First Reading

Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1: 15-17, 20-26)

The lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place).
He said,

“My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,

“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”

Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 113: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John (Jn 15: 9-17)

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.

Jesus said to his disciples:

“As the Father loves me, so I also love 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 joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

Frist Reading

Acts of the Apostles (Acts 20: 17-27)

I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,

“You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace.

But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 68: 10-11, 20-21

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.

Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint (Jn 17: 1-11a)

Father, give glory to your son.

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,

“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

Frist Reading

Acts of Apostles (Acts 19: 1-8)

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?

While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul traveled through the interior of the country
and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.
He said to them,

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

They answered him,

“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

He said,

“How were you baptized?”

They replied,

“With the baptism of John.”

Paul then said,

“John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.”

When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.

He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly
with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 68: 2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;
as wax melts before the fire.

But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John (Jn 16: 29-33)

Take courage, I have conquered the world.

The disciples said to Jesus,

“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”

Jesus answered them,

“Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.