1June 1, 2025 - Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Year C

 

1st Reading - 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 

 R –God mounts his throne to shouts of joy; a blare of trumpets for the Lord!

 * 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 amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. R. 

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

 2nd Reading - 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 enlight ened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glo ry 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, au thority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. 

     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

 Gospel Acclamation 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 “Go and teach all nations,” says the Lord. “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

 Gospel - Lk 24:46-53

    Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

     Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them, he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. 

     They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God. 

May 25, 2025 - 6th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

 

1st Reading Acts 15:1-2.22-29  

     Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you can not be saved.” Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. 

 The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. This is the letter delivered by them: “The apostles and the elders, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number who went out without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord JeJudas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth: ‘It is the deci sion of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any bur den beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrifi ced to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled ani mals, and from unlawful mar riage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’ ”

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 67 

R –O God, let all the nations praise you!

* May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation. R. 

 * May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. R. 

 * May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! R. 

 2nd Reading - Rv 21:10-14.22-23

The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. 

     The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

     I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.

 Gospel Acclamation - Jn 14:23 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 “Whoever loves me will keep my word,” says the Lord, “and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Gospel - Jn 14:23-29

     Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

`    Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. Yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. 

     I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. 

     Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. 

     Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 

     You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.” 

May 18, 2025 - 5th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

 

First Reading - Acts 14:21-27  

    After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news to the city (of Derbe) and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” 

     They appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through Pisidia  and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word at Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished. 

`     And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 145 

R –I will praise your name forever, my King and my God!

 * The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. R. 

 * Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. R. 

 * Let them make known your might to the children of Adam, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations. R. 

 Second Reading -  Rv 21:1-5

    Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

     I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people, and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” 

     The One who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

 Gospel Acclamation Jn 13:34 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 “I give you a new commandment,” says the Lord. “Love one another as I have loved you.” 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

 Gospel - Jn 13:31-33.34-35

    When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified  in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. 

     I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. 

     This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

May 11, 2025 - 4th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

 

1st Reading Acts 13:14.43-52

     Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath, they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. 

     On the following sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 

     When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and, with violent abuse, contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 

     The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

 Responsorial Psalm - Ps 100 

 R –We are his people, the sheep of his flock!

 * Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful song. R. 

 * Know that the Lord is God. He made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. R. 

 * The Lord is good; his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. R. 

 2nd Reading - RV 7:9.14-17

    I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. Then one of the Elders said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. 

     The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

 Gospel Acclamation Jn 10:14 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 “I am the good shepherd,” says the Lord. “I know my sheep, and mine know me.” 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

 Gospel - Jn 10:27-30

    Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 

     I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. 

     My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”