Today, 5th of February, we celebrate
Saint Agatha
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,
with the soldier who was guarding him.
Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.
When they had gathered he said to them, "My brothers,
although I had done nothing against our people
or our ancestral customs,
I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.
After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,
because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.
But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar,
even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.
This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you
and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel
that I wear these chains."
He remained for two full years in his lodgings.
He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance
and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 11:4, 5 and 7
R./ The just will gaze on your face, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold,
his searching glance is on mankind.
R./ The just will gaze on your face, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
The Lord searches the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
For the Lord is just, he loves just deeds;
the upright shall see his face.
R./ The just will gaze on your face, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
Gospel Reading: John 21:20-25
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,
the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper
and had said, "Master, who is the one who will betray you?"
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?
You follow me."
So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.
But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,
just "What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?"
It is this disciple who testifies to these things
and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 11:21b-26; 13:1-3
Barnabas was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith.
In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The Lord has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the Lord.
R./ The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:7-13
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Jesus said to the Twelve:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter,
look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.”
Today’s passage is the closing scene of John’s Gospel. Jesus once again invites Peter to “Follow him!” At an earlier time, Peter sounded very courageous and even heroic. “I will lay down my life for you” (Jn 13:37), he said. As the events unfolded, he failed to live up to his brave talk, preferring instead to save his skin. That was a profound lesson in humility, and that experience and later the dramatic shifts in the life of the Community have made Peter a transformed man.
Jesus’ final words recorded in the Gospel are his invitation to Peter: Follow me. From the evangelist’s point of view, the Christian life is always the disciple’s response to Jesus’ invitation: Follow me!
Let us renew our yes to the Lord to follow him. In prayer with Mary, our Mother, we ask the Holy Spirit to fill our lives: The following is a prayer composed by the late Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga, a Spanish Claretian missionary, known as the bishop of the poor and the forgotten in Brazil.
Come Holy Spirit, the Creator. Stay with us today, give us your intelligence and fill our hearts with goodness. Your name is comfort, inspiration, life, and grace. You are novelty: creative force. Come, Holy Spirit, so that your Light illuminates our course and strengthens our decisions. You have done all the good things –the one who presides over our discernment and points the ways of our options – Your name is unity, hope and love. Keep us from evil, selfishness, injustice, intolerance, and divisions. Give us your peace, blessing, comfort, serenity and wisdom; so that we transform our present into the will of the Father in heaven.
bibleclaret,orgIntroduction
St. Paul owed very much to this missionary,
for Barnabas involved Paul in his work among the Christians of Antioch, who were of pagan origin. Acts called Barnabas "a prophet and teacher" and "a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith." He was an open spirit, convinced that if one had faith it was enough to let one become eligible to be a Christian. Inspired by the Spirit, the leaders of the community of Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas on their missionary mission.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
prompted by the Holy Spirit,
the church of Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas
on their missionary mission among pagans.
Let your Church everywhere send
good, zealous men and women as missionaries.
Fill them with the Holy Spirit and with faith,
that they may touch the hearts of people
and win them as disciples and friends
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
General Intercessions
– For us the Church, that it may always remain young and faithful and inspire its members and even the world with a sense of hope and deep love, we pray:
– For the whole Christian people, that we may show patience and compassion to people who go astray, to those who disappoint us, and accept them as the Lord accepts us, we pray:
– And for all in our Christian community here, that we may be grateful that the Lord has made us his vineyard and the tenants from whom he expects much, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
let the eucharist of Jesus
bring the light and life of your Son and his zeal
to our communities everywhere
to make them missionary
by the way they live
and to make Christ visible to people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God of all people,
at the celebration of St. Barnabas we pray:
Make all your missionaries
people of the Holy Spirit and of deep faith,
that they may speak to the people you send them
the words of life and joy of the good news
and cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse those unclean and cast out evil.
May they do so generously, without charge,
for they have received from you without charge
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Introduction
The books that have been our main companions throughout the Easter Season end with the committed, enthusiastic witness to the good news of Jesus: Paul in his captivity, and Peter, whose martyrdom is predicted, and John, the beloved apostle, who has given a true testimony of Jesus in his gospel.
What is the witness we give to Jesus? Does our way of life show that we believe in him and love him?
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
like Mary, the women and the apostles
on the day before the first Pentecost
we are gathered in prayer.
Let the Holy Spirit come down also on us,
that we may become enthusiastic believers
and faithful witnesses to the person
and the good news of Jesus.
May our way of living bear witness
that Jesus is our light and life,
now and for ever.
General Intercessions
- That Pentecost may be for the Church, not something that happened in the past but a repeated renewal in the forgiveness and the life of Christ, we pray:
- That by the power of the Holy Spirit we may be faithful to our faith and commitment to all that Jesus taught us, we pray:
- That the Holy Spirit may keep recreating us anew in the love of God and the love of people, we insistently pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Our loving, faithful God,
in these signs of bread and wine
we want to celebrate the memory
of Jesus, our Lord and our Savior.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
make us one heart and soul in him.
May our love and concern for one another
express a strong faith in Jesus' person and message,
and bear witness that he is alive among us
and that we are united in Jesus our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
In this eucharist
Jesus has nourished us
with his word and his body
Allow us to go with him
our journey through life,
strong and confident through the Holy Spirit
that we will build up your kingdom
of love and justice,
and that we will reach our destiny
of happiness without end.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
May the Church be an open book in which people can read the word of God. The Lord be in your hearts and on your lips, that you may worthily proclaim his gospel, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
