✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Stay with us, Lord Jesus Christ.
Reach out to us; invite us to pause and meet with you.
As we look at our lives and that of the world around us,
we can be too anxious to share our real questions with you
or our doubts and fears. We keep them within us in troubled silence.
Silent reflection
I confess to almighty God
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,and all the Angels and Saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
COLLECT: Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may, under your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
FIRST READING: Acts 6:1-7
About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing,
the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews:
in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked.
So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them,
‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food;
you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them,
and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’
The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen,
a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with
Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch,
a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles,
who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word of the Lord continued to spread:
the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased,
and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,18-19
May your love be upon us,
O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
May your love be upon us,
O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
May your love be upon us,
O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
May your love be upon us,
O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 14:6)
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.’
Alleluia!
GOSPEL - John 14:1-12
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.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me? ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works,
because I am going to the Father.’
The Gospel of The Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
Jesus,
like your disciples, our hearts are troubled. Is there an escape, we ask, from this pandemic?
Be with us now, please. To know you is to know and love the Father and the Spirit.
That is everything. No fear there.
You are our way, our truth, and our life.
Wherever you abide, that is the place we always want to be––circling in eternal, self-giving love, with you, the Father, and your Holy Spirit.
JESUS THE WAY Jesus’ words and deeds in this Gospel speak love at every turn.
He demonstrates absolute, total, and universal love
in his varied responses to those who approach him. Jesus’ life, teaching, and behaviour
do indeed present people with “an authentic vision of human existence,”
that is, a model of the way human life ought to be lived. If one lives like this, one will definitely encounter God, who is Love. Philip still doesn’t get it. He asks Jesus to “show us the Father” (Jn 14:8).
This must have been particularly disappointing
to the historical, earthly Jesus. Jesus himself called Philip to be a follower,
and he in turn brought Nathanael to Jesus (Jn 1:43-48).
When faced with a hungry multitude,
Jesus turned to Philip and asked him how they could be fed (Jn 6:5-9).
When curious Greeks wanted to meet and talk with Jesus,
they approached Philip to intercede on their behalf (Jn 12:20-22). Only against this background can one appreciate Jesus’ disappointment:
“You still do not know me!?” Philip’s failure provides Jesus with the opportunity
to point to the future successes of his followers:
“The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do
and, in fact, will do greater works than these ... ” (Jn 14:12). The works of Jesus are the works of God:
to give life, and to restore meaning to life or enrich life’s meaning.
Already at creation God called us to take dominion over evolution
(“to till the garden and keep it,” Gen 1:26-28). This is our challenge -
to engage in life-giving activities
rather than death-dealing ones.
This is also our challenge to put meaning into life
rather than suck it out.
This is what Jesus in his “last will and testament”
urges his followers to do out of love for others. Jesus has presented himself as the authentic vision of existence.
Believers can only echo Peter:
“Lord, to whom can we go?
You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
John J. Pilch
I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, And he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness
of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
INTERCESSION
Let us pray to God, who alone makes us dwell in safety:
For all who are affected by coronavirus, through illness or isolation or anxiety, that they may find relief and recovery: Lord, hear us,
For those who are guiding our nation at this time, and shaping national policies, that they may make wise decisions: Lord, hear us,
For doctors, nurses and medical researchers, that through their skill and insights many will be restored to health: Lord, hear us,
For the vulnerable and the fearful, for the gravely ill and the dying, that they may know your comfort and peace: Lord, hear us,
We ask Mary to pray with us, as we with her bring our care for the situation in which we find ourselves
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,to the mercy and protection of God. Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
This is holy space
God is here - you are welcome
This is your space to be with God And God's space to be with you
Make yourself at home
Be yourself
Be real
There's no rush
Let God love you
Let God know you
Let God heal you
Let God speak to you
Receive from God
Commune with God…..
Sit for a moment in silence
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God;
It is right and just. It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
through Christ our Lord.
For by your Word you created the world
and you govern all things in harmony.
You gave us the same Word made flesh as Mediator,
and he has spoken your words to us and called us to follow him.
He is the way that leads us to you,
the truth that sets us free,
the life that fills us with gladness.
Through your Son you gather men and women,
whom you made for the glory of your name,
into one family, redeemed by the Blood of his Cross
and signed with the seal of the Spirit.
Therefore now and for ages unending,
with all the Angels, we proclaim your glory,
as in joyful celebration we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.
Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.
Time to sit quietly to receive the Lord’s Presence spiritually.
“My Jesus, I believe that You are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart …
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You,”
Pope Francis prayed this on March 21
in his televised daily Mass from the Vatican City.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me,
Body of Christ, save me,
Blood of Christ, inebriate me,
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me:
Within thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto thee
That with thy saints
I may praise thee for ever and ever.
Keep safe, O Lord, we pray, those whom you have saved by your kindness, that, redeemed by the Passion of your Son, they may rejoice in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
THE REGINA COELI
Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven! Alleluia. He whom thou wast meet to bear, alleluia. As he promised, hath arisen, alleluia. Pour for us to him thy prayer, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. For the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!
O God, who through the resurrection
of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ
didst vouchsafe to give joy to the world:
grant, we beseech thee,
that through His Mother, the Virgin Mary,
we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through Christ our Lord.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
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