Mass Readings for : Monday, 13th May, 2024

Liturgical Readings for : Monday, 13th May, 2024

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Jesus promises us The Spirit of Truth to help us deal with opposition, ridicule or indifference.

Optional memorial of Our Lady of Fatima
( Readings Is 61: 9-11, Ps 44:11-12, 14-17, R/v Lk 11:27-28)

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 19:1-8
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?‘
They answered,
‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’
‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked.
‘With John’s baptism’ they replied.
‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him-in other words Jesus.’
When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men.
He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm Ps 67
Response Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
Or Alleluia!

1. Let God arise, let his foes be scattered. Let those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away; like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God. Response

2. But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God, they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name; rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence. Response

3. Father of the orphan, defender of the widow, such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in; he leads the prisoners forth into freedom. Response

Gospel Acclamation Jn 16: 28
Alleluia, Alleluia!
I came from the Father and have come into the world,
and now I leave the world to go to the Father.
Alleluia!

Or Col 3:1
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven
where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 16:29-33 Glory to you, O Lord
Be brave: I have conquered the world.

His disciples said to Jesus
‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’
Jesus answered them:
‘Do you believe at last?
Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already –when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone.

And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble, but be brave:
I have conquered the world.’

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Reflection Monday, Seventh Week of Easter John 16:29-33

When Paul asked the disciples in Ephesus, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’, they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit?’ It was a very honest acknowledgement of ignorance. The first step in coming to know is often the acknowledgement that we don’t know. We are approaching the feast of Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps there is a sense in which we all have a lot to learn about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was spoken of in the past as the forgotten person of the Blessed Trinity. We can picture God the Creator and Jesus his Son more easily than the Holy Spirit. We find images of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures, such as the dove, fire, the wind, and, yet, we sense that they all fall very far short of the reality.

The Holy Spirit is the life presence of God the Father and the risen Lord. It is through the Holy Spirit that the Father and the Son make their home within us and among us. When the Holy Spirit is alive in us, it shows itself in a way of life that reflects the life of God, the life of Jesus, a life of self-giving love. Saint Paul speaks about the fruit of the Spirit. Just as a healthy tree bears good fruit, so a spiritually healthy person, who is alive with the Holy Spirit, will bear the good fruit of the Spirit, what Paul calls ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Gal 5:22-23). When Jesus says to his disciples in today’s gospel reading, ‘I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me’, he is referring to the fruit of the Spirit. He is promising to pour out the Holy Spirit into the lives of his disciples, all of us, the Spirit of God’s love, of his own love, and this experience of being unconditionally loved will bring peace, even though, as Jesus says in the gospel reading, the world will bring us trouble of various kinds. As we approach the feast of Pentecost, we pray for a fresh growth of the rich fruit of the Spirit in our lives.