Oremus.com - Helping those in need of prayer

God Thirsts to be Thirsted For

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:18:00 +0000

Unique Catholic Gift Idea - A Papal Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:17:00 +0000

Do you have a loved one that is a Catholic in good standing? Are you searching for a unique and special gift for them, that will be cherished for years, if not generations? Maybe you've heard of this before, but how about giving them the special gift of a Papal Blessing?

I was dusting off the cobwebs on our framed Papal Blessing (Benediction Papalis), which gave me the idea to tell you about it. I gave this to my husband as our wedding present the day we got married. It is printed on beautiful parchment paper, and has a color photo of our beloved Pope John Paul II. The blessing is written in calligraphy and also has an official raised seal, our names, date of marriage and the name of the church we were married in. I have our blessing prominently hung on our livingroom wall. I just love looking at it. I'm guaranteed my husband will never forget the date of our wedding anniversary. I've only had to point to it once in the past 9 years. :)

There are a few sketchy methods of how to obtain a Papal Blessing, but I will tell you how we received ours. This method ensures you are receiving the actual blessing, and not some scam. You can obtain blessings for other milestones, such as special Wedding Anniversaries, or priestly ordination. It does take a bit of time to obtain these, so you must plan in advance.

Step 1: Contact your local chancery office in the diocese you live in. Tell the operator you would like the details on how to obtain a Papal Blessing and for what event.

Step 2: Choose from a 8.5 x 11 version or a much larger version (think map size). I chose the smaller version so that I could easily frame and hang it.

Step 3: Gather the required documentation. In our case, we had to get a letter from our pastor that said we were practicing Catholics in good standing with the Church.

Step 4: Send a check (around $40 for the small version) to the address the Chancery gives you. The proceeds go to feed the poor. Allow approximately 6 months to be sure it arrives in time for your special occasion.

More info on obtaining blessings:

Any baptized Catholic can receive a blessing, but they are denied to non-Catholics, to the dead, to inanimate objects, and to animals.

Blessings may be for birthdays, ordinations, religious profession, anniversaries of religious profession, Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, conversions, and Catholic weddings and anniversaries of Catholic weddings. Some marriage blessings are denied if you are trying to obtain a blessing on the occasion of your marriage retrospectively, and the current Pope is not the same Pope at the time of your sacrament.

Don't be Sorry to be Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:14:00 +0000

"Don't worry if they see your defects; the offence against God and the scandal you may give; that is what should worry you. Apart from this, may you be known for what you are and be despised. Don't be sorry to be nothing, since then Jesus will have to be everything for you."

- Saint Escriva (The Way, 596)

Madonna of the Precious Blood, by Pompeo Batoni

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:04:00 +0000

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The Presentation of Our Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:56:00 +0000

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Assumption of Mary, by Mateo Cerezo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:48:00 +0000

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Adoration of the Magi, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:43:00 +0000

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Keep Calm and Pray Your Rosary

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:49:00 +0000

The Best Time You Will Spend on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:43:00 +0000

"The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven, and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth."

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

She Looked Down to Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:56:00 +0000

”Every mother, when she picks up the young life that has been born to her, looks up to the heavens to thank God for the gift which made the world young again. But here was a mother, a madonna, who did not look up. She looked down to Heaven, for this was Heaven in her arms.”

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

[image credit: anovaoo on tumblr]

1 Thes 5:16-18

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:34:00 +0000

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thes 5:16-18

Prayer to the Holy Family

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:53:00 +0000

(Pope Leo XIII)

Most Loving Jesus, by your sublime and beautiful virtues and by the example of Your family life you blessed with peace and happiness the family chosen by you on earth. Graciously look on this family humbly kneeling before You and imploring Your mercy. Remember that we belong entirely to You, for it is to You we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look on us in Your loving kindness, preserve us from dangers, and give us the grace to persevere to the end in the imitation of Your Holy Family. After revering and loving You faithfully on earth, may we bless and praise You eternally in heaven.

Mary, our dearest Mother, to your intercession we have recourse, knowing that your divine Son will hear your prayers.

Glorious patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by your powerful mediation, and offer by the hands of Mary our prayers to Jesus.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, enlighten us, assist us, save us. Amen.

Call Upon Our Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:56:00 +0000

"If you ever feel distressed during your day - call upon our Lady - just say this simple prayer: 'Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.' I must admit - this prayer has never failed me."

- Blessed Mother Teresa

Cast All Your Worries Upon Him

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:03:00 +0000

"Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you."

(1 Peter 5:7)

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:46:00 +0000

July 28, 2011

Thursday of the Seventeenth
Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Ex 40:16-21, 34-38

Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.
On the first day of the first month of the second year
the Dwelling was erected.
It was Moses who erected the Dwelling.
He placed its pedestals, set up its boards, put in its bars,
and set up its columns.
He spread the tent over the Dwelling
and put the covering on top of the tent,
as the LORD had commanded him.
He took the commandments and put them in the ark;
he placed poles alongside the ark and set the propitiatory upon it.
He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil,
thus screening off the ark of the commandments,
as the LORD had commanded him.

Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling,
the children of Israel would set out on their journey.
But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward;
only when it lifted did they go forward.
In the daytime the cloud of the LORD was seen over the Dwelling;
whereas at night, fire was seen in the cloud
by the whole house of Israel
in all the stages of their journey.

84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11
Responsorial Psalm

R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

Mt 13:47-53
Gospel

Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

When Did God's Love for You Begin?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:14:00 +0000

"When did God's love for you begin? When He began to be God. When did He begin to be God? Never, for He has always been without beginning and without end, and so He has always loved you from eternity."

- St. Frances de Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:53:00 +0000

"You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."

- C.S. Lewis

Virtues are Formed by Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:40:00 +0000

"Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven."

- Saint Ephraem

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:57:00 +0000

June 22, 2011
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week
in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Gn 15:1-12, 17-18
The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

“Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great.”

But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
He took him outside and said:
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”

105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
Responsorial Psalm

R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
R. Alleluia.

Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
R. Alleluia.

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
R. Alleluia.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or
R. Alleluia.

Mt 7:15-20
Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:18:00 +0000

June 12, 2011
Pentecost Sunday
Mass during the Day

Reading 1
Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
Responsorial Psalm

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or
R. Alleluia.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O Lord!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or
R. Alleluia.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or
R. Alleluia.

If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or
R. Alleluia.

1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Reading II

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Jn 20:19-23
Gospel

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Nunc Coepi! -- Now I Begin!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:27:00 +0000

"Nunc coepi! -- now I begin! This is the cry of a soul in love which, at every moment, whether it has been faithful or lacking in generosity, renews its desire to serve -- to love! -- God with a wholehearted loyalty."

- St. Escriva (Furrow, 161)

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 May 2011 12:06:00 +0000

May 29, 2011

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.

Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Responsorial Psalm

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or
R. Alleluia.

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or
R. Alleluia.

“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or
R. Alleluia.

He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or
R. Alleluia.

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or
R. Alleluia.

1 Pt 3:15-18
Reading 2

Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.

Jn 14:15-21
Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:45:00 +0000

May 20, 2011
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 13:26-33

When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue:
“My brothers, children of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him,
and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets
that are read sabbath after sabbath.
For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence,
they asked Pilate to have him put to death,
and when they had accomplished all that was written about him,
they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you
that what God promised our fathers
he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus,
as it is written in the second psalm,
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.”

2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab
Responsorial Psalm

R. (7bc) You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or
R. Alleluia.

“I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.”
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or
R. Alleluia.

“Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or
R. Alleluia.

And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or
R. Alleluia.

Jn 14:1-6
Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:36:00 +0000

May 17, 2011
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 11:19-26

Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and 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.

Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm

R. (117:1a) All you nations, praise the Lord.
or
R. Alleluia.

His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or
R. Alleluia.

I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those who know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
“This man was born there.”
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or
R. Alleluia.

They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or
R. Alleluia.

Jn 10:22-30
Gospel

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Today's Mass Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:16:00 +0000

May 16, 2011
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 11:1-18

The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea
heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem
the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,
‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.”
Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,
“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa
when in a trance I had a vision,
something resembling a large sheet coming down,
lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.
Looking intently into it,
I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,
the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But a second time a voice from heaven answered,
‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’
This happened three times,
and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.
Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,
who had been sent to me from Caesarea.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
These six brothers also went with me,
and we entered the man’s house.
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,
‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
who will speak words to you
by which you and all your household will be saved.’
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this,
they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”

Ps 42:2-3; 43:3, 4
Responsorial Psalm

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or
R. Alleluia.

As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or
R. Alleluia.

Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or
R. Alleluia.

Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or
R. Alleluia.

Jn 10:11-18
Gospel

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”