Liturgical Colour : White
1 John 3 : 1-2
See what singular love the Father has for us : we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Beloved, we are God’s children, and what we shall be has not, yet, been shown. Yet, when He appears in His glory, we know, that we shall be like Him, for, then, we shall see Him as He is.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 117 : 1 and 8-9, 21-23, 26 and 28-29
Alleluia! Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in the help of humans. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in the might of princes.
I thank You for having answered me, for having rescued me. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. This was YHVH’s doing and we marvel at it.
Blessed is He Who comes in YHVH’s Name! We praise You from the house of YHVH. You are my God, and I give You thanks. You are my God, and I give You praise. Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 4 : 8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke up, “Leaders of the people! Elders! It is a fact, that we are being examined today for a good deed done to a cripple. How was he healed? You and all the people of Israel, must know, that this man stands before you cured, through the Name of Jesus Christ, the Nazorean.”
“You had Him crucified. But God raised Him from the dead. Jesus is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other Name given to humankind, all over the world, by which we may be saved.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Offertory
Psalm 145 : 2
Lauda, anima mea, Dominum : laudabo Dominum in vita mea : psallam Deo meo, quamdiu ero, Alleluja.
English translation
Praise the Lord, o my soul, in my life I will praise the Lord. I will sing to my God as long as I shall be. Alleluia.
Secret Prayer of the Priest
His nobis, Domine, mysteriis conferatur, quo, terrena desideria mitigantes, discamus amare caelestia. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
By these mysteries, o Lord, may grace be given to us so that, by chastening our earthly desires, we may learn to love heavenly things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Communion
John 16 : 16
Modicum, et non videbitis me, Alleluja : iterum modicum, et videbitis me, quia vado ad Patrem, Alleluja, Alleluja.
English translation
A little while, and now you shall not see Me, Alleluia. And again a little while, and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Post-Communion Prayer
Sacramenta quae sumpsimus, quaesumus, Domine, et spiritualibus nos instaurent alimentis, et corporalibus tueantur auxiliis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
May the sacrament we have received, o Lord, we beseech You, both restore us with its spiritual nourishment and protect us with its help for our bodies. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. John
John 16 : 16-22
In illo tempore : Dixit Jesus discipulis Suis : Modicum, et jam non videbitis me : et iterum modicum, et videbitis me : quia vado ad Patrem. Dixerunt ergo ex discipulis ejus ad invicem : Quid est hoc, quod dicit nobis : Modicum, et non videbitis me : et iterum modicum, et videbitis me, et quia vado ad Patrem? Dicebant ergo : Quid est hoc, quod dicit : Modicum? Nescimus, quid loquitur.
Cognovit autem Jesus, quia volebant eum interrogare, et dixit eis : De hoc quaeritis inter vos, quia dixi : Modicum, et non videbitis me : et iterum modicum, et videbitis me. Amen, amen, dico vobis : quia plorabitis et flebitis vos, mundus autem gaudebit : vos autem contristabimini, sed tristitia vestra vertetur in gaudium.
Mulier cum parit, tristitiam habet, quia venit hora ejus : cum autem pepererit puerum, jam non meminit pressurae propter gaudium, quia natus est homo in mundum. Et vos igitur nunc quidem tristitiam habetis, iterum autem videbo vos, et gaudebit cor vestrum : et gaudium vestrum nemo tollet a vobis.
English translation
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “A little while, and now you shall not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father.” Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What is this that He said to us, ‘A little while and you shall not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me, and because I go to the Father?'” They said therefore, “What is this that He said, ‘A little while?’ We do not know what He spoke about.”
And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask Him, and He said to them, “Of this do you inquire among yourselves because I said, ‘A little while and you shall not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me? Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice, and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
A woman when she is in labour had sorrow, because her hour has come, but when she had brought forth the child, she did not remember anymore the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. So you also now indeed have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 110 : 9 and Luke 24 : 46
Alleluja, Alleluja.
Response : Redemptionem misit Dominus populo suo.
Alleluja.
Response : Oportebat pati Christum, et resurgere a mortuis : et ita intrare in gloriam suam. Alleluja.
English translation
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Response : The Lord had sent redemption to His people.
Alleluia.
Response : It behooved Christ to suffer these things, and so to enter into His glory. Alleluia.
Liturgical Colour : White
Lectio Epistolae Beati Petri Apostoli – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Peter the Apostle
1 Peter 2 : 11-19
Carissimi : Obsecro vos tamquam advenas et peregrinos abstinere vos a carnalibus desideriis, quae militant adversus animam, conversationem vestram inter gentes habentes bonam : ut in eo, quod detrectant de vobis tamquam de malefactoribus, ex bonis operibus vos considerantes, glorificent Deum in die visitationis.
Subjecti igitur estote omni humanae creaturae propter Deum : sive regi, quasi praecellenti : sive ducibus, tamquam ab eo missis ad vindictam malefactorum, laudem vero bonorum : quia sic est voluntas Dei, ut benefacientes obmutescere faciatis imprudentium hominum ignorantiam : quasi liberi, et non quasi velamen habentes malitiae libertatem, sed sicut servi Dei.
Omnes honorate : fraternitatem diligite : Deum timete : regem honorificate. Servi, subditi estote in omni timore dominis, non tantum bonis et modestis, sed etiam dyscolis. Haec est enim gratia : in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.
English translation
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires which war against the soul, having your conversation good among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by the good works, which they shall behold in you, glorify God in the day of visitation.
May you all be subject therefore to every human creature for God’s sake, whether it is to king as excelling, or to governors as sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of the good, for so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free, and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God.
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is worthy of thanksgiving in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Liturgical Colour : White
Introit
Psalm 65 : 1-2, 3
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra, Alleluja : psalmum dicite Nomini ejus, Alleluja : date gloriam laudi ejus, Alleluja, Alleluja, Alleluja.
Dicite Deo, quam terribilia sunt opera Tua, Domine! In multitudine virtutis Tuae mentientur Tibi inimici Tui.
Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Shout with joy to God, all the earth, Alleluia. Sing all of you a psalm to His Name, Alleluia. Give glory to His praise, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Say unto God, how terrible are Your works, o Lord! In the multitude of Your strength Your enemies shall lie to You.
Response : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Collect
Deus, qui errantibus, ut in viam possint redire justitiae, veritatis Tuae lumen ostendis : da cunctis, qui christiana professione censentur, et illa respuere, quae huic inimica sunt nomini; et ea, quae sunt apta, sectari. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
O God, You who showed the light of Your truth to those who went astray, that they may be able to return to the path of justice, grant unto all who profess themselves and are reckoned Christians, both to reject the things that are opposed to that name and to follow after the things that befit it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are all reminded that as the disciples and followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of all, each and every one of us must always be ready to stand by our faith in Him and to do whatever it is that He has entrusted to all of us. As those whom the Lord had entrusted with His truth, Good News and revelation, and as the ones that He had called and chosen from this world, we are all expected to live our lives truly worthily of Him, and to do our part as the members of this same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. To His Church, the Lord had given the mission to proclaim this salvation and liberation which He Himself had brought into our midst, so that more and more people may come to know Him and seek to embrace His love and mercy, that everyone may be gathered together in His Presence.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the Apostles continued their ministry and works, as the persecutions and hardships, trials and challenges against the Church abated at that time with the conversion of Saul the Pharisee, and with the end of his so-called ‘witch hunt’ and efforts to eradicate the early Christians and the Church, the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council lost their greatest champion. As mentioned, the Church had a moment of peace and reprieve from the persecutions and challenges it faced, and the growth of the Church continued just as it had been during the times of troubles. The Lord continued to guide His disciples to go forth and proclaim His truth and Good News to more and more people. The Apostles were going round to minister to the faithful in various places.
And it was during some of these mission trips that we heard in today’s passage, how St. Peter performed a great miracle by the power of God when he visited the faithful community in the city of Lydda, where he healed a man named Aeneas who was paralysed, and upon seeing the miraculous healing of the man from his illness, many more people came to believe in the Lord and embraced the Christian faith. Then, we heard after that of the illness and death that claimed a certain Tabitha, a good and faithful woman, who had been well-known in the community for her righteousness and virtues. St. Peter came to her place, prayed over her and raised her up from the dead, by the Name and authority of the Risen Lord Himself, showing to everyone how the Lord truly is the Lord and Master over life and death, and has authority over all things. Even more people came to believe in the Lord by these miracles and events, and the Church continued to grow rapidly.
This is a reminder that God has always been with His Church, and while many of its members might have to suffer because of the opposition that many in the world held stubbornly against the Lord, and just as the Lord Himself had faced bitter persecutions and hardships, thus the Church would have to face sufferings and difficulties, challenges and trials as part of its journey. God has always guided all the faithful towards Himself, and as they all carried their crosses in life, they were carrying their crosses with the Lord. And with every actions and deeds which they had done, those disciples of the Lord had proclaimed the truth and the revelation of His salvation, and more people came to be part of the Church, just as the popular saying goes, that the ‘blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians’, with more and more people being convinced to follow the Lord by the exemplary courage of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard the conclusion of the discourse of the Bread of Life by the Lord to the people which we have heard in the past week or so. In that discourse, we heard how the Lord highlighted His role as the Bread of Life, the Heavenly Bread Who would share His own Most Precious Body and Blood with everyone, so that they all may have eternal and new life, new existence full of grace with Him. But as we heard, the people refused to listen to the Lord and hardened their hearts and minds, saying to the Lord that how can He, as a mere Man, could give to them His own Body and Blood for them to eat and drink. In fact some of them if not many among them were likely disgusted at those words, but they failed to understand what the Lord meant, and they did not have faith in Him, choosing to use their own limited understanding and appreciation of the matter for them to judge Him instead.
This was why as mentioned in that same Gospel passage, many of the Lord’s disciples stopped following Him and abandoned Him. They refused to accept those teachings which they found difficult to follow or to understand using their understanding and appreciation. But those who were closest to Him, like the Twelve and some others stayed by His side and continued to follow Him despite the reservations and the questions that they themselves might have also had in their hearts and minds. It was these same truths which they later on proclaimed courageously and fearlessly among the people of God, like what St. Peter the Apostles, the other Apostles and disciples had done as they ministered to the people, performing the same miracles and wonders that the Lord had done in their midst. They trusted in the Lord and allowed Him to lead them in their mission and calling, to glorify the Lord by their lives and works.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore this is why all of us are also called and reminded to put our faith and trust completely in the Lord. Each and every one of us should continue to embrace Him and His love, and strive to do whatever we can such that by our commitment and dedication, we may truly be the good role models and examples for one another, and be the shining beacons and light of God’s truth, illuminating the path for many around us, so that they may come to believe in the Lord as well. This is why each and every one of us must always be truly sincere and genuine in how we follow the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives, in our every actions so that by all of those we may help many more people to come to the Lord. It is through our actions, words and deeds that the light of God, His truth and Good News are made manifest and real to many, who experienced God through us and our lives.
May the Risen Lord continue to help and lead us in our journey of faith and life, so that as we continue to persevere and endure amidst all the challenges and trials that we may face, and that we may continue to obey Him and do His will in our world today, being active part of the Church’s mission in proclaiming the Good News and Christ’s salvation in our world today. May the Lord continue to bless our every efforts and endeavours, our every actions and works, our interactions and all that we do to proclaim His Name and His truth to all the people around us. May He remain with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 6 : 60-69
At that time, after the Jews heard Jesus, many of His followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”
Jesus was aware that His disciples were murmuring about this, and so He said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.”
From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray Him. So He added, “As I have told you, no one can come to Me unless it is granted by the Father.” After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed Him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?
Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
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