TUESDAY 05 MAY 2020

by | May 4, 2020 | Evangelium

tuesday 05 May 2020

 

St Asaph

He was a monk of the monastery at Llanelwy, founded by St Kentigern. He was consecrated bishop in 573, and the town of Llanelwy (as well as the diocese) is called St Asaph in his honour.

 

White

Entrance Antiphon: Rv 19: 7, 6

Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to God, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns, alleluia.

 

Collect

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, celebrating the mysteries of the Lord’s Resurrection, we may merit to receive the joy of our redemption. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

First reading: Acts 11:19-26

Those who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord. The church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of people were won over to the Lord. Barnabas then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. As things turned out they were to live together in that church a whole year, instructing a large number of people. It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians.’

 

Psalm 86(87)

R/ O praise the Lord, all you nations!

 

  1. On the holy mountain is his city cherished by the Lord. The Lord prefers the gates of Zion to all Jacob’s dwellings. Of you are told glorious things, O city of God!
  2. ‘Babylon and Egypt I will count among those who know me; Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia, these will be her children and Zion shall be called “Mother” for all shall be her children.’
  3. It is he, the Lord Most High, who gives each his place. In his register of peoples he writes: ‘These are her children,’ and while they dance they will sing: ‘In you all find their home.’

 

Gospel Acclamation: Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia! The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,  says the Lord,  I know them and they follow me. Alleluia!

 

Gospel: John 10:22-30

It was the time when the feast of Dedication was being celebrated in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied: ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may always find delight in these paschal mysteries, so that the renewal constantly at work within us may be the cause of our unending joy. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon:  Lk 24: 46, 26

The Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory, alleluia.

 

Prayer after Communion

Hear, O Lord, our prayers, that this most holy exchange, by which you have redeemed us, may bring your help in this present life and ensure for us eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

Today’s gospel text is a continuation of the Good Shepherd discourse, but the peculiarity of this text is the Jews challenging statement to Jesus: “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly”. Rejection is a major theme of this chapter and this is reflected in the hostility of the Jews who challenges Jesus to tell them plainly. It is a hostile challenge, designed to force Jesus into the open and to bring things to a head because anything Jesus says can and will be used against him. Despite the fact that Jesus had been proclaiming himself plainly, these interrogators do not believe because they were not looking for truth but grounds for conviction. They not only ignored the evidence of his works but also sought to turn those works against him.