May 2, 2021 - Fifth Sunday of Easter (B)

 

First Reading:  Acts 9:26-31

    When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he
was a disciple. 

    Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him
to the apostles, and he reported to them how he had seen the
Lord, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus
he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
    Saul moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and
spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. He also spoke and
debated with the Hellenists, but they tried to kill him. And
when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to
Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
    The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the
Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in
numbers.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 22

R –I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people

* I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the Lord. The

lowly shall eat their fi ll. They who seek the Lord shall praise

him: “May your hearts live forever!” R.

* All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to

the Lord. All the families of the nations shall bow down before

him. R.

* To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth.

Before him shall bend all who go down into the dust. R.

* And to him my soul shall live. My descendants shall

serve him. Let the coming generation be told of the Lord, that

they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has

shown. R.

Second Reading - 1 Jn 3:18-24

    Children, let us love not just in word or speech but in

deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong

to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever

our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and

knows everything.

    Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence 

in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because

we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

    And his commandment is this: we should believe in the

name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as

he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain

in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he

remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.

Gospel Acclamation - Jn 15:4.5

Alleluia! Alleluia!

“Remain in me as I remain in you,” says the Lord.

“Whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.”

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Jn 15:1-8

    Jesus said to his disciples:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He

takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and

every one that does, he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

    You are already pruned because of the word that I

spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a

branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the

vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

    I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in

me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you

can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be

thrown out like a branch and wither. People will gather them

and throw them into a fi re and they will be burned.

    If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask

for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is

my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become

my disciples.”