Mass Reading: Sunday - 24th May 2026

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
1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13
In the one Spirit we were all baptised

    No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

    There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. 

    Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

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 20:19-23
As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit

    In the evening of 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’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

    ‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’

    After saying this he breathed on them and said:

    ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 24th May 2026

 

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 celebration reaches its fulfillment today as we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Today, we focus on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in our individual lives.

In our first reading from Acts, we hear of the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. A strong driving wind filled the house, and tongues of fire came to rest on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues.

Notice how both communal and deeply personal this moment is. The Spirit filled the entire house, yet also came to rest on each individual. Each apostle was uniquely equipped to proclaim the Gospel. This is not just a moment in history — it is a model for how the Holy Spirit continues to work today.

The same Spirit has been given to us. Through Baptism and Confirmation, we have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Each of us has been entrusted with a unique combination of gifts, talents, and opportunities — all meant for a purpose. As St. Paul reminds us, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

This is where the stewardship way of life comes in. Stewardship is the grateful response to what God has given us. It is the commitment to use our gifts — our time, our talent, and our treasure — for the building up of the Body of Christ.

In the Gospel, Jesus makes our mission clear: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We are called to continue His work. This can feel overwhelming, but Jesus immediately offers reassurance: “Peace be with you.”

We are not sent out alone. The Holy Spirit is our guide, our strength, and our source of wisdom.

As this Easter season comes to a close, let us reflect on the gifts we have been given. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us recognize those gifts and to use them generously. And let us commit ourselves to living the stewardship way of life — relying on the Spirit to lead us each day.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 08th June 2025

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
Romans 8:8-17
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God

    People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

    So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

    Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.

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 14:15-16,23-26
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything

    Jesus said to his disciples:

    ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.

    ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while still with you;
but the Advocate, 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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 08th June 2025

 

ACTS 1:1-11; PS 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 COR 12:3B-7, 12-13or ROM 8:8-17; JN 20:19-23 or JN 14:15-16, 23B-26


Today we reach the finale of the Easter season with the celebration of the great Feast of Pentecost. Reflecting on today’s readings inspires a sense of awe as we consider the mighty power of the Holy Spirit at work giving birth to and sustaining our Church. Just as awesome — the same Spirit is calling to us this day to take up our part in the Church’s saving work.

In the first reading, from Acts, we see the creative genius of the Holy Spirit moving through the newly confirmed Apostles “who began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The large crowd, gathered from all over the world were “amazed” and “astounded” that each one could understand the Apostles speaking in their own language.

Each one of us, young and old alike, is personally called today by the Holy Spirit into the same mission as that of the first Apostles — to advance the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Just as He did on that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our “own language” to give us the Good News of the Gospel and urge us to share it.

We can think of our own language as the particular gifts, talents, and passions we possess. We truly serve a personal God who sees each of us as unique and individual creations. Therefore, each one of us has a personal mission to fulfill through the use of our personal gifts and talents in grateful service of the Kingdom of God.

We see this described in our Second Reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he explains: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God…To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

When we consider the stewardship way of life we are called to live, we often focus on the challenges it poses. And living as a modern-day steward is indeed challenging. But on this feast of Pentecost, when we reflect on the unleashing of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Apostles, and through them the crowd, let’s remember that we Christian stewards have much to celebrate.

When we surrender ourselves to God, putting Him first in all aspects of life — our time, talents, and finances — we can count on a life that is challenging, yes, but even more so a life that is exciting, creative, and deeply rewarding. In other words, we can experience life as a great adventure because it is a life guided and directed by the very source of power and creativity— the Holy Spirit.

What’s more, when live in grateful dependence on the Holy Spirit, we can count on not only adventure, but peace — the peace that cannot be found in a “worldly” way of life where one tries to find security in wealth or prestige or self-indulgence. Rather, It is the peace that Jesus brings to us as we commit ourselves to Him. As He said to the Apostles in today’s Gospel reading from John, He says to us today, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

As we celebrate the birthday of the Church today let’s give thanks to God for calling us, His stewards, to the adventure of a lifetime!

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 Reading: Sunday - 28th May 2023

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
1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13
In the one Spirit we were all baptised

    No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

    There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. 

    Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

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 20:19-23
As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit

    In the evening of 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’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 28th May 2023

ACTS 1: 1-11; PS 47:2-3, 6-9; EPH 1:17-23; MT 28:16-20

Our Easter celebration reaches its grand finale today as we celebrate the glorious feast of Pentecost. Today, we focus on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in our individual lives.
 
Throughout our readings today, we see the amazing truth that the Holy Spirit gives us gifts and guidance in a very personal way — and that we are meant to use these gifts to build up the Body of Christ in a way that is unique to each one of us. What a stunning privilege and awesome responsibility. We must rely constantly on the Holy Spirit to guide us in the best use of the gifts, talents and blessings we have been given so that we can fulfill the specific mission to which we have been called.
 
Our first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, recalls the dramatic moment when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the apostles just as Christ had promised. “Suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.” Amazing, but there is more. “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” And still more. They “began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”
 
Notice how personal and individual is this outpouring of the Spirit. The Spirit filled the entire house where they were gathered, yet also came to each one of them separately, as individuals (the tongues of fire parted and rested on each one of them). And not only that, the Spirit empowered each of them in a unique way (they began to speak in different tongues). This personalized way of “gifting” the apostles allowed them each to reach different people, sharing with them the “mighty acts of God.” 
 
This is the same way the Holy Spirit operates today. He gives each of us a unique combination of gifts, and empowers each of us to speak in different “tongues” so that, together, every person can be offered the saving message of the Gospel in a way that is meaningful to them. (Have you ever been amazed at how some can be so creative and energetic with the little ones in the nursery or the teens in the youth group? And others so compassionate with our elderly or infirm parishioners? It is because the Holy Spirit has made us fluent in different “tongues.”)
 
Our second reading, from the letter to the Corinthians, illustrates the beautiful way the Spirit weaves together His personal gifts to each us for the good of all. “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” Embracing the stewardship way of life means that we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in the best use of the unique gifts He has given to each of us, to accomplish the particular mission entrusted to us.
 
Jesus gives us this mission in our Gospel passage from John. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We are called to be Christ’s hands and feet to all those He places in our path. But we must not let this responsibility overwhelm us. Jesus Himself tells us so. Actually, He tells us twice in this passage: “Peace be with you.”
 
As this Easter season comes to a close, let us be at peace. And let us resolve to lean on the Holy Spirit more and more as our guide through the stewardship way of life.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 05th June 2022

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
Romans 8:8-17
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God

    People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

    So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

    Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.

Thanks be to God.

________

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 14:15-16,23-26
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.

‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while still with you;
but the Advocate, 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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 05th June 2022

 

Today we reach the finale of the Easter season with the celebration of the great Feast of Pentecost. Reflecting on today’s readings inspires a sense of awe as we consider the mighty power of the Holy Spirit at work giving birth to and sustaining our Church. Just as awesome — the same Spirit is calling to us this day to take up our part in the Church’s saving work.

In the first reading, from Acts, we see the creative genius of the Holy Spirit moving through the newly confirmed Apostles “who began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The large crowd, gathered from all over the world were “amazed” and “astounded” that each one could understand the Apostles speaking in their own language.

Each one of us, young and old alike, is personally called today by the Holy Spirit into the same mission as that of the first Apostles — to advance the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Just as He did on that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our “own language” to give us the Good News of the Gospel and urge us to share it.

We can think of our own language as the particular gifts, talents, and passions we possess. We truly serve a personal God who sees each of us as unique and individual creations. Therefore, each one of us has a personal mission to fulfill through the use of our personal gifts and talents in grateful service of the Kingdom of God. 

We see this described in our Second Reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he explains: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God…To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”

When we consider the stewardship way of life we are called to live, we often focus on the challenges it poses. And living as a modern-day steward is indeed challenging. But on this feast of Pentecost, when we reflect on the unleashing of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Apostles, and through them the crowd, let’s remember that we Christian stewards have much to celebrate.  

When we surrender ourselves to God, putting Him first in all aspects of life — our time, talents, and finances — we can count on a life that is challenging, yes, but even more so a life that is exciting, creative, and deeply rewarding. In other words, we can experience life as a great adventure because it is a life guided and directed by the very source of power and creativity— the Holy Spirit.

What’s more, when live in grateful dependence on the Holy Spirit, we can count on not only adventure, but peace — the peace that cannot be found in a “worldly” way of life where one tries to find security in wealth or prestige or self-indulgence. Rather, It is the peace that Jesus brings to us as we commit ourselves to Him. As He said to the Apostles in today’s Gospel reading from John, He says to us today, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 

As we celebrate the birthday of the Church today let’s give thanks to God for calling us, His stewards, to the adventure of a lifetime!

The Liturgy of the Word: Sunday, 23rd May 2021

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 forever!
  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
1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13
In the one Spirit we were all baptised

No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

  There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.

  Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

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 20:19-23
As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit

In the evening of 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’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday, 23rd May 2021

 

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 Readings - Sunday, 31st May 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles    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    Ps 103

Response:  Send forth your Spirit, O Lord,
and renew the face of the earth.

1. Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are,
How many are your works, 0 Lord!
The earth is full of your riches.

2. 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.

3. 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.



SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Romans    8:8-17
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God .

People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be
pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual,
but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you.
In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong
to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if
Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been
justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is
living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to
your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.
So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our
unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way,
you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the
misdeeds of the body you will live.
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received
is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the
spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself
and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if
we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with
Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.

The Word of the Lord.



SEQUENCE

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
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John    14:15-16, 23-26
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything.

Jesus said to his disciples
‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever,
‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
‘I have said these things to you
while still with you;
but the Advocate, 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.’

The Gospel of the Lord.