Mass Reading: Sunday - 18th May 2025

First reading
Acts 14:21-27
They gave an account to the church of all that God had done with them

    Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ 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.

    They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

    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 pagans.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 144(145):8-13a

I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
    compassionate to all his creatures.

I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
    and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
    and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
    and the glorious splendour of your reign.

I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
    your rule lasts from age to age.

I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.

________

Second reading
Apocalypse 21:1-5
A vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb

    I, John, 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. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, ‘You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.’

    Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn13:34

Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you, 
says the Lord.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 13:31-33,34-35
In the Son of Man, God has been glorified

    When Judas had gone Jesus said:

    ‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.

    

    ‘My little children,
I shall not be with you much longer.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another;
just as I have loved you,
you also must love one another.
By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my disciples.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 18th May 2025

 

ACTS 14:21-27; PS 145:8-13; REV 21:1-5A; JN 13:21-22A, 34-35

Today’s readings on this fifth Sunday of Easter contain inspiring but challenging messages for us Christian stewards.

The Gospel from John includes this well-known verse: “My children…I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What a succinct description of a stewardship way of life: “love one another as I have loved you.” It sounds so simple. But simple does not necessarily mean easy.

We must look at the context in which Jesus makes this statement. It is the Last Supper. Judas has just stepped out discreetly to turn Jesus over to the authorities who will have Him bound, tortured, and crucified.

Furthermore, exactly how does He call us to love? As He, Himself loved. Jesus loved (and loves) by serving us and by making a sacrifice of His very life for us. That is a tall order.

No wonder we find Paul and Barnabas “strengthening” and “exhorting” the early disciples in our First Reading by saying, “it is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Notice they don’t say “one or two” hardships or even “the occasional hardship”. They say “many” hardships. So, it should not surprise us when we encounter challenges as we embrace stewardship, as a way of life. If it’s demanding, we should take heart because it means we are doing it right!

Why is this? Living a life of service and self-sacrifice is not easy because it requires us to continuously fight against our selfish inclinations. But the more we empty ourselves of “self” by serving others, the more room we make in our hearts for God to pour His grace into us. Amazingly, the more we give our lives away to others, the more He fills us up with Himself who is love itself.

And amid those inevitable challenging moments this kind of life entails, we can be assured that the Lord who loves us so much that He died for us and established the Eucharist to be our strength and nourishment, is right here with us every step of the way. Consider these words from Revelation found in our Second Reading today. “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning or pain, for the old order has passed away…Behold, I make all things new.”

As we face the hardships that come with living as Christian stewards, we can continue to rejoice in the wonder of the Resurrection this Easter season, finding great joy in following in our Lord’s footsteps and in loving as He loves.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 28th April 2024

First reading
Acts 9:26-31
Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his journey

    When Saul got to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple. Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Saul now started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord. But after he had spoken to the Hellenists, and argued with them, they became determined to kill him. When the brothers knew, they took him to Caesarea, and sent him off from there to Tarsus.
    The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 21(22):26-28,30-32

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
    The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
    May their hearts live for ever and ever!

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
    all families of the nations worship before him;
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.
    They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
    ‘These things the Lord has done.’

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.


________

Second reading
1 John 3:18-24
The commandment of faith and love

My children,
our love is not to be just words or mere talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the truth
and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence,
whatever accusations it may raise against us,
because God is greater than our conscience and he knows everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence,
and whatever we ask him,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.

The word of the Lord.


________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn15:4,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
Whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.

Alleluia!

________



Gospel
John 15:1-8
I am the vine, you are the branches

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit
he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes to make it bear even more.
You are pruned already,
by means of the word that I have spoken to you.
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,
but must remain part of the vine,
neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;
these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,
and they are burnt.
If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will
and you shall get it.
It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,
and then you will be my disciples.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 28th April 2024

ACTS 9:26-31; PS 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32; 1 JN 3:18-24; JN 15:4A, 5B


Our readings today teach us what it means to bear fruit as disciples of Christ. We hear in each of our readings that it is from the Lord that good effects will be produced in our lives.

In our first reading, we hear about Saul and the other apostles that were preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and defending the faith. These disciples knew that they were doing the will of God by the good effects of their work, as it states, “The church throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria was at peace,” and again, “It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.”

We must take note that the work they were doing was “with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.” It was not their work alone, but the work of God. They spread the Good News in His name and with the aid of the Holy Spirit.

If we take this reading and apply it to our lives today, we must ask ourselves, ‘how is God bearing fruit in my life?’ and ‘have I invited the Holy Spirit to work in my life?’ The reality is, the more we try to produce good effects in our lives, the more we will become disappointed if all we are relying on is our own efforts. It is only by inviting the Holy Spirit into our everyday moments that we will see goodness poured out.

Jesus clearly tells us how to do this in our Gospel, as He says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” We can remain in Christ by staying faithful to His commandments and frequently receiving the sacraments. And our day to day moments should be a reflection of those commitments.

That could mean opening our day with a prayer of thanksgiving, setting aside time for intentional prayer, smiling at those we see on the street, asking God for help as we begin our work day, cleaning up after the kids in gratitude, praising God in moments of trial, taking time to listen to our spouse after a long day. To remain in Christ means, in all that we do, we do it with the Lord.

When we live a life like that—as a branch never separated from its vine—God will produce bountiful fruit in our lives.

And thankfully, all that does not bear fruit will be taken away. As Jesus tells us, “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.” By remaining in Christ, our Lord will remove all the ugly in our lives and form us into more fruitful disciples.

Let us begin this week reflecting on these questions, ‘how is God bearing fruit in my life?’ and ‘have I invited the Holy Spirit to work in my life?’ Then let us consider the areas of our days that we can more fully invite the Lord into. May we strive to stay connected to the Vine.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 07th May 2023

First reading

Acts 6:1-7 ·

They elected seven men full of the Holy Spirit

    About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

    The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.

The word of the Lord.

-------------------

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,18-19

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;

    for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,

    with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

For the word of the Lord is faithful

    and all his works to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right

    and fills the earth with his love.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

    on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

    to keep them alive in famine.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

-------------------

Second reading

1 Peter 2:4-9 ·

Christ is the living stone, chosen by God and precious to him

    The Lord is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house. As scripture says: See how I lay in Zion a precious cornerstone that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust on it will not be disappointed. That means that for you who are believers, it is precious; but for unbelievers, the stone rejected by the builders has proved to be the keystone, a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring men down. They stumble over it because they do not believe in the word; it was the fate in store for them.

    But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

The word of the Lord.

-------------------

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

No one can come to the Father except through me.’

Alleluia!

-----------------

Gospel

John 14:1-12

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Trust in God still, and trust in me.

There are many rooms in my Father’s house;

if there were not, I should have told you.

I am going now to prepare a place for you,

and after I have gone and prepared you a place,

I shall return to take you with me;

so that where I am

you may be too.

You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said:

‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

No one can come to the Father except through me.

If you know me, you know my Father too.

From this moment you know him and have seen him.’

Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me?

‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father,

so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?

Do you not believe

that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:

it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.

You must believe me when I say

that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;

believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.

I tell you most solemnly,

whoever believes in me

will perform the same works as I do myself,

he will perform even greater works,

because I am going to the Father.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 07th May 2023

ACTS 6:1-7; PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1 PT 2:4-9; JN 14:1-12 The readings on this fifth Sunday of Easter present us with themes of dwelling places and home. As Christian stewards, we are well aware that this world is not our permanent home. We are merely pilgrims here, making our way through the stewardship way of life to our true home, heaven.   Yet, as we make our way to heaven, we are called to make our dwelling here — whether we are in a household of one or bursting at the seams — a true “domestic church.” In other words, the stewardship way of life begins long before we set foot on the parish grounds. Stewardship starts at home.   We actually see this concept at play from the earliest days of the Church, as illustrated in our first reading from Acts. In the first verse, we read about how the members of the early church complained “because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” When there is turmoil in the home when needs are not being met (in this passage, a very basic need for adequate food and drink), or when we lack an attitude of service within our homes and towards each other in our community, we are not the stewards that Christ is calling us to be.   Stewardship is not just about going to Mass once a week, serving in ministries, and giving financially to the parish. Those are all essential parts of stewardship. But stewardship begins long before we step onto our parish campus. It begins with our families, our domestic churches. The domestic church plays a key role in our sanctification because it is the primary place where we practice intimate and selfless love of other persons.   Ultimately, stewardship is not something that we do — it is who we are. It’s a way of living out our baptismal call to follow Christ as His disciples — whether in parish life, in our social life, in our work life — and certainly in our home life.   In our second reading, St. Peter instructs, “Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Peter is not speaking strictly to clergy members, but to all of us who are disciples of Christ by virtue of our Baptism. How are lay people to do this?    The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “It is here that… all members of the family exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way 'by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and self-denial and active charity.' Thus the home is the first school of Christian life and a ‘school of human enrichment’” (1657).   In our Gospel passage from John, Jesus speaks of heaven as a home filled with dwelling places. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” This is a beautiful image of the glory that awaits us and the personal love our Lord has for us in preparing the perfect “spot” for each one of us who remain faithful to Him.   Let us respond to this great love by becoming good stewards of our earthly dwellings, making our homes true “domestic churches” where we honor God with our prayer, our thoughtfulness to each other, and our generous hospitality to all. Let us never forget that stewardship starts at home!

Mass Refolection: Sunday - 15th May 2022

 

Today’s readings on this fifth Sunday of Easter contain inspiring but challenging messages for us Christian stewards. 
 
The Gospel from John includes this well-known verse: “My children…I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 
 
What a succinct description of a stewardship way of life: “love one another as I have loved you.” It sounds so simple. But simple does not necessarily mean easy.
 
We must look at the context in which Jesus makes this statement. It is the Last Supper.  Judas has just stepped out discreetly to turn Jesus over to the authorities who will have Him bound, tortured, and crucified.
 
Furthermore, exactly how does He call us to love?  As He, Himself loved. Jesus loved (and loves) by serving us and by making a sacrifice of His very life for us. That is a tall order. 
 
No wonder we find Paul and Barnabas “strengthening” and “exhorting” the early disciples in our First Reading by saying, “it is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Notice they don’t say “one or two” hardships or even “the occasional hardship”. They say “many” hardships.  So, it should not surprise us when we encounter challenges as we embrace stewardship, as a way of life.  If it’s demanding, we should take heart because it means we are doing it right!
 
Why is this? Living a life of service and self-sacrifice is not easy because it requires us to continuously fight against our selfish inclinations. But the more we empty ourselves of “self” by serving others, the more room we make in our hearts for God to pour His grace into us. Amazingly, the more we give our lives away to others, the more He fills us up with Himself who is love itself.
 
And amid those inevitable challenging moments this kind of life entails, we can be assured that the Lord who loves us so much that He died for us and established the Eucharist to be our strength and nourishment, is right here with us every step of the way.

Consider these words from Revelation found in our Second Reading today. “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning or pain, for the old order has passed away… Behold, I make all things new.”
 
As we face the hardships that come with living as Christian stewards, we can continue to rejoice in the wonder of the Resurrection this Easter season, finding great joy in following in our Lord’s footsteps and in loving as He loves.

The Liturgy of the Word: Sunday, 02nd May 2021

First reading
Acts 9:26-31
Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his journey

When Saul got to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple. Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Saul now started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord. But after he had spoken to the Hellenists, and argued with them, they became determined to kill him. When the brothers knew, they took him to Caesarea, and sent him off from there to Tarsus.

    The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

______

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 21(22):26-28,30-32

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
    The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
    May their hearts live for ever and ever!

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
    all families of the nations worship before him;
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.
    They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
    ‘These things the Lord has done.’

You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly.

_____

Second reading
1 John 3:18-24
The commandment of faith and love

My children,
our love is not to be just words or mere talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the truth
and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence,
whatever accusations it may raise against us,
because God is greater than our conscience and he knows everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence,
and whatever we ask him,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn15:4,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
Whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 15:1-8
I am the vine, you are the branches

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit
he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes to make it bear even more.
You are pruned already,
by means of the word that I have spoken to you.
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,
but must remain part of the vine,
neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;
these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,
and they are burnt.
If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will
and you shall get it.
It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,
and then you will be my disciples.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday, 02nd May 2021

Our readings today teach us what it means to bear fruit as disciples of Christ. We hear in each of our readings that it is from the Lord that good effects will be produced in our lives. 
 
In our first reading, we hear about Saul and the other apostles that were preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and defending the faith. These disciples knew that they were doing the will of God by the good effects of their work, as it states, “The church throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria was at peace,” and again, “It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.”
 
We must take note that the work they were doing was “with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.” It was not their work alone, but the work of God. They spread the Good News in His name and with the aid of the Holy Spirit. 
 
If we take this reading and apply it to our lives today, we must ask ourselves, ‘how is God bearing fruit in my life?’ and ‘have I invited the Holy Spirit to work in my life?’ The reality is, the more we try to produce good effects in our lives, the more we will become disappointed if all we are relying on is our own efforts. It is only by inviting the Holy Spirit into our everyday moments that we will see goodness poured out. 
 
Jesus clearly tells us how to do this in our Gospel, as He says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” We can remain in Christ by staying faithful to His commandments and frequently receiving the sacraments. And our day to day moments should be a reflection of those commitments.
 
That could mean opening our day with a prayer of thanksgiving, setting aside time for intentional prayer, smiling at those we see on the street, asking God for help as we begin our work day, cleaning up after the kids in gratitude, praising God in moments of trial, taking time to listen to our spouse after a long day. To remain in Christ means, in all that we do, we do it with the Lord.
 
When we live a life like that—as a branch never separated from its vine—God will produce bountiful fruit in our lives. 
 
And thankfully, all that does not bear fruit will be taken away. As Jesus tells us, “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.” By remaining in Christ, our Lord will remove all the ugly in our lives and form us into more fruitful disciples.
 
Let us begin this week reflecting on these questions, ‘how is God bearing fruit in my life?’ and ‘have I invited the Holy Spirit to work in my life?’ Then let us consider the areas of our days that we can more fully invite the Lord into. May we strive to stay connected to the Vine.

Mass Readings - Sunday, 10th May 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Acts of the Apostles    6:1-7
They elected seven men full of the Holy Spirit

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the
Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily
distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve
called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would
not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food.
You, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of
good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand
over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer
and to the service of the word’. The whole assembly approved of
this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these
to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in
Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made
their submission to the faith.

The Word of the Lord.


Responsorial Psalm    Ps 32

Response:  May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.

1. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

2. For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.

3. The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.


SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Peter 2:4-9
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood

He is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and
precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy
priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has
made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual
house. As scripture says: See how I lay in Zion a precious cornerstone
that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust on it will not be
disappointed. That means that for you who are believers, it is
precious; but for unbelievers, the stone rejected by the builders has
proved to be the keystone, a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring
men down. They stumble over it because they do not believe in the
word; it was the fate in store for them.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated
nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you
out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

The Word of the Lord.


Gospel Acclamation    Jn 14: 10

Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.’
Alleluia!


GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to John 14:1-12
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Jesus said to his disciples ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not,
I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with me;
so that where I am you may be too.
You know the way to the place where I am going.’
Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how
can we know the way?’ Jesus said:
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
Philip said,
‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied’.
‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you
still do not know me? ‘
‘To have seen me is to have seen the, Father,
so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say that
I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
‘I tell you most solemnly,  whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works,
because I am going to the Father.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Readings - Sunday, 19th May 2019

Liturgical Readings for : Sunday, 19th May, 2019
Today's Readings
Léachtaí Gaeilge


FIRST READING     Acts of the Apostles 14:21-27
They gave an account of all that God had done with them.

Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put
fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all
have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of
God.’ 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.
They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the
word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch,
where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work
they had now completed.
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
pagans.

The Word of the Lord


Responsorial      Psalm Ps 144

Response I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
or Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

1. The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.                               Response

2. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.                     Response

3. Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.                                     Response



SECOND READING       Apocalypse 21:1-5
God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.

I, John 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. I saw the holy city,
and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as
a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the
throne, ‘You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home
among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is
God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more
death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.’
Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of
creation new.’

The Word of the Lord


Gospel Acclamation     Jn 13: 34

Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another; just as I have loved you.
Alleluia!


THE GOSPEL     John 13:31-35
I give you a new commandment: love one another.

When Judas had gone Jesus said:
‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.
My little children, I shall not be with you much longer.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another;
just as I have loved you,
you also must love one another.
By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my disciples.’

The Gospel of the Lord