Reading I Acts 17:15, 22—18:1 After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said: “You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’ as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.” When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.” And so Paul left them. But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.   Responsorial Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14 R.        Heaven and earth are full of your glory. or: R.        Alleluia. Praise the LORD from the heavens;             praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you his angels;             praise him, all you his hosts. R.        Heaven and earth are full of your glory. or: R.        Alleluia. Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,             the princes and all the judges of the earth, Young men too, and maidens,             old men and boys. R.        Heaven and earth are full of your glory. or: R.        Alleluia. Praise the name of the LORD,             for his name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven. R.        Heaven and earth are full of your glory. or: R.        Alleluia. He has lifted up the horn of his people; Be this his praise

Reading I Acts 16:22-34 The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake. About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God. Responsorial Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 R.        (7c)  Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,             for you have heard the words of my mouth;             in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple,             and give thanks to your name. R.        Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. Because of your kindness and your truth,             you have made great above all things             your name and your promise. When I called, you answered me;             you built up strength within me. R.        Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me;             your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;             forsake not the work of your hands. R.        Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia See Jn 16:7, 13 R. Alleluia, alleluia. I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will guide you to all truth.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 16:5-11 Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your

Reading I Acts 16:11-15 We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us. Responsorial Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b R.        (see 4a)  The Lord takes delight in his people. or: R.        Alleluia. Sing to the LORD a new song             of praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in their maker,             let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. R.        The Lord takes delight in his people. or: R.        Alleluia. Let them praise his name in the festive dance,             let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD loves his people,             and he adorns the lowly with victory. R.        The Lord takes delight in his people. or: R.        Alleluia. Let the faithful exult in glory;             let them sing for joy upon their couches. Let the high praises of God be in their throats.             This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. R.        The Lord takes delight in his people. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:26b, 27a R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you also will testify.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:26—16:4a Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.” - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be

Reading I 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) 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 O God, let all the nations praise you! or: R Alleluia. May the nations be glad and exult             because you rule the peoples in equity;             the nations on the earth you guide. R O God, let all the nations praise you! or: R Alleluia. 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 O God, let all the nations praise you! or: R Alleluia. Reading II 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

Reading I Acts 16:1-10 Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number. They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.   Responsorial Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 5 R.        (2a)  Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.        Alleluia. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;             serve the LORD with gladness;             come before him with joyful song. R.        Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.        Alleluia. Know that the LORD is God;             he made us, his we are;             his people, the flock he tends. R.        Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.        Alleluia. The LORD is good:             his kindness endures forever,             and his faithfulness, to all generations. R.        Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia Col 3:1 R. Alleluia, alleluia. If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:18-21 Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.” Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Christopher Magallanes, priest, and Companions, martyrs - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in

Reading I Acts 15:22-31 The Apostles and presbyters, 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 presbyters, 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.’“ And so they were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter. When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.   Responsorial Psalm 57:8-9, 10 and 12 R.        (10a)  I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;             I will sing and chant praise. Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!             I will wake the dawn. R.        I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,             I will chant your praise among the nations. For your mercy towers to the heavens,             and your faithfulness to the skies. Be exalted above the heavens, O God;             above all the earth be your glory! R.        I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:15b R. Alleluia, alleluia. I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:12-17 Jesus said to his disciples: “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,

Reading I Acts 15:7-21 After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters, “My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.” The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them. After they had fallen silent, James responded, “My brothers, listen to me. Symeon has described how God first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name. The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:             After this I shall return                         and rebuild the fallen hut of David;             from its ruins I shall rebuild it                         and raise it up again,             so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,                         even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.             Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,                         known from of old. It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood. For Moses, for generations now, has had those who proclaim him in every town, as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.” Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10 R.        (3)  Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R.        Alleluia. Sing to the LORD a new song;             sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name. R.        Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R.        Alleluia. Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations;             among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. R.        Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R.        Alleluia. Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved;             he governs the peoples with equity. R.        Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:9-11 Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my

Reading I Acts 15:1-6 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 presbyters about this question. They were sent on their journey by the Church, and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brethren. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters, and they reported what God had done with them. But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law.” The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter. Responsorial Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 R.        (see 1)  Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. I rejoiced because they said to me,             “We will go up to the house of the LORD.” And now we have set foot             within your gates, O Jerusalem. R.        Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. Jerusalem, built as a city             with compact unity. To it the tribes go up,             the tribes of the LORD. R.        Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. According to the decree for Israel,             to give thanks to the name of the LORD. In it are set up judgment seats,             seats for the house of David. R.        Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia. Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for

Reading I Acts 14:19-28 In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city. On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the Church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. Then they spent no little time with the disciples. Responsorial Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21 R.        (see 12)  Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. or: R.        Alleluia. Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,             and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom             and speak of your might. R.        Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. or: R.        Alleluia. Making known to men your might             and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,             and your dominion endures through all generations. R.        Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. or: R.        Alleluia. May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,             and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. R.        Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia See Lk 24:46, 26 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 14:27-31a Jesus said to his disciples: “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. I will no longer speak

Reading I Acts 14:5-18 There was an attempt in Iconium by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas. They realized it, and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed, and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.” He jumped up and began to walk about. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in human form.” They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,” because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice. The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, “Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God,who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.” Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. Responsorial Psalm 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16 R.        (1ab)  Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R.        Alleluia. Not to us, O LORD, not to us             but to your name give glory             because of your mercy, because of your truth. Why should the pagans say,             “Where is their God?” R.        Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R.        Alleluia. Our God is in heaven;             whatever he wills, he does. Their idols are silver and gold,             the handiwork of men. R.        Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R.        Alleluia. May you be blessed by the LORD,             who made heaven and earth. Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,             but the earth he has given to the children of men. R.        Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. or: R.        Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:26 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 14:21-26 Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever