come from the Acts of the Apostles. Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday which culminates the Easter season for the Church. Scholars generally agree that the Acts of the Apostles was also written by St. Luke. Today’s reading from Acts certainly gives an indication of that. It is clear that Acts is written to someone named Theophilus as it opens with “In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up.”

The Book of Luke opens by also stating that it is being written to Theophilus: “I, too, have decided…to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus.” Those who study sacred scripture love to debate who Theophilus was, but that is not important. For our purposes we are Theophilus. The name Theophilus means “friend of God,” or “God lover” which includes all of us.

Perhaps the greatest message of the First Reading, the opening verses of Acts, is the basis of the Book itself. The Gospel of Luke records all that Jesus began to do and to teach. It is the beginning of Jesus’ work. However, Acts describes how Jesus’ work continued with His disciples and followers. In a sense the Book of Acts is still not complete because the work of Jesus continues today. Today’s “Acts” may not be scriptural, but through us as disciples the Lord’s presence and works continues in the world and in His Church.

We are part of this great legacy, and that is the real message for us here: we are called, and we are expected to be the disciples who share the Good News with others.

St. Paul never states the specific reason for his letter to the Ephesians, our Second Reading. But it is certainly possible to ascertain his motivation from what he includes in the letter. In today’s reading he speaks of our approach to understanding and faith when he says, “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened.” In scripture the word “heart” tends to indicate the very core and center of life. It is much more than a realization or a comprehension. It means something we embrace and appreciate to the very foundations of our lives and the way we live them.

Paul wants the Ephesians (and us) to know that few things give us more secure and enduring hope in life than knowing that God has called us and has a specific calling for each of us to fulfill. This is complementary to what we hear in the First Reading. The hope of God’s calling has its perspective in the future. If we believe in resurrection and eternal life, we can grasp the hope which comes with salvation.

Nevertheless, Paul wants us to know that we are worthy of the calling, the command if you will, given us by Jesus. If we wish to be saved, we need to live distinctive lives here on earth. The letter to the Ephesians, and today’s passage, gives us very specific teaching on how we are to live our lives in our parishes, in our world, and in our homes.

Jesus makes it clearer in the Gospel Reading from Mark, as He addresses His followers prior to His Ascension into heaven, that they have a responsibility, and it was one they could not escape. We share that responsibility. It is part of our calling and part of what our lives as Catholics and Christians should and must be.

When we go out to do the work of God, Jesus is always with us and He works with us and through us. This is the pattern for all we do, our sense of ministry and mission. A wise philosopher once stated that signs are meant to follow believers, not believers following signs. The final verse of the Gospel — “But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” – continues to this very day. That is the message of everything we have heard in Holy Scripture today, and it is the message we should hear every time we are exposed to Holy Scripture.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 12th May 2024

 

First reading
Acts 1:1-11
Jesus was lifted up while they looked on

    In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’

    Now having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’

    As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 46(47):2-3,6-9

God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.

All peoples, clap your hands,
    cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
    great king over all the earth.

God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.

God goes up with shouts of joy;
    the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
    sing praise to our king, sing praise.

God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.

God is king of all the earth,
    sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
    God reigns on his holy throne.

God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.

________

Second reading
Ephesians 4:1-13
We are all to come to unity, fully mature in the knowledge of the Son of God

    I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

    Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:

When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to men.

    When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

The word of the Lord

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt28:19,20

Alleluia, alleluia!

Go, make disciples of all the nations.
I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Mark 16:15-20
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News

    Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:

    ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’

    And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 05th May 2024

First reading
Acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48
The pagans have received the Holy Spirit just as much as we have

    As Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, knelt at his feet and prostrated himself. But Peter helped him up. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘I am only a man after all!’ 

    Then Peter addressed them: ‘The truth I have now come to realise’ he said ‘is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.’

    While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came down on all the listeners. Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were all astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit should be poured out on the pagans too, since they could hear them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness of God. Peter himself then said, ‘Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these people, now they have received the Holy Spirit just as much as we have?’ He then gave orders for them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterwards they begged him to stay on for some days.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 97(98):1-4

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Sing a new song to the Lord
    for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
    have brought salvation.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

The Lord has made known his salvation;
    has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
    for the house of Israel.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
    ring out your joy.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

________

Second reading
1 John 4:7-10

Let us love one another, since love comes from God

My dear people,
let us love one another
since love comes from God
and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,
because God is love.
God’s love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his only Son
so that we could have life through him;
this is the love I mean:
not our love for God,
but God’s love for us when he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him, 
and we shall come to him.’

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 15:9-17
You are my friends if you do what I command you

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment:
love one another, as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you.
I shall not call you servants any more,
because a servant does not know
his master’s business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me:
no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you
to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you
anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you
is to love one another.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 05th May 2024

ACTS 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; PS 98:1, 2-3, 3-4; 1 JN 4:7-10; JN 15:9-17


Our readings today call us to love as Christ loves. This request from our Lord is no small endeavor. It is something we must work at every day in every moment. When we put it at the forefront of our minds and hearts, and strive to live it out each day, it will transform our lives and impact others, too.

As St. John tells us in our Second Reading, it is “not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.” Recall that God loved us first, not because of what we do for Him, but because He created us out of love. His love for us is pure and radical.

In our Gospel, Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” The ways Jesus has loved us and continues to love us are endless.

Jesus has loved us by dying for our salvation; by giving His entire Self to us in the Eucharist; by sending forth His Spirit to be with us always; He loves us through the sacraments, pouring out His never-ending grace and mercy; He loves us as we are, despite any faults and shortcomings; He loves us through the many blessings He bestows on us and even the trials we endure. His love for us is deeply personal, boundless, and always selfless and sacrificial.

We are called to imitate this love. And He tells us the greatest way to do this when He said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

It is difficult to live that out in our humanity. Yet, it is made much easier when we faithfully love Christ. The fact of the matter is, as our love for Christ increases, so too does our capacity to love others.

There are countless times throughout each day when we can do just that — giving up time each morning that we spend listening to the news and instead spending it in prayer; waking up Saturday morning to attend daily Mass instead of sleeping in; talking to God in the car on the way to work; regularly going to confession. These are simple ways to express our love for the Lord by laying down our lives for Him.

The more we find ways to love the Lord, the more we will find it easier to lay down our lives for others — for instance, by responding to your spouse with kind words in their moment of weakness, anger or frustration; driving your kids to another event or activity after you have been in the car all day; saying prayers for the slow person on the road instead of mentally attacking them.

These are the small ways that we can emulate Christ, put aside our selfishness and serve others.

Christ’s command to “love one another as I have loved you” may seem daunting. Yet, Christ would never ask something of us that we cannot live out. All we need to do is take baby steps.

Look at each moment and think, "How can I better love Jesus right now?" or "How can I lay down my life in this moment?" for it is in loving Christ that we will better love others, and it is in loving others that we love Christ Himself.