Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 66 : 2-3, 5, 6 and 8
May God be gracious and bless us, may He let His face shine upon us, that Your way be known on earth and Your salvation among the nations.
May the countries be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with justice and guide the nations of the world.
May the people praise You, o God, may all the peoples praise You! May God bless us and be revered, to the very ends of the earth.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 15 : 1-2, 22-29
Some persons, who had come from Judea to Antioch, were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the Law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Because of this, there was trouble; and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. For Paul told the people to remain as they were, when they became believers. Finally, those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem, to discuss the matter with the Apostles and elders.
Then the Apostles and elders together with the whole Church decided to choose representatives from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. These were Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers. They took with them the following letter :
“Greetings from the Apostles and elders, your brothers, to the believers of non-Jewish birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We have heard that some persons from among us have worried you with their discussions and troubled your peace of mind. They were not appointed by us.”
“But now, it has seemed right to us in an assembly, to choose representatives and to send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. We send you then Judas and Silas who themselves will give you these instructions by word of mouth.”
“We, with the Holy Spirit, have decided not to put any other burden on you except what is necessary : You are to abstain from blood from the meat of strangled animals and from prohibited marriages. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Offertory
Psalm 65 : 8-9, 26
Benedicite, gentes, Dominum, Deum nostrum, et obaudite vocem laudis ejus : qui posuit animam meam ad vitam, et non dedit commoveri pedes meos : benedictus Dominus, qui non amovit deprecationem meam et misericordiam suam a me, Alleluja.
English translation
O bless the Lord our God, you Gentiles, and make the voice of His praise to be heard, who had set my soul to live, and had not suffered my feet to be moved. Blessed be the Lord, who had not turned away my prayer, and His mercy from me, Alleluia.
Secret Prayer of the Priest
Suscipe, Domine, fidelium preces cum oblationibus hostiarum : ut, per haec piae devotionis officia, ad caelestem gloriam transeamus. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Receive, o Lord, the prayers of the faithful, with offerings of sacrifices, that through these offices of pious devotion we may pass to heavenly glory. 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
Psalm 95 : 2
Cantate Domino, Alleluja : Cantate Domino et benedicite Nomen Ejus : bene nuntiate de die in diem salutare Ejus, Alleluja, Alleluja.
English translation
Sing all of you to the Lord, Alleluia. Sing all of you to the Lord, and bless His Name. Show forth His salvation from day to day, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Post-Communion Prayer
Tribue nobis, Domine, caelestis mensae virtute satiatis : et desiderare, quae recta sunt, et desiderata percipere. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Grant, o Lord, unto us, who have been regaled with the virtue of the heavenly table, both to desire what is right and to obtain what we desire. 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 : 23-30
In illo tempore : Dixit Jesus discipulis suis : Amen, amen, dico vobis : si quid petieritis Patrem in Nomine Meo, dabit vobis. Usque modo non petistis quidquam in Nomine Meo : Petite, et accipietis, ut gaudium vestrum sit plenum.
Haec in proverbiis locutus sum vobis. Venit hora, cum jam non in proverbiis loquar vobis, sed palam de Patre annuntiabo vobis. In illo die in Nomine Meo petetis : et non dico vobis, quia ego rogabo Patrem de vobis : ipse enim Pater amat vos, quia vos me amastis, et credidistis quia ego a Deo exivi.
Exivi a Patre et veni in mundum : iterum relinquo mundum et vado ad Patrem. Dicunt ei discipuli ejus : Ecce, nunc palam loqueris et proverbium nullum dicis. Nunc scimus, quia scis omnia et non opus est tibi, ut quis te interroget : in hoc credimus, quia a Deo existi.
English translation
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Amen, amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it to you. Hitherto you have not asked anything in My Name, ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
“These things I have spoken to you in proverbs, the hour comes when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, but will show you plainly of the Father. In that day, you shall ask in My Name; and I do not say that I will ask the Father for you, for the Father Himself loved you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
“I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world, and again I leave the world, and go to the Father.” His disciples said to Him, “Behold, now You speak plainly, and does not speak in proverbs. Now we know that You know all things, and You do not need that any man should ask You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Tradition of the Faith and John 16 : 28
Alleluja, Alleluja.
Response : Surrexit Christus, et illuxit nobis, quos redemit sanguine suo.
Alleluja.
Response : Exivi a Patre, et veni in mundum : iterum relinquo mundum, et vado ad Patrem. Alleluja.
English translation
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Response : Christ is risen, and had shone His light upon us whom He had redeemed with His blood.
Alleluia.
Response : I went out from the Father and came into the world; again, I leave the world and go to the Father. Alleluia.
Liturgical Colour : White
Lectio Epistolae Beati Jacobi Apostoli – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed James the Apostle
James 1 : 22-27
Carissimi : Estote factores verbi, et non auditores tantum : fallentes vosmetipsos. Quia si quis auditor est verbi et non factor : hic comparabitur viro consideranti vultum nativitatis suae in speculo : consideravit enim se et abiit, et statim oblitus est, qualis fuerit.
Qui autem perspexerit in legem perfectam libertatis et permanserit in ea, non auditor obliviosus factus, sed factor operis : hic beatus in facto suo erit. Si quis autem putat se religiosum esse, non refrenans linguam suam, sed seducens cor suum, hujus vana est religio.
Religio munda et immaculata apud Deum et Patrem haec est : Visitare pupillos et viduas in tribulatione eorum, et immaculatum se custodire ab hoc saeculo.
English translation
Dearly beloved, all of you must do the word, and not as hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if a man be a hearer of the word, and does not do it, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass. For he beheld himself, and went his way, and presently forgot what manner of man he was.
But he who had looked into the perfect law of liberty and had continued therein, and not becoming a forgetful hearer, but does the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father is this : to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation, and to keep one’s self unspotted from this world.
Liturgical Colour : White
Introit
Isaiah 48 : 20 and Psalm 65 : 1-2
Vocem jucunditatis annuntiate, et audiatur, Alleluja : annuntiate usque ad extremum terrae : liberavit Dominus populum suum, Alleluja, Alleluja.
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra, psalmum dicite Nomini Ejus : date gloriam laudi ejus.
Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Declare the voice of joy, and let it be heard, Alleluia : declare it even unto the ends of the earth; the Lord had delivered His people, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Shout with a joy to God all the earth : sing all of you a psalm to His Name, give glory to His praise.
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, a quo bona cuncta procedunt, largire supplicibus Tuis : ut cogitemus, Te inspirante, quae recta sunt; et, Te gubernante, eadam faciamus. 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, from whom all good things come, generously grant to us who beseech You that we may, by Your inspiration, think those things which are right and, that we perform them under Your guidance. 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 Fifth Sunday of Easter and all of us are reminded through what we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, of the great love of God for each and every one of us mankind, how He has willingly shown us this love to us through everything that He had done for us, in revealing to us His beloved Son, His only Begotten One, the One through Whom He has made His love manifested in this world, becoming tangible and real for us. And in His glorious Resurrection that we have been celebrating throughout this time and season of Easter, we have seen the hope which the Lord has brought upon us, the hope of life beyond death, life that is everlasting and bringing us true happiness and joy, one that no one and nothing else can provide to us.
In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the actions of St. Paul and St. Barnabas who were returning to Antioch after the missionary journey in Asia Minor, where they encountered both successes and obstacles. St. Paul and St. Barnabas encouraged and strengthened the faithful there in Antioch with their stories and testimonies, reminding all of them that to be a missionary and disciple of the Lord, one must be prepared and ready to endure challenges, difficulties and trials, to suffer for the sake of the kingdom of God, just as St. Paul and St. Barnabas had experienced. But at the same time, they strengthened and encouraged the other disciples and members of the faithful by reminding them of God’s guidance and providence throughout their ministry.
We heard more of the exploits and works of the two faithful and courageous servants of God, who continued to work for the greater glory of God, going from places to places proclaiming the word of God and His Good News to more and more people while strengthening the faith of those who have believed in God. Through all these tireless and ceaseless efforts we can see how the Apostles became important parts of the Church’s missions and works, and they were indeed the pillars of the Church of God. But we must also realise that they did not do their work alone, and in fact, they had many collaborators and fellow missionaries, and many others who assisted and helped throughout their ministries, journeys and other efforts. We too, therefore, as Christians should be active in taking part in and in supporting the works of the Church.
We also heard of how the works of God’s salvation and His Good News were also intended for the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people, as much as they had been intended also for the Jewish people. This is yet another reminder for all of us of the universality of the Church and the salvation that God has promised and offered to us. The Lord has offered His salvation to each and every one of us, His beloved children and people, and not just being limited to a certain group of people like the Israelites and their descendants. While it was indeed true that they were God’s first chosen people, but through them, God revealed His true intention, that the chosen people He really wanted to gather together includes all of mankind, the entire world and its people. All of us living today in this world are also part of this God’s plan of salvation.
Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard of the passage from the Book of Revelations of St. John, in which we heard the powerful words of reassurance from God for His people, revealing to them the great joy and happiness that He will bring about to us, at the end of time, after the reckoning for everything. The Lord showed the vision of the new Heaven and the new Earth to St. John the Apostle as part of the visions that he received while he was exiled at the island of Patmos. This vision of the new Heaven and Earth came after the vision of the times of tribulations, hardships and trials that would come against all those who continue to be faithful to God. And yet, God does not abandon or neglect His people, as even throughout the greatest persecutions and difficulties, He is and will still be with us, journeying with us.
This encouragement is truly very important especially to those to whom St. John the Apostle recounted his visions as they were all suffering then from persecutions by the Romans, who were causing great hardships and sorrows among the Christians, especially during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, who wanted to be worshipped as god, and found the refusal by Christians to do so as a reason for persecuting them. Therefore, amidst such great trials and tribulations, the message of hope that God had shown through St. John the Apostle must have been very encouraging and uplifting, that despite the hardships and trials they were facing, in the end, the Lord would provide for His people and would not abandon them to the darkness and evil.
From our Gospel passage this Sunday, the Lord then reminds all of His disciples and followers of how God’s love has been given to them, and therefore just as they have been beloved by God, they should all love one another as well. The commandments of love that the Lord gave to them all highlight that there are two most important among the many commandments and laws of God, principally being the fact that one is called to love God first and foremost above all else, and then to show that same love to their brothers and sisters around them. One cannot be a true Christian and disciple of the Lord unless one show this love, which we all therefore ought to show as well in our own lives. And the Lord also reminded the disciples that He would soon go away from them, but they would have to continue to do what He has taught them to do.
Therefore, as we have heard from our earlier Scripture passages this Sunday, all of us as Christians are reminded that God’s love for us is truly very generous and beyond comparison, and His love for us have been given to everyone, without any exceptions. Each and every one of us are precious and important to God, and all of us are equally beloved by Him. And this same love we have to show to everyone around us, not just those whom we love and hold precious, but also to those whom we encounter in life. It is by our actions filled with love that everyone will come to know that we truly belong to God, and that God is really present in us all. Through us, God’s love will become manifest in this world, in how we love our loved ones, our family and everyone else we encounter in life.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to love the Lord our God and to show this love in each and every one of our actions and deeds, in our words and interactions with each other. Let us all continue to be good and worthy bearers of our faith to everyone whom we encounter in life, and let us all do our very best so that we can commit ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to whatever missions and callings that He has entrusted to us in our respective areas in life. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen each and every one of us so that we may always be faithful and strong in our living of our Christian life, in each and every moments. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 13 : 31-33a, 34-35
At that time, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. God will glorify Him, and He will glorify Him very soon. My children, I am with you for only a little while.”
“I give you a new commandment : Love one another! Just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 