#biblereadingsoftheday

May 21, 2021, Friday Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter (White) Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs (Red) CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 301

Reading I Acts 25:13b-21

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man here left in custody by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation. I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge. So when they came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”

Responsorial Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab

R.    (19a)  The Lord has established his throne in heaven.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;     and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul,     and forget not all his benefits.

R.    The Lord has established his throne in heaven.

or:

R.    Alleluia. For as the heavens are high above the earth,     so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west,     so far has he put our transgressions from us.

R.    The Lord has established his throne in heaven.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,      and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, all you his angels,     you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.

R.    The Lord has established his throne in heaven.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 14:26

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 21:15-19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,  he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;  but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

REFLECTION:

Many people repeat often in prayer, ‘Lord you know I love you. It’s a humble prayer because often we feel we don’t live up to our call from God or to the goodness of love we receive in life. We may feel the shame Peter felt on looking at his history of denying his friend, Jesus. God looks into the heart and sees what we would like to be, as well as seeing what we have done in life. Prayer is giving our time to be aware that God is looking into our hearts and loving us for who we are.

PRAYER:

May 20, 2021, Thursday Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter (White) Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest (White) CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 300

Reading I Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the Jews, the commander freed him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees, so he called out before the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.” When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all three. A great uproar occurred, and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party stood up and sharply argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” The dispute was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst and take him into the compound. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Responsorial Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R.    (1)  Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;     I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,     you it is who hold fast my lot.

R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;     even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me;     with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,     my body, too, abides in confidence; Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,     nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

You will show me the path to life,     fullness of joys in your presence,     the delights at your right hand forever.

R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 17:21

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

REFLECTION:

Many of us live life from the outside in rather than from the inside out. Does the life that I lead reflect my innermost truth, that I am the focus of intense divine loving?

PRAYER:

May 19, 2021, Wednesday Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter (White) CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 299

Reading I Acts 20:28-38

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the Church of God that he acquired with his own Blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears. And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated. I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions. In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” When he had finished speaking he knelt down and prayed with them all. They were all weeping loudly as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him, for they were deeply distressed that he had said that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

Responsorial Psalm 68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab

R.    (33a)  Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Show forth, O God, your power,     the power, O God, with which you took our part; For your temple in Jerusalem     let the kings bring you gifts.

R.    Sing to God, O Kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,     chant praise to the Lord     who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens. Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:     “Confess the power of God!”

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Over Israel is his majesty;     his power is in the skies. Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;     he gives power and strength to his people.

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia See Jn 17:17b, 17a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 17:11b-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth.  Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

REFLECTION:

Jesus tells us that we too are ‘sent’ to continue his mission. Friendship with Jesus is being with him, and being sent in his name. Our mission as his followers is in the midst of and in the depths of the world. He wants his love and message inserted in the center of the world, the city, the neighborhood. In following him in mission and love, we are ourselves sanctified. How do I experience this ‘being sent?

PRAYER:

May 18, 2021, Tuesday Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter (White) CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 298

Reading I

Acts 20:17-27

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters of the Church at Ephesus summoned.  When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia. I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews, and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes. I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus. But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace. “But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again. And so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”

Responsorial Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21

R.    (33a)  Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. or: R.    Alleluia.

A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;     you restored the land when it languished; Your flock settled in it;     in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. or: R.    Alleluia.

Blessed day by day be the Lord,     who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation. God is a saving God for us;     the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. or: R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 14:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.” REFLECTION:

Jesus speaks from the depths of his heart. He tells us of the Father’s love for him and his love for his Father, who is the heart and core of his very being. The Father’s love continues to be with him right to the end, even to the Cross, to the point of giving his all, his life.

“This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. All the life we struggle to know him, through words and parables, and through the world which he has entrusted to us. At no stage can we say that we understand God. Saint Augustine wrote: “Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may understand”. My human mission is to seek God through every means and to remain a God-seeker until the day when he reveals himself to me face to face.

PRAYER:

May 17, 2021, Monday Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter (White) CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 297

Reading I Acts 19:1-8

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.  He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.” Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Altogether there were about twelve men. He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God.

Responsorial Psalm 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab

R.    (33a)  Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

God arises; his enemies are scattered,     and those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;     as wax melts before the fire.

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

But the just rejoice and exult before God;     they are glad and rejoice. Sing to God, chant praise to his name;     whose name is the LORD.

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows     is God in his holy dwelling. God gives a home to the forsaken;     he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.

R.    Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia Col 3:1

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 16:29-33

The disciples said to Jesus, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

REFLECTION:

Do you become discouraged by your failures? Do you trust that with God you can overcome obstacles and challenges in your life, and be a unique beneficial presence of God’s love in the world?

PRAYER:

May 16, 2021, Sunday SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD (White) CATHOLIC COMMUNICATION'S SUNDAY CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 58

Reading I Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

All you peoples, clap your hands,     shout to God with cries of gladness, For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,     is the great king over all the earth.

R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;     the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise;     sing praise to our king, sing praise.

R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

For king of all the earth is God;     sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations,     God sits upon his holy throne.

R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Reading II Eph 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

OR:

Eph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters, I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore, it says:     He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;     he gave gifts to men. What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

OR:

Brothers and sisters, I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

Alleluia Mt 28:19a, 20b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Mk 16:15-20

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

REFLECTION:

Each of us is called into the ministry of Jesus in some way. We are called to be 'other Christs', to be people who wish to make known and spread the love of God and his care for his people in the world. We may never know how much we have done this; it is sufficient that we do what we can. God has some work to do that can be done only through each person. In a time of prayer, we ask that we use our gifts and talents as best we can in God's service.

PRAYER:

May 15, 2021, Saturday FEAST OF SAINT ISIDORE THE FARMER (Labrador), MARRIED MAN (White) Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter (White) Lectionary: 296

Reading I Acts 18:23-28

After staying in Antioch some time, Paul left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country and Phrygia, bringing strength to all the disciples. A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm 47:2-3, 8-9, 10

R.    (8a)  God is king of all the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

All you peoples, clap your hands;     shout to God with cries of gladness. For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,     is the great king over all the earth.

R.    God is king of all the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

For king of all the earth is God;     sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations,     God sits upon his holy throne.

R.    God is king of all the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

The princes of the peoples are gathered together     with the people of the God of Abraham. For God’s are the guardians of the earth;     he is supreme.

R.    God is king of all the earth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 16:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I came from the Father and have come into the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. “I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

REFLECTION:

The Father himself loves you. This is where I fit into the inner dynamic of the Blessed Trinity. As Jesus is joined to the Father through the Holy Spirit, so too are we, because Jesus is our brother.

We ask often in prayer and sometimes prayer is answered very directly. Even when this appears not to happen, no prayer, like no act in love, is wasted. The true gift of prayer is always the Father's love, given to us no matter what we ask for. We are always gifted with the Spirit of Jesus, alive in our lives and in our love. We ask always in his name, knowing that in his name God will always hear us, inspire us, direct us, and love us.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, you are the way, the model for humankind. You came from the Father, and with your death, you left the world and went to the Father. That will be my pattern too. I love this world in which you have placed me; I love the glimpses which it offers of your transcendent beauty. My life does not end here; this is a beginning.

May 14, 2021, Friday FEAST OF SAINT MATTHIAS, APOSTLE (Red) CYCLE B - YEAR I Lectionary: 564

Reading I Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place). He said,

“My brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning  Judas, who was the guide for those who  arrested Jesus. Judas was numbered among us and was allotted a share in this  ministry. For it is written in the Book of  Psalms:     Let his encampment become  desolate,         and may no one dwell in it. and:     May another take his office. Therefore, it is necessary that one of  the men  who accompanied us the whole time  the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up  from us, become with us a witness to his  resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and  Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have  chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

Responsorial Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R.    (8)  The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,     praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD     both now and forever.

R.    (8)  The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

From the rising to the setting of the sun     is the name of the LORD to be  praised. High above all nations is the LORD;     above the heavens is his glory.

R.    (8)  The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is  enthroned on high     and looks upon the heavens and the  earth below?

R.    (8)  The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

He raises up the lowly from the dust;     from the dunghill he lifts up the  poor To seat them with princes,     with the princes of his own  people.

R.    (8)  The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia See Jn 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last,  says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL Jn 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples,

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,

just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be complete.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not  know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends,

because I have made known to you everything that  I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you.

And I appointed you to go and bear fruit,  fruit that will last,

so that the Father will give you whatever you ask  him in my name. I am giving you these  commands so that you may love one  another." REFLECTION:

"God, who calls us to generous commitment and to give him our all, offers us the light and the strength needed to continue on our way. In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward.”

(Pope Francis, Laudato Si 245).

PRAYER: