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, this Sunday is the Third Sunday of Easter and we are again being constantly reminded of what we believe in the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our God and Saviour, Whose glorious Resurrection and triumphant victory over sin and death are the sources of our great joy and celebration during this whole entire season and time of Easter. On this day we heard this reminder yet again because of just how central the Resurrection is to our entire Christian faith. Without believing in the Resurrection, one cannot truly call himself or herself as a Christian, and without the Resurrection, there is no use of believing in Christ because if Christ has not conquered death, then all of us would have succumbed to destruction and death, to eternal damnation and despair.
In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which St. Peter was speaking to the people who were gathered at Jerusalem during the time of the Pentecost, which was fifty days from the Passover and Resurrection of the Lord. It was at that occasion which the Lord sent the Holy Spirit upon all the disciples who were gathered there in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit strengthened and encouraged the Apostles and the other disciples, who were once fearful and afraid of the repercussions and reactions from the Jewish authorities that they spent most of their time in hiding, so that they no longer feared the sufferings and punishments of the world. The Holy Spirit empowered them and gave them the ability to stand up against the oppressions and oppositions to their efforts, and proclaim faithfully the truth as St. Peter had done.
St. Peter spoke vigorously and in great spirit about the many things which the Lord had done for His people, in all that He had endured for the salvation of the whole world, in the sufferings and trials that He had to endure and bore through His Cross, but one which He willingly took up because He truly loves each and every one of us and He wanted to reach out to us, loving and caring for us, providing us with the means to find the path towards our salvation. The Lord has loved us all of us from the very beginning, and He desired that each and every one of us should be reconciled to Him, finding our way back to Him and be reunited to Him through His ever generous mercy and love. By His Cross, He has led us all to freedom from our sins, liberating us from the tyranny of sin, evil and death.
However, as we heard, many of the people rejected Him and refused to listen to Him, or to embrace the generous offer of mercy which He has given to them. The Lord was arrested, punished and condemned to death for the sins and wickedness of the people, and yet, He continued to show us all His mercy, forgiving us all of our sins, as He asked the Heavenly Father to forgive those who have betrayed, abandoned, and condemned Him to death. His intentions for us all have always been really clear. He wants to be reconciled with us, and He wants us to be able to find our way back to Him, and that was why, He entrusted His Apostles and the other disciples with the important mission to proclaim His salvation to the whole world, just as St. Peter had done before all the assembled people, and the many other works that he and the other Apostles and disciples had done.
Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. John, we heard yet again a reminder from the St. John the Apostle of the salvation which the Lord Jesus, Our Saviour has brought upon us, by His actions and selfless sacrifice on the Cross as mentioned. Again this same truth and fact have been reinforced to us, to remind us all that we have the obligation and calling to follow the Lord in all things, and in everything that we say and do in our lives. We cannot be truly good and faithful Christians, and we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers unless we truly embody what we believe and profess in our faith, in all of our every words, actions and deeds, just as we are expected to. Essentially, we must be truly sincere in believing and committing ourselves in following God and His path.
In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the moment when the disciples who were gathered in Jerusalem on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection and when they witnessed the Risen Lord in person as He appeared to all of them. It was at that time that the Risen Lord reassured them all that He has indeed truly risen from the dead, and was not merely a spirit or ghost. He showed them His Body and all, and showed them that He was risen from the dead, Body and Soul, and the empty tomb which they saw earlier that same morning, was another proof of this glorious event, and reassurance that Christ has indeed been victorious and triumphant against the power of sin and death. And it was this witnessing of the Risen Lord which those discipled of the Lord had experienced in person, which later on became the source of their strength and encouragement in their mission to proclaim Him to the whole world.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we continue to progress through this joyous season and time of Easter, we are therefore constantly being reminded of the calling and mission which each and every one of us as Christians have, in proclaiming the Risen Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, His salvation and all that He has taught and revealed to us, through our own exemplary lives and actions, through our genuine living of our everyday lives and moments with the desire to glorify the Lord through even the smallest and the seemingly simple things that we do in our respective lives. Each and every one of us have been given the diverse gifts and blessings, abilities and opportunities that are unique to the areas that God has entrusted to us and called us to contribute ourselves into.
Let us all hence be ever courageous and committed in serving the Lord in all things and in the best way we can do, so that like the Apostles and disciples of the Lord before us, our holy predecessors, we may also be inspirational and dedicated in our lives, in our actions to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters, proclaiming the Risen Lord, His Good News and salvation to all, so that more may come to believe in our Lord and Saviour, and come to seek the Lord and to be reconciled with Him. Through all of us and our commitment to Him, we may indeed make more people to realise the depth of their sins and wickedness, so that they may open their hearts and minds to welcome the Lord into themselves, allowing Him to transform us all to be good and worthy children of the Light, the Light of His salvation.
May the Risen Lord continue to bless us all in all of our good efforts and endeavours, and may He continue to guide us through our journey in life, in all the struggles and in enduring the many trials and challenges that we may encounter in our journey, now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 24 : 35-48
Then the two disciples told what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how Jesus had made Himself known, when He broke bread with them. While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood in their midst. (He said to them, “Peace to you.”)
In their panic and fright they thought they were seeing a ghost, but He said to them, “Why are you upset, and how does such an idea cross your minds? Look at My hands and feet, and see that it is I Myself! Touch Me, and see for yourselves, for a ghost has no flesh and bones as I have!” (As He said this, He showed His hands and feet.)
In their joy they did not dare believe, and were still astonished; so He said to them, “Have you anything to eat?” And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish. He took it, and ate it before them. Then Jesus said to them, “Remember the words I spoke to you when I was still with you : Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And He said, “So it was written : the Messiah had to suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead. Then repentance and forgiveness in His Name would be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 