(Saint Bede the Venerable, doctor of the Church; Saint Gregory VII, pope; Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, virgin) 1st Reading: James (5:9-12) Take the prophets as models of courage and speaking the truth Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is sanding at the doors!…
1st Reading: James (5:1-6) Those who get rich by injustice will suffer at the final judgment Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you,…
(Saint Bede the Venerable; Saint Gregory VII; Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi) 1st Reading: James (4:1-10) A call to sincerity, humility and fidelity, avoiding selfishness Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your ravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not…
(Saint Rita of Cascia, religious) 1st Reading: James (4:1-10) A call to sincerity and fidelity, and to set aside selfishness Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your ravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit…
1st Reading: Acts of the Apostles (1:12-14) Mary the mother of Jesus among the disciples after the Ascension After Jesus had been taken up to heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the city they went to the upper…
Today is Pentecost Sunday, the second climax of the Easter season. We celebrate ‘the great beginning of the Church’, the day the Holy Spirit first came to confused and frightened disciples.
1st Reading: Acts (2:1-11) The Spirit of God gives energy to the apostles and sends them out on their mission When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house…
1st Reading: Acts (28:16-20, 30-31) Paul’s house-arrest in Rome for two years, awaiting trial When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, though…
(Saint John I, pope and martyr) 1st Reading: Acts (25:13-21) Paul, in prison at Caesarea, explains his predicament to king Agrippa After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man…
1st Reading: Acts (22:30; 23:6-11) Paul is cross-examined by the Jewish Council, in Jerusalem Since he wanted to find out what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before…
(Saint Brendan, abbot) 1st Reading: Acts (20:28-38) Paul’s final advice to the church leaders: shepherd the church of God [Paul said to the elders of the church of Ephesus:] “Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he…
(Saint Carthage, bishop) 1st Reading: Acts (20:17-27) Paul’s testament to the church leaders of Ephesus, on his way to Jerusalem From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the…
1st Reading: Acts (1:15-17; 20-26) Matthias is selected to take the place of Judas Iscariot In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide…
The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. The Church also calls this Sunday ‘World Communications Day’. As he left his disciples, Jesus sent them out to spread the Good News. This is our task too. We ask for the grace we need.
1st Reading: Acts (1:1-11) Ascension: Jesus promises the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen….
(Saints Nereus, Achilleus, Pancras, martyrs) 1st Reading: Acts (18:23-28) Aquila, a learned convert from Judaism, helps the church in southern Greece After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a…
Paul’s trial by Gallio the proconsul breaks down for lack of evidence One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in…
(Saint Comhgall, bishop) 1st Reading: Acts (18:1-8) The early days of Paul’s mission in Corinth, and the friends he found there After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered…
1st Reading: Acts (17:15, 22-18:1) Paul’s clever Areopagus sermon about the one true God Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; an after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to…
1st Reading: Acts (16:22-34) By their courage, Paul and Barnabas win converts, while gaoled at Philippi The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the…
