Churches of the Day

Saint of the Day; 14th May- St Matthias, apostle
Mattias was chosen to become an apostle, martyred at Colchis, on the Black Sea.
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING 

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles          1:15-17, 20-26
The lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.

One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers -there were about a hundred and twenty persons in the congregation: 'Brothers, the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who offered himself as a guide to the men who arrested Jesus - after having been one of our number and actually sharing this ministry of ours. Now in the Book of Psalms it says: 'Let his camp be reduced to ruin,
Let there be no one to live in it.'
And again: 'Let someone else take his office.'  

'We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us, someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us - and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection.'

Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias,
they prayed, 'Lord, you can read everyone's heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen to take over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.'

They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.

The Word of the Lord.            Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm           Ps  112;1-8
Response                               The Lord sets him in the company
of the princes of his people.
or                                              Alleluia!

1. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!                           Response

2. From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.                               Response

3. Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? Response

4. From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dung heap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people.              Response

Gospel  Acclamation        Jn 15: 16
Alleluia, alleluia!
'I chose you from the world to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last' says the Lord.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL             

The Lord be with you.                       And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John  15:9-17         Glory to you, O Lord
You did not choose me, no, I chose you.

Jesus said to his disciples:
'As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you.

I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.

You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another.'

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

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Gospel Reflection                 Feast of Saint Matthias        John 15:9-17

It is likely that Matthias never expected to find himself as a member of the group of twelve that Jesus had formed around himself. The betrayal of Judas and his resulting death created an opening which needed to be filled. Jesus had chosen the twelve personally. How was a replacement for Judas going to be chosen, now that Jesus was no longer present in bodily form? It is clear from the first reading that the members of the early church believed that Jesus was indeed present, as risen Lord. That is why they turned in prayer to the Lord and asked him to show them which of two possible candidates, Matthias or Barsabbas, he wanted to replace Judas. The disciples understood that Judas’ replacement had to be the Lord’s choice.

Just as he had chosen the original twelve, he would have to choose Judas’ replacement. At the same time, the disciples recognized that they had a role to play also. They narrowed the possible candidates down to two, and then they asked the Lord to show which of the two he had chosen. They used their own judgement, while recognizing that the final choice was the Lord’s. The disciples’ prayer, ‘Lord, show us which of these you have chosen’ is a prayer we all need to make in some shape or form.

We always need to seek what the Lord wants, and not just what we want. We have to draw upon our own human resources in order to make a good decision, like the disciples who narrowed the field down to two candidates. Yet, we recognize that any good decision has to be the Lord’s decision. His choice has to prevail and only if our choice corresponds to his choice will it be of any value. The Lord’s choice is primary. As Jesus says in the gospel reading, ‘You did not choose me, no, I chose you’. Every day we seek to live in accordance with the Lord’s choice, the Lord’s will for our lives. In that gospel reading, Jesus sums up his choice for us, his will for our lives, very simply, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & 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 : 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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Saint of the Day: 14/5 St Matthias, Apostle

St Matthias was a companion of Jesus and a witness to the resurrection. Chosen by lot to take the place of Judas and so to share the apostolic ministry of the twelve (Acts 1:15-26). He is named in Eucharistic Prayer I (The Roman Canon)

After the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus and in the wake of the suicide of Judas, Matthias was chosen by lot as an apostle to replace him (Acts 1:15-26). Matthias is venerated in the Benedictine Abbey of St Matthias in Trier, Germany.

Patrick Duffy tells what is known about him.

Criteria for Replacing Judas
The criteria set by Peter for the replacement among the apostles after the suicide of Judas were that he should be "someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling around with us from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up for us and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection" (Acts 1:21-22).

One of the Twelve Apostles
They nominated two candidates, "Joseph known as Barsabas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias". They drew lots and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles. (He is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament.)

[caption id="attachment_46057" align="alignright" width="300"]      Church of St Matthias in Trier, Germany[/caption]

Traditions about Matthias
Tradition says he worked first in Judea and later in Cappadocia and at Colchis in present-day Georgia, where he is said to have died, but another tradition locates him in Ethiopia. Still another tradition says he died in Judea. His supposed relics were brought to Rome by the empress Helen, the mother of Constantine; they are now venerated in the Benedictine Abbey Church of St Matthias in Trier, Germany.

A lost 'Apocryphal' Gospel,  
There has also been some confusion between Matthias and Matthew, though it is true that there was a now lost Gospel of Matthias mentioned by Origen, Eusebius, Jerome and in the Decree of Gelasius, which declared it to apocryphal and therefore not included in the Canon of Scripture.

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Memorable Saying for Today

Your children may or may not choose to follow you
but the example you give is the greatest light
you hold before your children.

~ Kathleen Cox ~

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Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Today's  Readings are of the day
Faith comes through hearing. Paul is the great preacher and missionary of that faith.

 FIRST READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 18:1-8          
Paul lodged with them and worked and he used to hold debates in the synagogues.

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, where he met a Jew called Aquila whose family came from Pontus. He and his wife Priscilla had recently left Italy because an edict of Claudius had expelled all the Jews from Rome. Paul went to visit them, and when he found they were tentmakers, of the same trade as himself, he lodged with them, and they worked together. Every sabbath he used to hold debates in the synagogues, trying to convert Jews as well as Greeks.

After Silas and Timothy had arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to preaching, declaring to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. When they turned against him and started to insult him, he took his cloak and shook it out in front of them, saying,
'Your blood be on your own heads; From now on I can go to the pagans with a clear conscience'.

Then he left the synagogue and moved to the house next door that belonged to a worshipper of God called Justus. Crispus, president of the synagogue, and his whole household, all became believers in the Lord. A great many Corinthians who had heard him became believers and were baptised.

The Word of the Lord.        Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm      Ps 97
Response                           The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.
Or                                         Alleluia!

1. Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation.                          Response

2. The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.               Response

3. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy.                                     Response

Gospel Acclamation                        Jn 14:18
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.
Death has no power over him anymore.
Alleluia!

or                                                             Jn 14:18
Alleluia, Alleluia!
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I go but I will come back to you, and your hearts will be full of joy.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL


The Lord be with you.                        And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John  16:16-20             Glory to you, O Lord
You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.

Jesus said to his disciples:
'In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again.'
Then some of his disciples said to one another,
'What does he mean, "In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again"
and, "I am going to the Father"? What is this "short time"?
We don't know what he means.'

Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said,
'You are asking one another what I meant by saying: 'In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again.'
'I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.'

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




Gospel Reflection              Thursday,                    Sixth Week of Easter               John 16:16-20

When sadness overcomes us for whatever reason, it can be difficult to believe that we will ever be joyful again. Our sadness can drain us of the hope that better times will come. Speaking in the setting of the last supper, Jesus says to his disciples in today’s gospel reading, ‘you will be weeping and wailing’. He acknowledges the sadness and sense of loss that will engulf his disciples when he is put to death on a Roman cross. The onset of such overwhelming sadness will drain them of hope. Yet, Jesus immediately announces to them that their sadness will not last forever, ‘Your sorrow will turn to joy’. The killing of Jesus will not be the final act in the drama of Jesus’ life. Rather, God’s raising Jesus to new life will be the final act of that drama.

As Jesus’ death gives way to his new risen life, so the sorrow of his disciples will give way to Easter joy, a sharing in the Lord’s own joy. The risen Lord continues to say to us that death, our own death and the death of our loved ones, will not be the final act in the drama of our lives. Rather, as God brought Jesus through death to new life, so God will bring us through death to a sharing in the Lord’s own risen life. The sorrow associated with death will not be the final emotion. Sorrow will give way to joy, for our loved ones who have died and, in time, for all of us who mourn the death of our loved ones. As followers of a risen Lord, we can sing the words of today’s responsorial psalm with an awareness that those who composed it could not possibly have possessed, ‘Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders’.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & 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: 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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Memorable Sayings for Today

In youth, the days are short and the years are long.
In old age, the years are short and the days are long.

also

Whatever you want to do, do it now!
There are only so many tomorrows. 

~ St Pope Paul VI ~

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The Ascension of the Lord-Year A

Where Jesus has gone we re called to follow in hope.

World Communications Day

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles           1:1-11
He was lifted up while they looked on.


In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised.
'It is', he had said 'what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.'

Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?'
He replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth'.

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said,
'Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.'

The Word of the Lord.      Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm   Ps 46: 2-3, 6-7 -8-9 R/v 2
Response                       God goes up with shouts of joy;
the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
or                                      Alleluia!

1. All peoples, clap your hands, cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear, great king over all the earth.       Response

2. God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise, sing praise to our king, sing praise.              Response

3. God is king of all the earth. Sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations; God reigns on his holy throne.                            Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians 1:17-23
He made him sit at his right hand in heaven

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come.

He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

The Word of the Lord.            Thanks be to God.


Gospel Acclamation          Mt 28: 19
Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of all the nations; I am with you always;
yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you                                And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew           28:16-20 .            Glory to you, O Lord
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.


The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said,
'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.
'And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'

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, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.