RELIGION AND ART

Thursday, Week 16 in Ordinary Time: Understanding the mystery of God's Kingdom First Reading Jeremiah 2:1-3,7-8,12-13  I brought you to a fertile country and you defiled it The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem:  ‘“The Lord says this: I remember the affection of your youth, the love of your bridal days: you followed me through the wilderness, through a land unsown. Israel was sacred to the Lord, the first-fruits of his harvest; anyone who ate of this had to pay for it, misfortune came to them – it is the Lord who speaks.”.......   Responsorial Psalm: In you, Lord, is the source of life. Gospel Matthew 13:10-17 Prophets and holy men longed to hear what you hear The disciples went up to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and ...

Tuesday  Week 16 in Ordinary Time. We are God's Family First Reading Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 Have pity on us one more time With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your people to pasture, the flock that is your heritage, living confined in a forest with meadow land all around. Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.  As in the days when you came out of Egypt grant us to see wonders. What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?  Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults, to the bottom of the sea throw all our sins.  Grant Jacob your faithfulness, and Abraham your mercy, as you swore to our fathers  from the days of long ago. Responsorial Psalm:  Let us see, O Lord, your mercy. Gospel Matthew 12:46-50 My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; ...

6th Sunday of Easter 'I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate' First Reading Acts 8:5-8,14-17  They laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  Responsorial Psalm:  ...

Saturday week 5 of Eastertide ‘If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you.' First Reading Acts 16:1-10  'Come across to Macedonia and help us' From Cilicia Paul went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra. Here there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy, and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek. As they visited one town after another, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, with instructions to respect them.  So the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as growing daily in numbers. They travelled through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia. When they reached the frontier of Mysia they thought to cro...

Fifth Sunday of Easter  'I am going now to prepare a place for you' First Reading  Acts 6:1-7  They elected seven men full of the Holy Spirit About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid th...

Saint Athanasius , Bishop, Doctor 'You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me' First Reading Acts 13:44-52  Since you have rejected the word of God, we must turn to the pagans The next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light for the nations,  so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’ It made the pagans very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside. But the Jews worke...

Thursday , week 4 of Eastertide - ' w hoever welcomes me  welcomes the one who sent me' First Reading Acts 13:13-25  God has raised up one of David's descendants, Jesus, as Saviour Paul and his friends went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem. The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats. After the lessons from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them a message: ‘Brothers, if you would like to address some words of encouragement to the congregation, please do so.’ Paul stood up, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:................ Responsorial Psalm:  I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord. Gospel John 13:16-20  Whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me After he had washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them:  ‘I tell you most solemnly,  no servant is gr...