by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Apr 29, 2023 | Evangelium
SUNday 30 APRIL
4th Sunday of Easter
Psalter iv
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 32: 5-6
The merciful love of the Lord fills the earth; by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Acts 2:14,36-41
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: “The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, “What must we do, brothers?” “You must repent,” Peter answered “and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.” He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.” They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
Psalm 22(23)
R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Second reading: 1 Peter 2:20-25
The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty. This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn10:14
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 10:1-10
Jesus said: “I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.” Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: “I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.”
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
The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Look upon your flock, kind Shepherd, and be pleased to settle in eternal pastures, the sheep you have redeemed by the Precious Blood of your Son. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
On this fourth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the Good Shepherd. Jesus’ teaching is clear that he who does not enter through the gate is a thief. Only the true shepherd can call each of his sheep by name; intimacy is established between the shepherd and the sheep. In both cases, Jesus is the true shepherd who knows and cares for the sheep. And he affirms that he is the door through which the sheep go. In other words, he is the one who opens to freedom. With him, a believer is not a prisoner of himself, nor of his sins, nor of his humanity. In Jesus, we have the perfect man. Through him, we have access to the Father, and to His divinity.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Apr 28, 2023 | Evangelium
SATURday 29 APRIL
SAINT Catherine OF SienA
Born in Siena, she entered Third Order of the Dominicans. She is remembered for her burning love of God and neighbour and contributions to doctrine. In 1970 Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church.
Entrance Antiphon
Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who set Saint Catherine of Siena on fire with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and her service of your Church, grant, through her intercession, that your people, participating in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of his glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Acts 9:31-42
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. Peter visited one place after another and eventually came to the saints living down in Lydda. There he found a man called Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you: get up and fold up your sleeping mat.” Aeneas got up immediately; everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they were all converted to the Lord. At Jaffa there was a woman disciple called Tabitha, or Dorcas in Greek, who never tired of doing good or giving in charity. But the time came when she got ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in a room upstairs. Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men with an urgent message for him, “Come and visit us as soon as possible.” Peter went back with them straightaway, and on his arrival they took him to the upstairs room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive. The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord.
Psalm 115:12-17
R/ How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?
How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people. O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my bonds. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! We know that Christ is truly risen from the dead: have mercy on us, triumphant King. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 6:60-69
After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, “This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?” Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, “Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, “This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.” After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him. Then Jesus said to the Twelve, “What about you, do you want to go away too?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the saving sacrifice we offer in commemoration of Saint Catherine, so that, instructed by her teaching, we may give ever more fervent thanks to you, the one true God. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. 1 Jn 1: 7
If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
May the heavenly table at which we have been fed, O Lord, confer eternal life upon us, as even in this world it nourished the life of Saint Catherine. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus has just told the disciples that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life. For many, this is intolerable. They decide to leave him. Jesus respects the freedom of his disciples and lets them go. Then he turns to the twelve: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn 6: 67). This question invites them to make a personal decision of faith, to make a choice and to follow Jesus. John’s Gospel confronts his readers with a choice: to believe in Jesus or not, knowing that to choose Christ is to choose life and light. Simon Peter knows this; even though Jesus’ teaching is difficult and radical, he firmly believes that there is no life outside of Jesus; so he answers on behalf of the twelve: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. As for us, we believe, and we know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6: 68-69) By their faithfulness, the Twelve testify their attachment to the Master and Lord. They will go to the end with him and will discover day after day the joy of sharing his life to the point of giving their lives for him. If the radical nature of the Gospel invites us to go beyond and to challenge ourselves in a world of ease and lightness, the faith by which we remain faithful to Christ is also an act of trust in Jesus which makes us strong.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Apr 27, 2023 | Evangelium
FRIday 28 APRIL
SAINT Pierre Chanel,
He was born in France in 1803. He had been a priest for three years when he was accepted by the Marists and sent to evangelize the Pacific. There he was killed, becoming the first martyr of the South Seas.
Entrance Antiphon: Rv 5: 12
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and divinity, and wisdom and strength and honour, alleluia.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have come to know the grace of the Lord’s Resurrection, may, through the love of the Spirit, ourselves rise to newness of life. 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 9:1-20
Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord’s disciples. He had gone to the high priest and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men or women, that he could find. Suddenly, while he was travelling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there came a light from heaven all round him. He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” he asked, and the voice answered, “I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.” The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless, for though they heard the voice they could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but even with his eyes wide open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. For three days he was without his sight, and took neither food nor drink. A disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard the Lord say to him, “Ananias!” When he replied, “Here I am, Lord”, the Lord said, “You must go to Straight Street and ask the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight.” When he heard that, Ananias said, “Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come here because he holds a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.” The Lord replied, “You must go all the same, because this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name.” Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately it was as though scales fell away from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. So he was baptised there and then, and after taking some food he regained his strength. He began preaching in the synagogues, “Jesus is the Son of God.”
Psalm 116:1-2
R/Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.
O praise the Lord, all you nations, acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us; he is faithful for ever.
Gospel Acclamation: cf.Lk24:46, 26
Alleluia, alleluia! It was ordained that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 6:52-59
The Jews started arguing with one another: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they said. Jesus replied: “I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.” He taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue.
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
Jesus’ statement: “The bread I will give is my flesh” is a scandal for the Jews. How can he give his flesh to eat? More than 2000 years of Christianity, this truth remains disturbing. It is understandable that many stopped following Jesus at that point! But Jesus insists: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you” (Jn 6:53). Jesus’ insistence on the necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood expresses a radical truth: it is in Jesus Christ that salvation and eternal life are given. It cannot be otherwise. While these words may be shocking, they are the heart of our faith. The Church cannot exist without the Eucharist, and true life is given only through the gift of the life of Jesus. It is a mystery to be believed, contemplated and lived. In the end, the practice of the Eucharist leads us to live through Jesus as Saint Paul says: “I live, but it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Gal 2: 20)
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Apr 26, 2023 | Evangelium
THURSday 27 APRIL
SAINT Asicus
He was converted to Christianity by St Patrick, who made him bishop of Elphin. He is the patron saint of that diocese.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ex 15: 1-2
Let us sing to the Lord, for he has gloriously triumphed. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation, alleluia.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, let us feel your compassion more readily during these days when, by your gift, we have known it more fully, so that those you have freed from the darkness of error may cling more firmly to the teachings of your truth. 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 8:26-40
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.” So he set off on his journey. Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or Queen of Ethiopia, and was in fact her chief treasurer. He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and meet that chariot.” When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” “How can I” he replied “unless I have someone to guide me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of Scripture he was reading was this: Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house, like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers, like these he never opens his mouth. He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him. Who will ever talk about his descendants, since his life on earth has been cut short! The eunuch turned to Philip and said, “Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?” Starting, therefore, with this text of Scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him. Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptised?” He ordered the chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water and Philip baptised him. But after they had come up out of the water again Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found that he had reached Azotus and continued his journey proclaiming the Good News in every town as far as Caesarea.
Psalm 65:8-9, 16-17, 20
R/ Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
O peoples, bless our God, let the voice of his praise resound, of the God who gave life to our souls and kept our feet from stumbling.
Come and hear, all who fear God. I will tell what he did for my soul: to him I cried aloud, with high praise ready on my tongue.
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer nor withhold his love from me.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord, who hung for us upon the tree, has risen from the tomb. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowd: “No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God, and to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me. Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God: he has seen the Father. I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life. “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”
Prayer over the Offerings
O God, who by the wonderful exchange effected in this sacrifice have made us partakers of the one supreme Godhead, grant, we pray, that, as we have come to know your truth, we may make it ours by a worthy way of life. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: 2 Cor 5: 15
Christ died for all, that those who live may live no longer for themselves, but for him, who died for them and is risen, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” The mystery of the revelation of God’s plan for mankind can only be understood through the action of the Spirit. Accepting and believing in Christ is a gift of God. Indeed, the Son who is God, who knows the Father and has seen the Father, is the only one who can truly reveal the Father to us and lead us to discover his mystery. It is through faith in the Son that our eyes are opened to this divine reality. By giving himself to us as the Bread of Life, Jesus reveals the immeasurable love of the Father for us. From now on, by communing in this Bread from heaven, all men and women commune with the divine life that never ends. Indeed, to believe in the one sent by God is to have eternal life and to commune with his flesh is to experience intimacy with the Father.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Apr 25, 2023 | Evangelium
WEDNESday 26 APRIL
SAINT Cletus
He sat twelve years, from 76 to 89. He was buried near St. Linus, on the Vatican, and his relics still remain in that church.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 70: 8, 23
Let my mouth be filled with your praise, that I may sing aloud; my lips shall shout for joy, when I sing to you, alleluia.
Collect
Be present to your family, O Lord, we pray, and graciously ensure those you have endowed with the grace of faith, an eternal share in the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Acts 8:1-8
That day a bitter persecution started against the Church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria. There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him. Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison. Those who had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.
Psalm 65:1-7
R/ Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
Cry out with joy to God all the earth, O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise. Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!
Because of the greatness of your strength your enemies cringe before you. Before you all the earth shall bow; shall sing to you, sing to your name!’
Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among men. He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river dry-shod.
Let our joy then be in him; he rules for ever by his might. His eyes keep watch over the nations: let rebels not rise against him.
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 6:35-40
Jesus said to the crowd: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst. But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away; because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of the one who sent me. Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day. Yes, it is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up on the last day.”
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
The Lord has risen and shone his light upon us, whom he has redeemed by his Blood, 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 we continue our meditation on the discourse of the bread of life. The Jews begin to murmur against Jesus for claiming to have come down from heaven because they think they know him well. But do they? It is not easy to believe that this man Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and the carpenter Joseph, could be God’s own Son. Jesus continues revealing himself to his disciples and the Jews. He says: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (Jn 6: 44). Faith is a gift from God. We must know how to welcome it in order to be established, in Jesus, in friendship with the Father. In Jesus is realised what was prefigured by the manna in the desert: “I am the bread of life”. He is the life of God; to eat his body and drink his blood is to acquire eternal life. At each Mass, we communicate with this sacred meal, food for our soul and pledge of our salvation. May this participation in the Eucharist preserve our faith in Jesus and lead us to bear him witness to our brothers and sisters.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Apr 24, 2023 | Evangelium
TUESDay 25 APRIL
SAINT MarK THE EvangElist
Feast
He was a cousin of Barnabas and accompanied the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey; later he followed him to Rome. He is credited with founding the Church in Alexandria.
Entrance Antiphon: Mk 16: 15
Go into all the world, and proclaim the Gospel to every creature, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who raised up Saint Mark, your Evangelist, and endowed him with the grace to preach the Gospel, grant, we pray, that we may so profit from his teaching as to follow faithfully in the footsteps of Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 1 Peter 5:5-14
All wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen. I write these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness. Your sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so does my son, Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Psalm 88:2-3, 6-7,16-17
R/ I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth. For who in the skies can compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
Happy the people who acclaim such a king, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who find their joy every day in your name, who make your justice the source of their bliss.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Christ has risen and shone upon us whom he redeemed with his blood. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 16:15-20
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, and said to them: “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.” And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.
Prayer over the Offerings
As we venerate the glory of Saint Mark, we offer you, Lord, the sacrifice of praise and humbly beseech you, that your Church may always persevere in the preaching of the Gospel. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mt 28: 20
Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that what we have received from your holy altar may sanctify us and make us strong in the faith of the Gospel which Saint Mark proclaimed. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Mark’s Gospel is a summary of the Good News of Jesus Christ, Son of God. Known as a companion of Peter and Paul. The evangelist is aware, from the very beginning of his Gospel, that he is heir to a message from God to be transmitted to all of humanity. As we celebrate his feast today, we are challenged to welcome this Good News of God – Jesus Christ himself. For in him, God has manifested his salvation and his love to all. Following Jesus, the disciples carry within them the life of God and the Good News to communicate to the world. It is Christ himself who makes them his envoys and witnesses: “Go into the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16: 15). As a message of love and mercy, it is in this Gospel that all men on earth will become a unified, healed and saved humanity. May the Gospel be the only language by which Christians touch the hearts of men and build the world.
