Saint Colman of Dromore
Psalter: Week III
White
He was active in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. He spent most of his life in the Dromore area of County Down. He was persuaded by Saint Mac Nissi to settle at Dromore in around 514, where he became the first bishop of the See of Dromore.
Entrance Antiphon : Acts 1: 14
O The disciples devoted themselves with one accord to prayer with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brethren, alleluia
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have celebrated the paschal festivities, may by your gift hold fast to them in the way that we live our lives. 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 28:16-20,30-31
On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him. After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, ‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation. That is why I have asked to see you and talk to you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.’ Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm: 10(11):4-5,7
R/ The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord, whose throne is in heaven. His eyes look down on the world; his gaze tests mortal men.
The Lord tests the just and the wicked; the lover of violence he hates. The Lord is just and loves justice; the upright shall see his face.
Gospel Acclamation : Col3:1
Alleluia, alleluia! Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Alleluia!
Gospel : John 21:20-25
Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come.’ This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true. There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.
Prayer over the Offerings
May the Holy Spirit coming near, we pray, O Lord, prepare our minds for the divine Sacrament, since the Spirit himself is the remission of all sins. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Jn 16: 14
The Holy Spirit will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and declare it to you, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Hear in your compassion our prayers, O Lord, that, as we have been brought from things of the past to new mysteries, so, with former ways left behind, we may be made new in holiness of mind. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“If I want him to stay behind until I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.” Often, we are too concerned about the lives of others, seeking to know what they are doing and saying, how they are faring in life, and whether they are succeeding or failing. We may even go to great lengths to compare ourselves to them, questioning if they are superior to us or not, and contemplating what it takes to match or surpass them. In this pursuit, we dedicate so much time scrutinising others that we lose focus on our own lives, consequently losing sight of the blessings God has bestowed on us and the expectations He has for us. God does not require us to engage in constant comparison with others. He does not demand us to outshine or outdo anyone else. Instead, he calls on us to be the best version of ourselves, to continually improve as His faithful disciples. The primary need is for us to follow Him. Let us seek the grace to shift our focus from gossiping and grumbling about others to concentrating on our spiritual growth. In so doing, we align with God’s desire for us to be true to ourselves in our discipleship journey.