FEAST DAY OF ST JOSEPH & GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION - MAY 01, 2016

Sunday, May 01, 2016

Feast Day of St Joseph & Golden Anniversary Celebration

09:00 am   Mass in Multilingual

Main Celebrant  Bishop Bernard Paul

First Reading

Acts of Apostles 15:1-2, 22-29

1 Then some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.'

2 This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the question with the apostles and elders.

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose delegates from among themselves to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood,

23 and gave them this letter to take with them: 'The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of gentile birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.

24 We hear that some people coming from here, but acting without any authority from ourselves, have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds;

25 and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with our well-beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26 who have committed their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written.

28 It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to impose on you any burden beyond these essentials:

29 you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from illicit marriages. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.'

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 67: 2-3, 5, 6, 8

2 Then the earth will acknowledge your ways, and all nations your power to save.

3 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations praise you.

5 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations praise you.

6 The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God has blessed us.

7 May God continue to bless us, and be revered by the whole wide world.

Second Reading

Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

10 In the spirit, he carried me to the top of a very high mountain, and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God.

11 It had all the glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond.

12 Its wall was of a great height and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel;

13 on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

14 The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

22 I could not see any temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple,

23 and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God, and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

John 14:23-29

23 Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him.

24 Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me.

25 I have said these things to you while still with you;

26 but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.

27 Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

28 You heard me say: I am going away and shall return. If you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

29 I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) – APRIL 24, 2016

Saturday, April 23, 2016

5th Sunday of EASTER – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

Acts 14:21-27

21 Having preached the good news in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.

22 They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith, saying, 'We must all experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God.'

23 In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

24 They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.

25 Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia

26 and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

27 On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the gentiles.

‘The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

8 Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger, full of faithful love.

9 Yahweh is generous to all, his tenderness embraces all his creatures.

10 All your creatures shall thank you, Yahweh, and your faithful shall bless you.

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingship and tell of your might,

12 making known your mighty deeds to the children of Adam, the glory and majesty of your kingship.

13 Your kingship is a kingship for ever, your reign lasts from age to age. Yahweh is trustworthy in all his words, and upright in all his deeds.

Second Reading

Revelation 21:1-5

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea.

2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband.

3 Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them.

4 He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone.'

5 Then the One sitting on the throne spoke. 'Look, I am making the whole of creation new. Write this, "What I am saying is trustworthy and will come true."

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

John 13:31-33, 34-35

31 When he had gone, Jesus said: Now has the Son of man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified.

32 If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon.

33 Little children, I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.

34 I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.

35 It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) – APRIL 17, 2016

Saturday, April 16, 2016

4th Sunday of EASTER – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

ACTS OF APOSTLES 13:14, 43-52

14 The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats.

43 When the meeting broke up many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas, and in their talks with them Paul and Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.

44 The next Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God.

45 When they saw the crowds, the Jews, filled with jealousy, used blasphemies to contradict everything Paul said.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly. 'We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, here and now we turn to the gentiles.

47 For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of the earth.'

48 It made the gentiles very happy to hear this and they gave thanks to the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers.

49 Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.

50 But the Jews worked on some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city; they stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their territory.

51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went off to Iconium; but the converts were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

“The Word of the Lord”

Psalms 100:1-2, 3, 5

1 [Psalm For thanksgiving] Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,

2 serve Yahweh with gladness, come into his presence with songs of joy!

3 Be sure that Yahweh is God, he made us, we belong to him, his people, the flock of his sheepfold.

5 For Yahweh is good, his faithful love is everlasting, his constancy from age to age.

Second Reading

Revelation 7:9, 14-17

9 After that I saw that there was a huge number, impossible for anyone to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted in a loud voice,

14 I answered him, 'You can tell me, sir.' Then he said, 'These are the people who have been through the great trial; they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.

15 That is why they are standing in front of God's throne and serving him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

16 They will never hunger or thirst again; sun and scorching wind will never plague them,

17 because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.'

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

JOHN 10:27-30

27 The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand.

29 The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand.

30 The Father and I are one.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) – APRIL 10, 2016

Saturday, April 09, 2016

3rd Sunday of EASTER – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

Acts 5:27-32, 40-41

27 When they had brought them in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demanded an explanation.

28 'We gave you a strong warning', he said, 'not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt for this man's death on us.'

29 In reply Peter and the apostles said, 'Obedience to God comes before obedience to men;

30 it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, whom you executed by hanging on a tree.

31 By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel.

32 We are witnesses to this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.'

40 and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.

41 And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

2 Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me.

4 Make music for Yahweh, all you who are faithful to him, praise his unforgettable holiness.

5 His anger lasts but a moment, his favour through life; In the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy.

6 Carefree, I used to think, 'Nothing can ever shake me!'

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

12 So my heart will sing to you unceasingly, Yahweh, my God, I shall praise you for ever.

Second Reading

Revelation 5:11-14

11 In my vision, I heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered round the throne and the living creatures and the elders; there were ten thousand times ten thousand of them and thousands upon thousands,

12 loudly chanting: Worthy is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.

13 Then I heard all the living things in creation -- everything that lives in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, crying: To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever.

14 And the four living creatures said, 'Amen'; and the elders prostrated themselves to worship.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

John 21:1-19

1 Later on, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this:

2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together.

3 Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.' They replied, 'We'll come with you.' They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

4 When it was already light, there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.

5 Jesus called out, 'Haven't you caught anything, friends?' And when they answered, 'No,'

6 he said, 'Throw the net out to starboard and you'll find something.' So they threw the net out and could not haul it in because of the quantity of fish.

7 The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.' At these words, 'It is the Lord,' Simon Peter tied his outer garment round him (for he had nothing on) and jumped into the water.

8 The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net with the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

9 As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it.

10 Jesus said, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught.'

11 Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken.

12 Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, 'Who are you?'. They knew quite well it was the Lord.

13 Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.

14 This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

15 When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'

16 A second time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He replied, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Look after my sheep.'

17 Then he said to him a third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt that he asked him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and said, 'Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.

18 In all truth I tell you, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.'

19 In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, 'Follow me.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY (YEAR C) - APRIL 03, 2016

Saturday, April 02, 2016

Divine Mercy Sunday – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Divine Mercy

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 5:12-16

12 The apostles worked many signs and miracles among the people. One in heart, they all used to meet in the Portico of Solomon.

13 No one else dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise

14 and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. Many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the hands of the apostles

15 so that the sick were even taken out into the streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past.

16 People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem, bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were cured.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

2 Let the House of Israel say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'

3 Let the House of Aaron say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'

4 Let those who fear Yahweh say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'

13 I was pushed hard, to make me fall, but Yahweh came to my help.

14 Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has been my Saviour.

15 Shouts of joy and salvation, in the tents of the upright, 'Yahweh's right hand is triumphant,

22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

23 This is Yahweh's doing, and we marvel at it.

24 This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad.

Second Reading

REVELATION 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19

9 I, John, your brother and partner in hardships, in the kingdom and in perseverance in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos on account of the Word of God and of witness to Jesus;

10 it was the Lord's Day and I was in ecstasy, and I heard a loud voice behind me, like the sound of a trumpet, saying,

11 'Write down in a book all that you see, and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.'

12 I turned round to see who was speaking to me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands

13 and, in the middle of them, one like a Son of man, dressed in a long robe tied at the waist with a belt of gold.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead, but he laid his right hand on me and said, 'Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One,

18 I was dead and look -- I am alive for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades.

19 Now write down all that you see of present happenings and what is still to come.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

JOHN 20:19-31

19 In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with you,'

20 and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord,

21 and he said to them again, 'Peace be with you. 'As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.'

22 After saying this he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained.

24 Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples said to him, 'We have seen the Lord,' but he answered, 'Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.'

26 Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you,' he said.

27 Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe.'

28 Thomas replied, 'My Lord and my God!'

29 Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

30 There were many other signs that Jesus worked in the sight of the disciples, but they are not recorded in this book.

31 These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

“The Gospel of the Lord”