Sixth Sunday of Easter
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Mass Readings
First 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 cannot 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 Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth: ‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 (R.4)
R. O God, let all the nations praise You!
or:
R Alleluia.
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.
Second Reading – Rev 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 – 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.”
Featured Saints
St. Rita of Cascia, religious (†1457). Revered as a patroness of seemingly impossible cases. She patiently bore the harsh treatment of her violent husband. After his death that of her two sons, she entered the Augustinian convent at Cascia where she was an exemplary religious, and was favoured with mystical visions and a permanent wound on her forehead associated with the crown of thorns.
St. Atto, bishop (†c. 1153). After serving as abbot of the Order of Vallumbrosa, he was elect ed to the Episcopal Seat of Pistoia, Italy.
St. Dominic Ngon, martyr (†1862). Father of a family who was decapitated during the persecutions in Vietnam, for refusing to renounce his Faith.
St. John Forest, priest and martyr († 1538). Franciscan priest, burned alive during the reign of Henry VIII of England, for defending the unity of the Catholic Church.
Blessed Matthias of Arima, martyr (†1620). Catechist from Oruma, Japan; tortured to death for refusing to denounce the missionaries.
Blessed Humility (Rosanna), abbess (†1310). At twenty-four years of age, she and her husband decided to abandon the world and enter religious life. Drawn by her example, several young women joined her in the Monastery of St. Maria Novella, of which she became prioress.
Blessed Maria Domenica Brun Barbantini, religious (†1868). Widow who dedicated herself to helping the impoverished sick and founded the Congregation of the Sister Ministers of the Sick of St. Camillus in Lucca, Italy.
Blesseds Peter of the Assumption and John Baptist Machado, priests and martyrs (†1617) Franciscan priests beheaded in Kori, Japan, out of hatred for the Faith.
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