St Bede the venerable, priest & doctor St Gregory VII, pope and St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, virgin... Pray for us 7th Week of Easter (A) : Thursday 25th May 2023Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; Ps. 15:1-2,5,7-11; Jn. 17:20-26 (Ps. Wk. III) The whole chapter of John 17 is one long prayer directed by Jesus to the…
Lord, help me to be faithful to the message of Jesus7th Week of Easter (A) : Wednesday 24th May 2023Acts 20:28-38; Ps. 69:29-30,33-36; Jn. 17:11-19 (Ps. Wk. III) Paul was saying farewell to the leaders of the Church at Ephesus before he continued to Jerusalem. He referred to these leaders as “overseers” appointed by the…
Lord Jesus, I pray that God’s glory will manifest in me when my hour comes7th Week of Easter (A) : Tuesday 23rd May 2023Acts 20:17-27; Ps. 67:10-11,20-21; Jn. 17:1-11 (Ps. Wk. III) In the first reading, Paul is making a farewell discourse to the elders from Ephesus. He is reminding them of the pattern of…
St Rita of Cascia, religious7th Week of Easter (A) : Monday 22nd May 2023Acts 19:1-8; Ps. 67:2-7; Jn. 16:29-33 (Ps. Wk. III) The Entrance Antiphon today contains one of the last promises of Jesus before the Ascension – the promise of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples and consequently upon the whole Church. In…
Lord, I believe there is no force in the world that is greater than You7th Week of Easter (A) : Sunday 21st May 2023Acts 1:12-14; Ps. 26:1,4,7-8a; 1 Pt. 4:13-16; Jn. 17:1-11a (Ps. Wk. III) Prayer is also the heartbeat of the Christian life. In the first reading, we are told that after Jesus was…
St Bernardine of Siena, priest6th Week of Easter (A) : Saturday 20th May 2023Acts 18:23-28; Ps. 46:2-3,8-9,10; Jn. 16:23b-28 (Ps Wk II) In the passage from Acts we see how the early Church shared the message of Jesus. Apollos had been baptized with the baptism of repentance, but he hadn’t received the full message of…
Lord, may Your will always be accomplished in our world6th Week of Easter (A) : Friday 19th May 2023Acts 18:9-18; Ps. 46:2-7; Jn. 16:20-23a (Ps Wk II) Everything appeared to be going against Paul and his followers. Some had responded to his preaching by embracing the faith, but most opposed him. They plotted and schemed…
Lord, may I praise Your name above all other namesASCENSION OF THE LORD : Thursday 18th May 2023Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 46:2-3,6-7,8-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mt. 28:16-20 (Psalter proper) The passage in Acts describes Luke writing to Theophilus, his benefactor, explaining that Jesus had prepared the Apostles for their mission by teaching them during His lifetime. Jesus…
Lord, grant me the guidance of the Spirit6th Week of Easter (A) : Wednesday 17th May 2023Acts 17:15,22—18:1; Ps. 148:1-2,11-14; Jn. 16:12-15 (Ps Wk II) Paul was facing a hard audience – all of the philosophers in Athens. How could he proclaim the gospel? It was illegal to proclaim new gods, so Paul referred to…
Lord, in our darkest moments, help us to remember to pray and sing Your praises6th Week of Easter (A) : Tuesday 16th May 2023Acts 16:22-34; Ps. 137:1-3,7-8; Jn. 16:5-11 (Ps. Wk. II) The reading from Acts today happened during Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (A.D.49-52) at Philippi. The hostility of the Philippians towards Paul was because…