Churches of the Day

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

St Peter tells all who need to hear that the apostles are the authentic witnesses to
God's Spirit at work in the Jesus events they have experienced .

FIRST READING            

 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles        5:27-33
We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit.

When the officials had brought them in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demanded an explanation. 'We gave you a formal warning' he said 'not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man's death on us.'

In reply Peter and the apostles said,
'Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.'

This so infuriated them that they wanted to put them to death.

The Word of the Lord              Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 33: 2-9. 17-20. R/v 7
Response                                This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
Or                                             Alleluia!

1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.            Response

2. The Lord turns his eyes to the just and his ears to their appeal.
They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.                        Response

3. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him.   Response

Gospel Acclamation     
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Christ has risen: he who created all things, and has granted his mercy to men.
Alleluia!

Or                                               Jn 20:29
Alleluia, Alleluia!
'You believe, Thomas, because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.'
 Alleluia!

GOSPEL                             

The Lord be with you.                         And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John     3:31-36      Glory to you, O Lord
The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him.

John the Baptist said to his disciples:
'He who comes from above is above all others; he who is born of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, even if his testimony is not accepted; though all who do accept his testimony are attesting the truthfulness of God, since he whom God has sent speaks God's own words: God gives him the Spirit without reserve.

The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him.
Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: the anger of God stays on him.'

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

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Gospel Reflection          Thursday,           Second Week of Easter         John 3:31-36

The words of Peter and the apostles to the high priest, ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men’, was a conviction which shaped the life of the first believers. It often brought them into conflict with the religious leaders who thought of themselves as the mediators of God’s word. For us as Christians, obedience to God is obedience to his Son, Jesus, our risen Lord, because as today’s gospel declares, ‘he whom God has sent speaks God’s own words’. The Greek word translated ‘obedience’ suggests attentive listening. We are called to listen attentively to the word of God, especially as proclaimed and lived by Jesus who is God’s Word in human form. As the Word of God, Jesus is the Bread of Life because his words can satisfy the deepest hunger in our hearts, our hunger for truth and for an assurance of God’s love. In the words of today’s responsorial psalm, we are invited to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’.

The gospel reading declares that ‘God gives him (Jesus) the Spirit without reserve’, and in this fourth gospel Jesus declares that his words are ‘spirit and life’. When we listen attentively to the Lord’s word, we are opening ourselves to Holy Spirit, and in the power of that Spirit we will be able to witness to our faith in the Lord with something of the courage shown by Peter and the apostles in today’s first reading.

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(May 1:  Optional memorial of St Joseph the Worker Mass Readings)

FIRST READING for St Joseph the Worker

A reading from the Book of Genesis      1:26-2:3
God the Supreme Worker creates the world


God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground." God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth."

God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it
to be your food; and to all the animals of the land,
all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food." And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.

Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
God rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work his work of creating.

The Word of the Lord          Thanks be to God.

(Alternative First Reading) 
A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Col0ssians    3:14-15, 17, 23-24

Brothers and sisters: Over all these things put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one Body. And be thankful.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.

The Word of the Lord            Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm        Ps 90: 2,3-4,12-13,14 and 16
Response                              Lord, give success to the work of our hands.

1. Before the mountains were begotten and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.                                                          Response

2. Lord, give success to the work of our hands. You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of men." For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night.                         Response 

3. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!                                    Response  

4. Fill us at daybreak with your kindness that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Let your work be seen by your servants, and your glory by their children.    Response

Gospel Acclamation                        Ps 68:20
Alleluia, Alleluia                                          
Blessed be the Lord, day after day, he bears our burdens, God our saviour
Alleluia

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you              And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew      13:54-58      Glory to you, O Lord.
This is the carpenter's son, surely?       

Jesus came to his home town and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honour except in his native place and in his own house."
And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

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

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/


The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings 2024: The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications , c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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                            May 1:  Saint of the Day ; St Joseph the Worker

This commemoration, instituted by Pius XII in 1955, proposes the example and intercession of Joseph as worker and provider. On this date many countries celebrate the dignity and cause of human labour.

Patrick Duffy outlines elements of the papal social encyclicals that led up to and followed on from the introduction of this feast.

It was in 1955, at a time when Communism was becoming strong in Italian political life, Pope Pius XII introduced the feast of St Joseph the Worker into the liturgical calendar.

An ideological Feast?
Liturgical purists may be inclined to question this day in honour of St Joseph the Worker: they see it as "an ideological feast" brought into the liturgical calendar in 1955 by Pope Pius XII apparently as a counterweight to the socialist and communist celebration of Labour Day on 1 May. Another perspective, however, is that the institution of the feast fits in well with the developing awareness in the social teaching of the Church from Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII to Laborem Exercens of Pope John II on the dignity of human work and its creative role in the development of the human person.

Rerum Novarum (1891)
In the encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), Pope Leo XIII raised a cry of protest against the harsh conditions which industrial workers had to endure and against their exploitation. This was a rejection of the prevailing 'realism' which held that labour was a commodity to be bought at market prices determined by the law of supply and demand rather than by the human needs of the worker. Pope Leo's position was that the State was not the instrument of the richer class, but a neutral arbiter, that it had a duty to protect the poor from abuse and exploitation. Pope Leo also advocated that as many workers as possible should become owners of property and that workers had the right to form protective associations. With Leo the Church was first seen to take a stand on behalf of the poor.

Quadragesimo Anno (1931)
Forty years later in Quadragesimo Anno (1931) Pope Pius XI looked not only at the unjust conditions of workers, but also made an analysis of the socio-economic order to focus on the causes of injustice and poverty. He pointed out the need not only for 'an improvement of conduct' ( = moral change) but also for 'a reform of social institutions' ( = structural change) (QA 77). Further, in an encyclical called Firmissimum (1937) dealing with the situation of Catholics in Mexico, he even indicated in some circumstances that the possibility of an active resistance to civil authorities (= legitimate rebellion) could be considered (par 35).

Mater et Magistra (1961)
Pope John XXIII in his encyclical Mater et magistra (1961) showed optimism in the way he spoke about the dignity and creative value of human work:
'Work, which is the immediate expression of a human personality, must always be rated higher than the possession of external goods, which of their very nature are merely instrumental.' This view of work is certainly an indication of an advance that has been made in our civilization (MM 107).
And about farm work:
'In the work on the farm the human personality finds every incentive for self-expression, self-development and spiritual growth. It is a work, therefore, which should be thought of as 'a vocation, a God-given mission, an answer to God's call to actuate his providential, saving plan in history. It should be thought of, finally, as a noble task, undertaken with a view to raising oneself and others to a higher degree of civilization' (MM 149).
Gaudium et Spes (1965)
This positive estimation of human activity was reinforced by Vatican II's Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et spes      (1965):
'When men and women provide for themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the creator, a service to their fellow men, and their personal contribution to the fulfilment of the divine plan.' (GS 34)
Laborem Exercens (1981) and 'The Indirect Employer'
This positive evaluation of human work is more fully developed by Pope John Paul II in the opening chapters of his encyclical Laborem Exercens  (1981) .  But quite early on John Paul II insists that 'the basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is doing it is a person' (LE 6).

Besides, to assist in a structural analysis of the injustice to workers in the global economy, the pope introduces the concept of the 'indirect' employer. This he defines as the 'many different factors, other than the direct employer, that exercise a determining influence on shaping both of the work contract and, consequently, of just or unjust relationships in the field of human labour'.

These would include the State and public departments that make decisions, employers' associations, trade unions, farmers' organisations, and not just within one particular State, but also in links between States, like the EU, and in transnational companies. So, for example, farming agencies in Western countries can put pressure on their governments to protect their interests by restricting the entry of beef from Botswana or Argentina.

Preferential Option for the Poor
This teaching about 'the indirect employer' helps us understand that whole peoples can suffer an impoverishment as a result of unjust political and economic structures and why Church leaders, especially from Latin America, have used the phrase "preferential option for the poor" as indicating the way to structural justice, both for workers and for the unemployed.

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Memorable Sayings for Today

 “Whatever your life's work is, do it well.
One should do his/her job so well
that the living, the dead, and the unborn
could do it no better.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr. ~

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Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

Jesus, after walking and sharing his reflections is fully recognised in his breaking and sharing the bread and wine of the Eucharist as a celebration of his Risen Lordship.

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles            2:14, 22-33
It was impossible for him to be held in its power of Hades.

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud voice:
'Men of Judaea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, make no mistake about this, but listen carefully to what I say. Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him:
"I saw the Lord before me always,
for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me.
So my heart was glad and my tongue cried out with joy;
my body, too, will rest in the hope that you will not abandon my soul to Hades
nor allow your holy one to experience corruption.
You have made known the way of life to me, you will fill me with gladness through your presence."

'Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, 'what he foresaw and spoke about was the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God's right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.'

The Word of the Lord            Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 15:1-211. 5. 7-11. R/v 11 
Response                              Show us, Lord, the path of life.
or Alleluia!

1. Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.  I say to the Lord: 'You are my God.
 O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize.'      Response

2. I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, who even at night directs my heart.
    I keep the Lord ever in my sight:since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.       Response

3. And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;  even my body shall rest in safety.
    For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay.     Response

4. You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence,
    at your right hand happiness for ever.                                                                                   Response


SECOND READING        

A reading from the first letter of St Peter            1:17-21
Your ransom was paid in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ.

If you are acknowledging as your Father one who has no favourites and judges everyone according to what he has done, you must be scrupulously careful as long as you are living away from your home.

Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake.

Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason - so that you would have faith and hope in God.

The Word of the Lord                  Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation                Lk 24:32
Alleluia, alleluia!
Lord Jesus, explain the scriptures to us.
Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us.
Alleluia!


GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.              And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 24:13-35         Glory to you O Lord
They recognised him at the breaking of bread.

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, 'What matters are you discussing as you walk along?' They stopped short, their faces downcast.

Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him,
'You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days'.
'What things?' he asked.
'All about Jesus of Nazareth' they answered 'who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.'

Then he said to them, 'You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter  into his glory?'
Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. 'It is nearly evening' they said 'and the day is almost over.' So he went in to stay with them.
  Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?'
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem.

There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, 'Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.'
Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

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

For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.