1st Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 The gospel is no mere opinion but is God’s own word You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how…
Feast of Saints Louis of France and of Joseph Calasanctius (see below) 1st Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 How gently Paul treated the Thessalonians You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had…
On St Bartholomew, see below 1st Reading: Revelation 21:9-14 The City of God has 12 gates, representing the 12 apostles. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And…
We gather as people who have chosen to serve the Lord, chosen to walk the Christian way. We worship God who leads us on — and ask for strength to continue as we have begun.
1st Reading: Joshua 24:1-2 When they reach the Promised Land, will they serve the true God? Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the…
The Queenship of Mary (see below) 1st Reading: Isaiah 9:1-6 Joy and restoration will come to those who sat in darkness There will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he…
Also feast of Saint Pius X, pope, (Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto 1835–1914). See below. 1st Reading: Ruth 1:1 etc. Ruth migrates to Bethlehem, with her widowed mother-in-law In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of…
Feast of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (See below) 1st Reading: Judges 11:29-39 After Jephthah’s rash vow, he sacrifices his only daughter Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh. He passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites….
1st Reading: Judges 9:6-15 In a riddle Jotham curses Abimelech and the people of Shechem All the lords of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem. When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount…
1st Reading: Judges 6:11-24 When Gideon doubts, his faith is confirmed by a sign from God. Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The…
1st Reading: Judges 2:11-19 The era of the Judges alternates fall and restoration. Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipped the Baals; and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from…
Whoever eats the flesh of the Lord and drinks his blood will live for ever. We celebrate Jesus’ promise, believing we will share the eternal destiny of all who have this divine life in them.
1st Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6 Wisdom has built her house with seven pillars. Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn herself seven pillars. She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. She has sent out her servant girls, she calls from the highest places in the town,…
We worship God who brought Mary to the glory of heaven this day. We celebrate her Assumption, the tangible reminder that the resurrection of Jesus brings victory over death for all who believe.
1st Reading: Revelation 11-12 The image of woman and dragon is applied to the Assumption Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. A great portent appeared in heaven: a…
Feast: Maximilian Kolbe (see below) 1st Reading: Jos 24:1-13 God’s help to Israel, from the patriarchal era to entering the Promised Land. Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to…
Feast: Ss Pontian, Hippolytus and Fachtna (see below) 1st Reading: Jos 3:7-10, 11, 13-17 Carrying the Ark into the Jordan allowed the people cross safely The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you…
Feast: Ss Jane Frances de Chantal; Attracta, and Muredach (see below) 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 The great Moses dies within sight of the Promised Land. Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead…
Feast: St Clare of Assisi (see below) 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Before his death, Moses promises that God will lead his people into the promised land. When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them: “I am now one hundred twenty years old. I am no longer able to…
Feast: St Lawrence, deacon and martyr (see below) 1st Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver….
