Why seek the affirmation of the world when the world’s words are meaningless and do not give life? Why do we fall back to listening to the wisdom and wiles of the world? For the Word of God made flesh dwelt among us, and He brought with Him the way, the truth, and the life; that is to eternal life, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish.

So then, let us always seek the wisdom of our Lord and be faithful to His Word, which is the living water of life. Let us be attentive to His promptings and not be distracted by want of honor, status, or even affirmation from those who live in the world.

We should seek only the affirmation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whom we love and adore and follow. Amen. Hallelujah.

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop pray for us…


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First reading
1 Peter 1:18-25
You were ransomed by the precious blood of Christ, the spotless lamb

Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.
    You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart – your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God. All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flower’s. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains for ever. What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you.


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Gospel
Mark 10:32-45
The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many

The disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him: ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.’
    James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’
    When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

We are reminded in today’s readings to strive for holiness, for we want to be one in full communion with the Lord our God, who is Holy. And so, through His grace alone, which He bestows on us, His children, we are able to overcome all challenges and hurdles.

While we live in this world, we are not of this world. We are here to build His kingdom on earth as we make our pilgrim journey back to Him.

Lord Jesus, I come to do Your will. Grant me Your grace and Your presence, so that I can minister to all, you send my way, for Your greater glory. Amen.

Saint Philip Neri, Priest 
Pray for us…

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First reading
1 Peter 1:10-16 ·
Put your trust in the grace that is coming to you

It was this salvation that the prophets were looking and searching so hard for; their prophecies were about the grace which was to come to you. The Spirit of Christ which was in them foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would come after them, and they tried to find out at what time and in what circumstances all this was to be expected. It was revealed to them that the news they brought of all the things which have now been announced to you, by those who preached to you the Good News through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, was for you and not for themselves. Even the angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
    Free your minds, then, of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth; make a habit of obedience: be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.


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Gospel
Mark 10:28-31
Whoever has left everything for the sake of the gospel will be repaid

At that time Peter began to tell Jesus, ‘What about us? We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.
    ‘Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’

The Lord calls us all to follow after Him, and to do so, we need to repent of our sins, and He offers us a chance for reconciliation. Just as Saint Peter would had dabandoned Him, the Lord called him three times to ask if he loved the Lord. So too will He ask if we love Him, and our answer, while it always will be yes, it needs to be accompanied with action, and that is to love our neighbor through Him.

To care for His sheep and His lambs. To build His kingdom here on earth. And so our response to Him will be love for Him and neighbor. That is how we will truly follow after Him.

May He guide us every step of the way through the Holy Spirit He has sent. Glory to you, O Lord. Amen. Hallelujah.


Saint Rita of Cascia pray for us…

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First reading
Acts 25:13-21
‘I ordered Paul to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar’

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation. But I told them that Romans are not in the habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. So they came here with me, and I wasted no time but took my seat on the tribunal the very next day and had the man brought in. When confronted with him, his accusers did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected; but they had some argument or other with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive. Not feeling qualified to deal with questions of this sort, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there on this issue. But Paul put in an appeal for his case to be reserved for the judgement of the august emperor, so I ordered him to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar.’


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Gospel
John 21:15
Feed my lambs, feed my sheep

Jesus showed himself to his disciples, and after they had eaten he said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly,
when you were young
you put on your own belt
and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.’

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

There is no greater union than to be in one holy communion with God our Father, Jesus our Lord, and the Holy Spirit. For in that complete union, we are filled with His presence, His grace, His mercy, and love. And there will be no challenges too great for us to overcome.

For being one in Him, we have the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us through these challenges and difficulties. Likewise, in this perfect union with the Lord our God, we are in perfect union with one another, as we are one body in Christ, now and forever. Amen.


Saint Christopher Magallanes and his Companions, Martyrs pray for us.

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First reading
Acts 22:30,23:6-11
‘You have borne witness in Jerusalem: now you must do the same in Rome’

Since the tribune wanted to know what precise charge the Jews were bringing, he freed Paul and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and stood him in front of them. Now Paul was well aware that one section was made up of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’ As soon as he said this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was split between the two parties. For the Sadducees say there is neither resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the Pharisees accept all three. The shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees’ party stood up and protested strongly, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?’ Feeling was running high, and the tribune, afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered his troops to go down and haul him out and bring him into the fortress.
    Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’





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Gospel
John 17:20-26
Father, may they be completely one

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me, may they be so completely one that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.’


________

It is our shared mission, to share God’s purpose with all His creation. That is to all our fellow sisters and brothers who are likewise God’s children, to instruct them in the faith and to guide them into that deep and intimate relationship that we have in His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has given us new life in Him, and through Him, we shall have eternal life.

Therefore, as we have come to believe in Him with all our heart, so through Him, we have our relationship with God, our Father, and the Holy Spirit to guide and to show us the way.

For while we will face challenges in bringing to light the joy of the gospel, we are graced and blessed with a living hope that while we may die for Him so to we shall rise with  Him. Amen. Hallelujah.

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First reading

Acts 20:17-27 ·

I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose

From Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus. When they arrived he addressed these words to them:

    ‘You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

    ‘And now you see me a prisoner already in spirit; I am on my way to Jerusalem, but have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear enough that imprisonment and persecution await me. But life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.

    ‘I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.’

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Gospel

John 17:1-11

Father, it is time for you to glorify me

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Father, the hour has come:

glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you;

and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him, let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.

And eternal life is this:

to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do.

Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify mem with that glory I had with you

before ever the world was.

I have made your name known to the men you took from the world to give me.

They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

Now at last they know

that all you have given me comes indeed from you;

for I have given them the teaching you gave to me,

and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me.

I pray for them;

I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you: all I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified.

I am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.’

Are your hearts not already full of joy stuck that no one can rob us of it? Although we may face challenges and hardship, as long as we remain steadfast in our Lord, we will always carry His joy in our hearts, His peace, His mercy, His love.

It is when we succumb to sin that we will feel His absence. How hard then will our lives be without Him being present?

Let us choose to remain steadfast as the Holy Spirit is already upon us and as we are drawing near to Pentecost. Let us be docile to His promptings so that we will always find our way to the truth and the life in Him. Amen alleluia


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First reading
Acts 18:9-18
‘I have many people on my side in this city’

At Corinth one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.’ So Paul stayed there preaching the word of God among them for eighteen months.
    But, while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. ‘We accuse this man’ they said ‘of persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law.’ Before Paul could open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘Listen, you Jews. If this were a misdemeanour or a crime, I would not hesitate to attend to you; but if it is only quibbles about words and names, and about your own Law, then you must deal with it yourselves – I have no intention of making legal decisions about things like that.’ Then he sent them out of the court, and at once they all turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue president, and beat him in front of the court house. Gallio refused to take any notice at all.
    After staying on for some time, Paul took leave of the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, because of a vow he had made.


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Gospel
John 16:20-23
Your hearts will be full of joy that no-one will take from you

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you most solemnly,
you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.
A woman in childbirth suffers, because her time has come; but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering
in her joy that a man has been born into the world.
So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you. When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.’

Guided by the Holy Spirit, we will all arrive at one fundamental truth, that we are all God’s children, all beloved children of God, our Heavenly Father. Regardless of our upbringing, backgrounds, or culture, all roads lead to the one true God.

That is why we must always remain steadfast and bold. For we know the way, the truth, and the life, and we must lead everyone to Him, so that whoever believes shall be saved as we are saved.

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.
________

First reading
Acts 17:15,22-18:1
I proclaim the God you already worship without knowing it

Paul’s escort took him as far as Athens, and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.
    So Paul stood before the whole Council of the Areopagus and made this speech:
    ‘Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled round admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is in fact the one whom you already worship without knowing it.
    ‘Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never be in need of anything; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything – including life and breath – to everyone. From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said:

“We are all his children.”

‘Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.
    ‘God overlooked that sort of thing when men were ignorant, but now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead.’
    At this mention of rising from the dead, some of them burst out laughing; others said, ‘We would like to hear you talk about this again.’ After that Paul left them, but there were some who attached themselves to him and became believers, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman called Damaris, and others besides.
    After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.


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Gospel
John 16:12-15
The Spirit of truth will lead you to the complete truth

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I still have many things to say to you
but they would be too much for you now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
since he will not be speaking as from himself
but will say only what he has learnt;
and he will tell you of the things to come.
He will glorify me,
since all he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.
Everything the Father has is mine;
that is why I said:
All he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.’

The true disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is one who carries the spirit of truth within him. For the Holy Spirit dwells just as the Father and Son dwell within those who love the Lord.

And while there may be many challenges ahead, we know that Christ our Lord is always present with us, and we will overcome all hurdles and challenges so as to bring Him glory as we lead others into that same close relationship that we have with Him.

For we live as free men and women in the love of Christ. And so we shall lead everyone into that same relationship as we bear witness to the wonders of our Lord in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah.


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First reading
Acts 16:11-15
The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to accept what Paul was saying

Sailing from Troas we made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis, and from there for Philippi, a Roman colony and the principal city of that particular district of Macedonia. After a few days in this city we went along the river outside the gates as it was the sabbath and this was a customary place for prayer. We sat down and preached to the women who had come to the meeting. One of these women was called Lydia, a devout woman from the town of Thyatira who was in the purple-dye trade. She listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptised she sent us an invitation: ‘If you really think me a true believer in the Lord,’ she said ‘come and stay with us’; and she would take no refusal.



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Gospel
John 15:26-16:4
The Spirit of truth will be my witness

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness.
And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset.

‘I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken.
They will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the hour is coming when anyone who kills you
will think he is doing a holy duty for God.
They will do these things
because they have never known either the Father or myself.
But I have told you all this,
so that when the time for it comes you may remember that I told you.’

Our life as a disciple of Christ Jesus, our Lord, it is never going to be an easy one. That is what it means to take up our cross and follow after Him. There will be times where sacrifices have to made to be able to lead others into the wonderful relationship that we have with and in Him.

For some of us, we may be even be called to lay down our lives for Him. But even then, the reward of heavenly eternal life with Him is a reward beyond our imagination. And yet, it is one that we should desire. While we remain in this world, we are not of this world. Our heavenly inheritance awaits us.

So on our pilgrim journey back home, let us remain docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit for the sake of our Lord’s kingdom. All we need will be provided for us through the grace of our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, amen.

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First reading
Acts 16:1-10
‘Come across to Macedonia and help us’

From Cilicia Paul went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra. Here there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy, and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek.
    As they visited one town after another, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, with instructions to respect them.
    So the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as growing daily in numbers.
    They travelled through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia. When they reached the frontier of Mysia they thought to cross it into Bithynia, but as the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, they went through Mysia and came down to Troas.
    One night Paul had a vision: a Macedonian appeared and appealed to him in these words, ‘Come across to Macedonia and help us.’ Once he had seen this vision we lost no time in arranging a passage to Macedonia, convinced that God had called us to bring them the Good News.


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Gospel
John 15:18-21
The world hated me before it hated you

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If the world hates you,
remember that it hated me before you.
If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too;
if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well.
But it will be on my account that they will do all this,
because they do not know the one who sent me.’

God, our Heavenly Father, desires that His children all over the world come into that deep personal relationship He is offering us through Jesus Christ, His Son, who has liberated us from sin. And so the only criteria is to turn away from sin, to be obedient to His commandments, and to follow after Him.

For we did not choose Him. He chose us for love of us. And likewise, if we want to enter into this wonderful relationship filled with love, grace, and life to the full, then it is only natural that we lead everyone into that same relationship that we have, which gives us peace, love, and joy. Amen.


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First reading
Acts 15:22-31
It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by us not to burden you beyond these essentials

The apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this letter to take with them:
    ‘The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us; and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.’
    The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter. The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.



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Gospel
John 15:12-17
What I command you is to love one another

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘This is my commandment:
love one another,
as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants any more,
because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends,
because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me:
no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you
to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you
anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you is to love one another.’

Leading a good Christian life ordered to the will of God is difficult in itself and challenging, and we should not lay any extra burdens on those who seek Him.

We should always be ready to give testimony to the love of our Lord who gave the gift of the commandments so that we may lead ordered fruitful lives with and in Him. God our Father has given them to us not to do us harm but to prosper us, so as to live a bright future in His grace and love.

Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen alleluia


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First reading
Acts 15:7-21
I rule that we do not make things more difficult for the pagans who turn to God

After the discussion had gone on a long time, Peter stood up and addressed the apostles and the elders.
    ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were to learn the Good News from me and so become believers. In fact God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.’
    This silenced the entire assembly, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the pagans.
    When they had finished it was James who spoke. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘listen to me. Simeon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans. This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets, since the scriptures say:

After that I shall return
and rebuild the fallen House of David;
I shall rebuild it from its ruins and restore it.
Then the rest of mankind,
all the pagans who are consecrated to my name,
will look for the Lord,
says the Lord who made this known so long ago.

‘I rule, then, that instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has always had his preachers in every town, and is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath.’


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Gospel
John 15:9-11
Remain in my love

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.’

Soon, the day of Pentecost will come upon us and Easter will be over. But today, are we living with Easter joy in our hearts? And are we living a life in the Spirit? For truly, Christ has risen, and He has already given us the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, to be by our side.

And so we should already be living a life in the Spirit, bold and powerful. Demonstrating the joy of the gospel. Showing everyone how Jesus is alive in our hearts and in our minds and in all that we  say and do. Are we not already out in the world, ministering to all who are still in darkness, delivering them from all evil, bringing healing, peace, love, and joy? And to set ablaze those who have little faith so as to draw them deeper into the fire of His love.

So let us give glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we bring His Easter joy to the world. Amen. alleluia


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First reading
Acts 14:5-18
We have come with good news to turn you to the living God

Eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by pagans as well as Jews to make attacks on the apostles and to stone them. When the apostles came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of Lystra and Derbe and in the surrounding country, they preached the Good News.
    A man sat there who had never walked in his life, because his feet were crippled from birth; and as he listened to Paul preaching, he managed to catch his eye. Seeing that the man had the faith to be cured, Paul said in a loud voice, ‘Get to your feet – stand up’, and the cripple jumped up and began to walk.
    When the crowd saw what Paul had done they shouted in the language of Lycaonia, ‘These people are gods who have come down to us disguised as men.’ They addressed Barnabas as Zeus, and since Paul was the principal speaker they called him Hermes. The priests of Zeus-outside-the-Gate, proposing that all the people should offer sacrifice with them, brought garlanded oxen to the gates. When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening they tore their clothes, and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ‘Friends, what do you think you are doing? We are only human beings like you. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that these hold. In the past he allowed each nation to go its own way; but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you: he sends you rain from heaven, he makes your crops grow when they should, he gives you food and makes you happy.’ Even this speech, however, was scarcely enough to stop the crowd offering them sacrifice.



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Gospel
John 14:21-26
The Advocate, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

Judas – this was not Judas Iscariot – said to him, ‘Lord, what is all this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus replied:

‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own: it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while still with you;
but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.’

Today we rejoice. For by our baptism, we have been begotten as children of God, our Heavenly Father. And through the power of his resurrection, Jesus has opened the doors of heaven for us, so that we have hope of eternal life with him.

For he truly is the way, the truth, and the life. And by following after him, we shall lead others into the same joyful path to our heavenly inheritance.

And so, my beloved sisters and brothers, in thanksgiving and giving glory and praise to the Lord our God, let us go forth sharing the joy of the Gospel as we lead others into sonship and daughterhood of our loving Father. Amen. Hallelujah.

St Joseph the Worker pray for us…

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First reading
Acts 13:26-33
God has fulfilled his promise by raising Jesus from the dead

Paul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:
    ‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people.
    ‘We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the second psalm: You are my son: today I have become your father.’



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Gospel
John 14:1-6
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father’s house;
if there were not, I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too.
You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said:

‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.’