SUNDAY 18 APRIL

by | Apr 17, 2021 | Evangelium

3rd Sunday of Easter

Psalter III

St. Laserian or Molaise

White

 

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 65: 1-2

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise, alleluia.

 

Collect

May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. 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 3:13-15,17-19

Peter said to the people: ‘You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after Pilate had decided to release him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses. ‘Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.’

 

Psalm Psalm 4:2,4,7,9

R/    Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.

 

1. When I call, answer me, O God of justice; from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!

2. It is the Lord who grants favours to those whom he loves; the Lord hears me whenever I call him.  ‘What can bring us happiness?’ many say.

3. I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

 

Second reading: 1 John 2:1-5

I am writing this, my children, to stop you sinning;  but if anyone should sin, we have our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is just; he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s. We can be sure that we know God only by keeping his commandments. Anyone who says, ‘I know him’, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth. But when anyone does obey what he has said, God’s love comes to perfection in him.

 

Gospel Acclamation: Lk24:32

Alleluia, alleluia! Lord Jesus, explain the Scriptures to us. Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us. Alleluia!

 

Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread. They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes. Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, we pray, these offerings of your exultant Church, and, as you have given her cause for such great gladness, grant also that the gifts we bring may bear fruit in perpetual happiness. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon: Lk 24: 35

The disciples recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread, alleluia.

 

Prayer after Communion

Look with kindness upon your people, O Lord, and grant, we pray, that those you were pleased to renew by eternal mysteries may attain in their flesh the incorruptible glory of the resurrection. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

 

 

Meditation

Jesus continues to explain to his disciples how all that had happened to him was  in harmony with and fulfillment of the Law of the Prophets and the Psalms. Mentioning the three constituent parts of the Old Testament, Jesus indicates that the Messiah was foretold through the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures. Christ’s mission is that of reconciliation with God. “You are witnesses to this”, our misson is to propagate the gospel throughout the world. The Kingdom of God is fulfilled when we change our ways and that of others, and return to God.

SATURDAY 17 APRIL

by | Apr 16, 2021 | Evangelium

Bl Baptist Spagnoli of Mantua (1447-1516)

Baptist came from a family who served the Dukes of Mantua, in a northern region of Italy. He entered a Carmelite community in Ferrara and professed his religious vows in 1464. This community was part of what would later be known as the ‘Mantuan Reform’, living a stricter observance of the Carmelite Rule and seeking a spirituality of integrity amidst laxity and lethargy that characterised many religious groups of the time.

 

White

Entrance Antiphon Cf. 1 Pt 2: 9

O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light, alleluia.

 

Collect

Set aside, O Lord, the bond of sentence written for us by the law of sin, which in the Paschal Mystery you cancelled through the Resurrection of 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 6:1-7

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.

 

Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,18-19

R/     May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

 

1. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp, with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

2. For the word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love.

3. The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.

 

Gospel Acclamation: Rm6:9

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. Alleluia!

 

Gospel: John 6:16-21

In the evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them, but he said, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’ They were for taking him into the boat, but in no time it reached the shore at the place they were making for.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Sanctify graciously 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: Jn 17: 24

Father, I wish that, where I am, those you gave me may also be with me, that they may see the glory that you gave me, 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

The concern in the first reading today is the administration of financial support to widows as well as other needy people. This is clearly a side-issue subordinate to the preaching/proclamation of the Gospel. It is, nevertheless, an important issue because the Church has an obligation to follow Christ’s lead in caring for vulnerable people. We have many vulnerable people around us but at times we underlook them. We are invited to become more attentive to the cry of the needy and come to their assistance.

FRIDAY 16 APRIL

by | Apr 15, 2021 | Evangelium

St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844 – 1879)

She was born in 1844 to a destitute family in Lourdes, in France. On 11th February 1858 she received the first of a series of visions of the Mother of God which led to Lourdes becoming a place of pilgrimage and healing. In 1866 she became a nun at Nevers, where she died on 16 April 1879.

 

White

 

Entrance Antiphon Rv 5: 9-10

You have redeemed us, Lord, by your Blood, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us into a kingdom, priests for our God, alleluia.

 

Collect

O God, hope and light of the sincere, we humbly entreat you to dispose our hearts to offer you worthy prayer and ever to extol you by dutiful proclamation of your praise. 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 5:34-42

One member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a doctor of the Law and respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the apostles taken outside for a time. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, ‘Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people. There was Theudas who became notorious not so long ago. He claimed to be someone important, and he even collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them. And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he got killed too, and all his followers dispersed. What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God.’ His advice was accepted; and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name. They preached every day both in the Temple and in private houses, and their proclamation of the Good News of Christ Jesus was never interrupted.

 

Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14

R/     There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.

 

1. The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?

2. There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long, to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple.

3. I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!

 

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia! We know that Christ is truly risen from the dead: have mercy on us, triumphant King. Alleluia!

 

Gospel: John 6:1-15

Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – or of Tiberias – and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover. Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.’ So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Accept in compassion, Lord, we pray, the offerings of your family, that under your protective care, they may never lose what they have received, but attain the gifts that are eternal. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon: Rm 4: 25

Christ our Lord was handed over for our transgressions and was raised again for our justification, alleluia.

 

Prayer after Communion

Keep safe, O Lord, we pray, those whom you have saved by your kindness, that, redeemed by the Passion of your Son, they may rejoice in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

 

 

Meditation

In the gospel we read how Jesus meets the needs of others, he feeds the five thousand. Like Moses, Jesus fed the multitude in the wilderness, with one important difference. Moses asked God where he was to get meat to give to all the people (Numbers 11:13). By contrast, when Jesus asked Philip where they were to buy bread for the people to eat. He already knew the answer. Moses needed God to provide the people with food: Jesus knew he would provide it. Our needs are met only in deep faith.

THURSDAY 15 APRIL

by | Apr 14, 2021 | Evangelium

St. Gaudentius of Brescia

Gaudentius was Bishop of Brescia from about 387 until about 410. He was a friend of St. John Chrysostom. His Easter sermons were written down after delivery at the request of Benivolus, the chief of the Brescian nobility, who had been prevented by ill health from hearing them delivered. They are simple, clear and straightforward.

White

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 67: 8-9, 20

O God, when you went forth before your people, marching with them and living among them, the earth trembled, heavens poured down rain, alleluia.

 

Collect

O God, who for the salvation of the world brought about the paschal sacrifice, be favourable to the supplications of your people, so that Christ our High Priest, interceding on our behalf, may by his likeness to ourselves, bring us reconciliation, and by his equality with you, free us from our sins. 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 Acts 5:27-33

When the officials had brought the apostles in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demanded an explanation. ‘We gave you a formal warning,’ he said, ‘not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man’s death on us.’ In reply Peter and the apostles said, ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’ This so infuriated them that they wanted to put them to death.

 

Psalm 33:2,9,17-20

R/     This poor man called and the Lord heard him.

 

1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

2. The Lord turns his eyes to the just and his ears to their appeal. They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.

3. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him.

 

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ has risen, he who created all things, and has granted his mercy to men. Alleluia!

 

Gospel: John 3:31-36

John the Baptist said to his disciples: ‘He who comes from above is above all others; he who is born of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, even if his testimony is not accepted; though all who do accept his testimony are attesting the truthfulness of God, since he whom God has sent speaks God’s own words: God gives him the Spirit without reserve. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him. Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: the anger of God stays on him.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

May our prayers rise up to you, O Lord, together with the sacrificial offerings, so that, purified by your graciousness, we may be conformed to the mysteries of your mighty love. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon: Mt 28: 20

Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, alleluia.

 

Prayer after Communion

Almighty ever-living God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, increase in us, we pray, the fruits of this paschal Sacrament and pour into our hearts the strength of this saving food. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

 

Meditation

Christ is above all others. He is the Saviour of the world. This passage explains why John the Baptist must decrease and Jesus’ ministry must increase. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ, but Jesus came to bring the full truth to the people. Given the supremacy of Christ, our proper response is to believe in him and worship him. When we believe, we have eternal life and receive the abundance of the spirit. The Spirit gives to each of us a gift or gifts for service to the body of Christ.

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL

by | Apr 13, 2021 | Evangelium

Pope St Leo the Great

Leo was born in Etruria and became Pope in 440. He was a true shepherd and father of souls. He constantly strove to keep the faith whole and strenuously defended the unity of the Church. He repelled the invasions of the barbarians or alleviated their effects, famously persuading Attila the Hun not to march on Rome in 452, and preventing the invading Vandals from massacring the population in 455.

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Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 17: 50; 21: 23

This holy man fought to the death for the law of his God and did not fear the words of the godless, for he was built on solid rock.

 

Collect

O God, for whose honour the Bishop Saint Stanislaus fell beneath the swords of his persecutors, grant, we pray, that we may persevere strong in faith even until death. 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 5:17-26

The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol. But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, ‘Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.’ They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach. When the high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin – this was the full Senate of Israel – and sent to the gaol for them to be brought. But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not inside, so they went back and reported, ‘We found the gaol securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one inside.’ When the captain of the Temple and the chief priests heard this news they wondered what this could mean. Then a man arrived with fresh news. ‘At this very moment,’ he said, ‘the men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are standing there preaching to the people.’ The captain went with his men and fetched them. They were afraid to use force in case the people stoned them.

 

Psalm 33(34):2-9

R/     This poor man called and the Lord heard him.

 

1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.

2. Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.

3. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.

4. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

 

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ has risen and shone upon us whom he redeemed with his blood. Alleluia!

 

Gospel: John 3:16-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son. On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.’

 

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: Cf. Jn 15: 16, 19

I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, and have appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, 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

The key phrase in today’s gospel passage is that God loves the world, He loves everyone, He loves you! This is the whole message of Jesus and he lived and preached this throughout his life. The question we should ask is; am I convinced of this myself? Do I love myself, others and the world just as God loves me? What do I wish for my enemies? Let us ask for the grace to live in that love of God. Let us be bearers of God’s love.