Mass Readings for Friday, June 03, 2011

FIRST READING: Acts 18: 9 - 18

---

9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent;

10 for I am with you, and no man shall attack you to harm you; for I have many people in this city."

11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Acha'ia, the Jews made a united attack upon Paul and brought him before the tribunal,

13 saying, "This man is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law."

14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, I should have reason to bear with you, O Jews;

15 but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I refuse to be a judge of these things."

16 And he drove them from the tribunal.

17 And they all seized Sos'thenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to this.

18 After this Paul stayed many days longer, and then took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aq'uila. At Cen'chre-ae he cut his hair, for he had a vow.

PSALM: Psalms 47: 2 - 7

---

2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.

3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.

4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. [Selah]

5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

GOSPEL: John 16: 20 - 23

---

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

21 When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world.

22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.

Mass Readings Thursday, June 2, 2011 (Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord)

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

FIRST READING: Acts 1: 1 - 11

---

1 In the first book, O The-oph'ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me,

5 for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth."

9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,

11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

PSALM: Psalms 47: 2 - 3, 6 - 9

---

2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.

3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!

SECOND READING: Ephesians 1: 17 - 23

---

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might

20 which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;

22 and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,

23 which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.

GOSPEL: Matthew 28: 16 - 20

---

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

17 And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."