Catholic Ireland
Liturgical Readings for : Saturday, 18th May, 2024
Saturday, Seventh Week of Easter, Morning Mass
FIRST READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 28:16-20. 30-31
Paul stayed in Rome proclaiming the kingdom of God.
On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him. After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them,
‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation. That is why I have asked to see you and talk to you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.’
Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 10
Response The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
Or Alleluia!
1. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the world; his gaze tests mortal men. Response
2. The Lord tests the just and the wicked: the lover of violence he hates. Response
3. The Lord is just and loves justice: the upright shall see his face. Response
Gospel Acclamation 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!
or Jn 16: 7. 13
Alleluia, Alleluia!
I will send you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will lead you to the complete truth.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 21:20-25 Glory to you, O Lord.
This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.
Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?‘
Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?‘
Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’
The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come’.
This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true. There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Evening Mass today will be the Vigil of Pentecost
Gospel Reflection Saturday, Seventh Week of Easter John 21:20-25
The final verses of the Acts of the Apostles, from which we have been reading for the seven weeks of Easter, portrays Paul under house arrest in Rome. The one who had been travelling thousands of miles to preach the gospel since his call on the road to Damascus now has to stay put for two years. Yet, even in these restricted circumstances, he remains true to his vocation, ‘proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ’. Whether a free man or a prisoner of Rome, Paul remained true to his deepest identity. The circumstances of our own lives may not be all we desire them to be, but we can still remain true to what is deepest and best in us, to the Lord’s call, ‘Follow me’, in the words of today’s gospel reading. Just prior to our gospel reading, Jesus had commissioned Peter to shepherd his flock. This was how Peter was to follow Jesus. In the gospel reading, Peter seems preoccupied by the Lord’s plans for the beloved disciple, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus had to bring Peter back to basics, ‘Follow me’. The beloved disciple’s way of following Jesus would be different to Peter’s way. The preaching and teaching of this disciple would become the basic source for the gospel that we now know as John’s gospel. ‘This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down’, or has caused them to be written down. We are each called to follow the Lord in accordance with our own unique temperament and set of gifts and limitations. We spend our lives trying to be true to that calling, no matter how unfavourable the circumstances of our lives, declaring with Saint Paul, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13)
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
