ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Speak out with a voice of joy; let it be heard to the ends of the earth: The
Lord has set his people free, alleluia.
PENITENTIAL RITE
God’s vision for a new humanity is that it be founded on the principle of love:
love for God and neighbour. We give glory to God by living a life based on this
principle of love. Giving glory to God by our lives increases the brightness of
our lives. During this liturgy, let as ask for an outpouring of the Spirit so
that He may teach, remind and guide us the way we should live. For our failures
to live the Word of God and the promptings of the Spirit, let us ask God’s
pardon. (Pause)
I confess...
Glory to God ...
OPENING PRAYER
Ever-living God,
help us to celebrate our joy in the resurrection of the Lord and to express in
our lives the love we celebrate. Grant this....
FIRST READING
(In this passage we hear about the first Council of the Church, which, guided
by the Holy Spirit, gave a decision which was momentous for the spread of the
Church in the Gentile world. It is not the external circumcision that matters,
but the internal disposition of the heart.)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
(15:1-2,22-29)
Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are
circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and
Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the
apostles and the elders about this question.
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to
choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They
sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, with the
following letter:
“The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the
Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting. Since we have heard that
some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds,
although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us in assembly to
choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have
risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent
Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater
burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been
sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from
unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
This is the Word of the Lord
PSALM (66)
Response: Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples
praise you.
O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us. So
will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help. R./
Let the nations be glad and exult, for you rule the world with justice. With
fairness you rule the peoples, you guide the nations on earth. R./
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. May God still
give us his blessing till the ends of the earth revere him. R./
SECOND READING
(We have here another glimpse of heaven as seen by St John in one of his
visions, a description of the heavenly Jerusalem.)
A reading from the Book of the Apocalypse
(21:10-14,22-23)
In the Spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me
the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of
God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It
had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were
inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three
gates and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve
foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and
the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the
glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
This is the Word
of the Lord
ACCLAMATION (Jn 14:23)
Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus said, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my
Father will love him, and we will come to him.” Alleluia!
GOSPEL
(Obedience to the Word of God is the one way of proving one’s love for
Christ.)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John
(14:23-29)
Jesus said to his disciples, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my
Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who
does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine
but the Father’s who sent me.
“These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the
Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me
say to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have
rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now
I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may
believe.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord
I believe ...
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus said to his apostles, ‘Peace
I leave with you, my own peace I give you’. Jesus was able to give peace to
others because he had it himself. Let us surrender our troubles and fearful
hearts and plead for his grace and peace, saying:
Response: God of love, grant us the peace and unity of your Kingdom.
1. For our Holy Father the Pope, bishops, priests and religious: that through
the various ministries of the Church God’s ways may be known on earth and all
people may experience His saving help. R./
2. For all Christians: that they may obey the teachings of Christ and become
instruments of peace and unity. R./
3. For world leaders: that God may guide their minds and hearts into the way of
peace and help them to work together for peace in all nations of the world. R./
4. For those who are worried and fearful: that they may experience the peace
that comes from trusting in the merciful and loving God. R./
5. For all of us gathered here: that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we may
obey the Word of God, and that the practice of our religion may make us more
loving towards others. R./
(Pray for local and personal needs)
Cel: Lord, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot
change; the courage to change the things we can; and the wisdom to know the
difference. We ask this...
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord, accept our prayers and offerings. Make us worthy of your sacraments of
love by granting us your forgiveness. We ask this....
PREFACE (25)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to
give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We praise you with greater joy than ever in this Easter season, when Christ
became our paschal sacrifice.
As he offered his body on the cross, his perfect sacrifice fulfilled all others.
As he gave himself into your hands for our salvation, he showed himself to be
the priest, the altar and the lamb of sacrifice.
The joy of the resurrection renews the whole world, while the choirs of heaven
sing for ever to your glory:
All: Holy, holy, holy…
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
If you love me, keep my command-ments, says the Lord. The Father will send you
the Holy Spirit, to be with you for ever, alleluia.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Almighty and ever-living Lord, you restored us to life by raising Christ from
death. Strengthen us by this Easter sacrament. We ask this...
LITURGY AND LIFE
In the Jewish
circles, circumcision was considered to be a sign of belonging to the people of
the covenant. Failure to circumcise a male child would mean exclusion from the
chosen people. Even during the time of Paul, the Jews believed that this
external rite of circumcision would put them in a position of privilege in
comparison with those uncircumcised and obtain for them God’s special favour.
Jesus changes this external observation into an internal disposition saying
“love” should be the mark that distinguishes his disciples.
The First Reading of today warns against the literal and false interpretation of
the Word of God. Often, the personal and subjective interpretation of scripture
may go wrong. Hence, those who carry out the roles of teaching and leading in
society have a greater responsibility in this regard. They should take care to
discern God’s will and communicate it, lest they offer mere human
interpretation.
“Love”, the distinguishing mark of a disciple is emphasized in the gospel of
today. This love should not be limited to mere words but be extended to action.
Hence, Jesus says, “Those who love me will keep my word” (Jn 14:23).
Obedience to God’s Word is an integral part of love. Jesus came in obedience to
his Father’s command. His obedience was not slavish but mature. Jesus
experienced his Father’s love and knew that it was genuine and unconditional.
After having experienced this unconditional love, Jesus could not but obey His
Father because he knew that his Father would not ask him anything that was not
the best. In fact, love implies that the lovers search the good of each other.
That which love demands cannot be selfish or evil. Therefore, obedience should
be without murmur and sadness but with joy and enthusiasm.
God who loves has expressed his will for us in the Word of God. Those who love
God will certainly obey it. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey
it” (Lk 11:28). The Word of God is divine revelation which He communicates with
us as friends (Jn 15:14-15). It is alive and efficacious, sharper than a double
edged sword (Heb 4:12). Exhorting us to obey his words, Jesus says that not
those who call him “Lord, Lord” who will enter the kingdom of God, but those who
do the will of God. He continues affirming that his mother, sisters and brothers
are those who do the will of God (Lk 8:21).
Gospel depicts an essential sign of love. Hence Jesus says, “If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater
than I” (v. 28). If the disciples of Jesus really loved him, they would have
looked for the greater good and glory of Jesus rather than their own comfort. In
the ordinary circumstances of life, a lover tries to anticipate the need of the
lover and fulfils it. It is also wonderful to note that if we really love a
person we will also know that which he/she needs even before he/she expresses
it. The fulfilment of that dimension of love strengthens love ever more.
A life marked by love lights up our life and that of others; it gives strength
in the moments of sufferings; gives meaning to our life. Just as the presence of
Jesus is the light in the city of Jerusalem, may his love in our hearts be the
lamp that lights up all days of our life and that of others.
–Fr Devasia Puthiyaparambil, ssp
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May 2010
READINGS OF THE WEEK
Psalter Week 2
10 Mon (W) Act
16:11-15; Ps 149:1-2,3-4,5-6a&9b; Jn 15:26-16:4a
11 Tue (W) Act
16:22-34; Ps 137:1-2a,2bc-3,7c-8; Jn 16:5-11
12 Wed (W) Act
17:15,22-18:1; Ps 148:1-2,11-12ab,13,14; Jn 16:12-15
13 Thu (W) Our
Lady of Fatima Act 18:1-8; Ps 97:1,2-3ab.3cd-4; Jn 16:16-20
14 Fri (R)
St MATTHIAS, Ap (Fst)
Act 1:15-17,20-26; Ps 112:1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8; Jn 15:9-17
15 Sat (W) Act
18:23-28; Ps 46:2-3,8-9,10; Jn 16:23b-28
