FRIDAY 20TH MAY 2022

ST. BERNARDINO OF SIENA
(1380 – 1444)

Bernardino (“Little Bernard”) was born in Tuscany. Inspired by St Vincent Ferrer, he was an energetic and popular preacher. He denounced usury, promoted peace, worked hard for the reform and discipline of the Franciscan order, and for church unity.

Entrance Antiphon : Rv 5: 12
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Collect
Grant us, Lord, we pray, that, being rightly conformed to the paschal mysteries, what we celebrate in joy may protect and save us with perpetual power. 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 15:22-31
The apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole Church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this letter to take with them: ‘The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us; and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.’ The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter. The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.

Psalm 56:8-12
R/ I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples.

1. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. I will sing, I will sing your praise. Awake, my soul, awake, lyre and harp, I will awake the dawn.
2. I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples, among the nations I will praise you, for your love reaches to the heavens and your truth to the skies. O God, arise above the heavens; may your glory shine on earth!

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 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me: no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another.’

Prayer over the Offerings
Graciously sanctify these gifts, O Lord, we pray, and, accepting the oblation of this spiritual sacrifice, make of us an eternal offering to you. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon
The Crucified is risen from the dead and has redeemed us, alleluia.

Prayer after Communion
We have partaken of the gifts of this sacred mystery, humbly imploring, O Lord, that what your Son commanded us to do in memory of him may bring us growth in charity. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation
Why all the wars that have characterised human history? None has ever been out of love? All have been caused by selfish reasons and the consequence has been the loss of lives and tension between countries, tribes, groups and individuals. In all these, the Lord still invites us to love one another. It is love for one another that is the cure of hatred. It is love for one another that defeats selfishness and makes us altruistic. It is love for one another that makes us perfect, strong and powerful. It is love for one another that builds true friendship and community and a firm spirit of patriotism. It is love for one another that brings us to salvation and the true enjoyment of the common good. It is love for one another that the world so badly needs today.