Browsing News Entries
England’s WeBelieve festival to showcase beauty and diversity of the Catholic Church
Posted on 06/11/2025 12:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
The city of Birmingham in the United Kingdom is the site of the WeBelieve festival from July 25–28, 2025. / Credit: Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock
London, England, Jun 11, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
A new Catholic festival in England hopes to bring many different expressions of the Church together under one banner from July 25–28. The breadth of the festival, called WeBelieve, is unique in a country where conferences are often focused on a particular movement or expression of Catholicism.
“There was a sense that we needed an annual festival that we could run on a regular basis, that could create momentum to bring the Church together,” said Monsignor John Armitage, the master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, a group that supports evangelization in England and the driver of the new initiative.
Speakers for the event include Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark; Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla; Lord Maurice Glasman, who will discuss Catholic social teaching; Dominican Father Toby Lees; Bishop Habila Daboh of the Diocese of Zaria in Nigeria; and convert from Anglicanism Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali. They will join overnight campers and visitors in Birmingham in the center of England at the historic site of St. Mary’s College, Oscott.
Liturgies during the festival will be enhanced by different musical styles, from modern worship to the Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant of the Southwell Consort, the Latin Mass Society’s mixed-voice choir in London. The Roman rites represented will include the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), Ukrainian, and Syro-Malabar.
“A festival of Catholic life that would show to the Church and to those who are enquiring, ‘This is the Catholic Church, this is what we do, this is who we are,’” Armitage said. “One very wise person said that the thing about festivals is that they shape cultures. We are looking to help the Church understand itself, not doctrinally, because that is settled, but in terms of the culture we are living in.”
Among young adults there is a strong interest in traditional expressions of the Catholic faith such as the TLM but also more “charismatic” movements such as Youth 2000, which meets at Ampleforth each year and typically has a modern worship music style.
All will have a place at the new festival. Central to WeBelieve, Armitage said, is to celebrate and include all.
“Catholic — that’s what it means,” he said. “We’re not traditional, we’re not conservative, we’re not liberal. They’re political terms. We’re Catholic, which means it’s universal. It’s based on the doctrine of the Church; it’s Catholic.
“We’re having a festival, a celebration of the Catholic faith in all its different expressions, of how we live it out. We wanted it to be Catholic so that everyone could come and be part of it and feel there was something here that could speak to them. They may also find other aspects of the Church they’ve never seen before.”
The festival has already sold 600 tickets but has the capacity for up to 3,000 people, including day visitors, Armitage said.
More than 100 Catholic organizations have signed up to participate already. The hope is that this will be the first of an annual gathering that will move to different regions.
“If possible we want to make this part of the Catholic story of this country,” Armitage said.
The organizers of the festival see deep significance in this being the first year, as it is one of celebration. Not only is it a year of jubilee in the Catholic Church but it’s also the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed and the 175th anniversary of the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.
What wasn’t known two years ago when the idea for the festival was first discussed was the extraordinary increase in conversions and interest in Catholicism, especially in young adults, seen in England, France, and elsewhere this year.
The previously dominant Christian tradition, the Church of England, has numerous festivals and ministries aimed at young people but recently published research by the Bible Society that reports that among young adults or Generation Z — which is now second to the elderly as the second most likely age group to attend church — that twice as many attend Catholic churches as Anglican.
This is perhaps the opposite of what might be expected as the Church of England over the past century has moved to approve contraception, stay quiet on the legalization of abortion, lower restrictions on those who are divorced, install female vicars and then bishops, and offer blessings to homosexual couples.
While these changes may be viewed by some as more palatable to younger people, the resurgence of faith in young adults seems to be toward more traditional expressions of Christianity.
“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” Armitage said. “If a Christian community doesn’t live the truth in its fullness… many churches that go down that path are struggling. The [Catholic] Church teaches the truth, and that’s why so many people feel that they can find true freedom.”
He continued: “That’s why it’s important that we talk about not the identity — not ‘this group or that group’ or ‘this program or that program’ — it’s about Jesus Christ, full stop. If we stick to that, everything is going to be fine.”
Scholars break down compatibility of evolution and Catholic doctrine at conference
Posted on 06/11/2025 11:00 AM (CNA Daily News)
Daniel Kuebler, a professor of biology at Franciscan University, speaks at the 2025 Society of Catholic Scientists conference on June 7, 2025. / Credit: Rui Barros Photography
Washington D.C., Jun 11, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
About 150 scientists gathered at the eighth annual Society of Catholic Scientists conference this past weekend for talks that touched on the Thomistic notion of free will, the intersection of mathematics and theology, near-death experiences, and the origin of the human species.
Three scholars — Kenneth Kemp, a professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota; Daniel Kuebler, a professor of biology at Franciscan University; and Chris Baglow, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame — gave talks on the compatibility of evolution and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The conference ran from June 6–8 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Although the teaching of evolution in high schools has led to objections from some Christian groups over the past century, the Catholic Church does not condemn the belief that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor.
In 1950 — nearly a century after Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” — Pope Pius XII addressed the subject in the encyclical Humani Generis. The pontiff did not rule out bodily evolution but made clear that the human soul is directly created by God and all humans are descendants of the first two people: Adam and Eve.
The Holy Father stated that the Church does not oppose inquiries into “the origin of the human body as coming from preexistent and living matter” but noted the faith “obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.”
When addressing the teaching that every person is descendent from Adam and Eve, Pius XII rejected any opinion that “maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents.”
‘Biological’ and ‘theological’ humans
Most evolutionary biologists assert that biological humans did not evolve from only two humans but rather as a group of humans. Although on its face this may seem to conflict with the Catholic understanding of Genesis, the conference speakers argued that no contention exists and suggested there is a distinction between a “biological” human and a “philosophical” and “theological” human.
Kemp, the first to speak on the subject, said a “biological” human would be any human that possessed human DNA, while a “philosophical” human is a human that also possessed conceptual thought and free will, and a “theological” human is one that has the ability to form a relationship with God.
According to Kemp, someone who was “fully human” in the early development of man (what Pius XII would refer to as “true men”), was one who possessed a “philosophical-theological humanity” from which he believes all of modern-day humanity descends. Such a person was an ensouled creature with rationality who had the capability to develop logic, language, and culture.
“Fully human beings were capable of interbreeding with the merely biological human beings despite the fact that they are distinct both behaviorally (being rational) and structurally (having the created souls that make that rationality possible),” Kemp said.
“If God created rational souls into two members of a merely biologically human population, and then into all or most of their descendants, including the descendants of mixed parentage, but into no one else, and some fully human beings interbred with the merely biologically human beings, then even a low level of interbreeding could be expected to produce a species all of which would be descendant from the single original fully human couple,” Kemp argued.
This position, according to Kemp, is both “scientifically possible and theologically orthodox.”
The beginnings of humanity
Kuebler, a biologist who spoke after Kemp, expressed a similar distinction. A biological human would be any human who fit into the species of “Homo sapiens” and a theological human is a person made in the “imago Dei,” or the image of God. He similarly said that it is possible that some of the early humans could have possessed merely biological humanity before all of the species possessed theological humanity.
The exact moments when biological humanity came into existence, when the first two theological humans Adam and Eve were ensouled, and when all of biological humanity possessed theological humanity, cannot be easily determined, according to Kuebler.
However, he noted there are signs that can point to rational thought. He points to the use of composite tools and art about 200,000 years ago and to the use of ochre (a type of clay) for decoration, which began around 500,000 to 300,000 years ago and became widespread about 150,000 years ago.
Yet, Kuebler said the signs become more clear around 50,000 to 100,000 years ago with more ritualistic art and the creation of jewelry, which he said “are things that are made by people with rational and conceptual thought.”
“The best signs of it are about 100,000 years ago,” he added.
Baglow addressed the question of where Neanderthals fall in these classifications, saying he is “not sure whether Neanderthals were theological humans” but remains open to the possibility. Neanderthals went extinct about 40,000 years ago but also interbred with early modern humans. Most people outside of Africa have some Neanderthal DNA.
He referenced the early cave art of Neanderthals as being similar to early modern humans but said “images [are] not necessarily symbols,” and rationality in art is “when an image begins to stand for something else.”
Although Baglow said it is possible that Neanderthals were theological humans, he said it may be the case that they simply had “a very special form of pre-rationality,” which was “preparatory toward personhood” for when they interbred with early modern humans.
Even though Catholic doctrine shows that evolution does not conflict with the faith, the Church does not require that Catholics believe in it.
According to a 2024 Gallup survey, about 62% of Catholics say they believe humans developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life and about 32% said they believe God created humans in their current form within the last 10,000 years, illustrating that Catholics are slightly more likely than the average American to believe in human evolution.
Chilean cardinal strongly opposes country’s euthanasia bill
Posted on 06/11/2025 10:00 AM (CNA Daily News)
Archbishop Fernando Chomali of Santiago, Chile. / Credit: Marco Mancini/ACI Stampa
ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 11, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
While the government of Chile moves forward with pledges made by President Gabriel Boric to expedite pro-abortion and euthanasia legislation, the Church in that South American country remains steadfast in its defense of life from conception to natural death.
The archbishop of Santiago and cardinal primate of Chile, Fernando Chomali, authored a column titled “Dying in Peace” in which he reflected on the latter issue. “Euthanasia is a form of social eugenics in the face of the inability to empathize, accompany, love, and respond to others,” Chomali stated.
On June 5, the administration of Boric introduced new amendments to the euthanasia bill, which was first introduced almost 14 years ago in the country’s Chamber of Deputies (lower house).
The initiative, titled “Bill on the Right to Voluntarily Opt to Receive Medical Assistance to Hasten Death in the Case of a Terminal and Incurable Illness,” is currently under consideration by the Senate health committee, according to the BioBio website.
Among the amendments proposed by the government are the elimination of the right of patients to receive spiritual guidance in accordance with their faith, the elimination of conscientious objection by institutions, and the expansion of the places where the procedure can be carried out, including the home.
The bill also incorporates new formal requirements, such as the patient’s written and reiterated wishes and a case evaluation committee, but proposes “medical assistance in dying” as a regular service within the health care system.
If the bill is passed, Chile will join the roster of countries that allow euthanasia, which includes Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, and Australia. It would become the third country in Latin America to have legislation on the subject, along with Colombia and Ecuador.
In the context of the current situation in Chile, characterized by violence, corruption, insecurity, and long waiting lists for medical treatment, Chomali warned: “A bill that allows for the direct elimination of a human being in the final stage of life has resurfaced and is being processed immediately: the euthanasia bill.”
Behind the idea of “death with dignity,” Chomali stated, “is the idea of disposing of the lives of others in their terminal stages.” In his critique of the bill, Chomaili took aim at the haste with which the legislation is now moving.
“Could someone explain the urgency? Will there be time to hear from experts on the subject and for legislators to study the matter and learn about the disastrous experiences of some countries that have introduced this practice?” the cardinal asked.
The bill, the cardinal noted, “is ambiguous because it extends to people in complex health situations, who, according to the bill’s proponents, since their lives are not worth living, the state cannot prevent them from ending them.”
The legislative initiative “appeals to autonomy and individual freedom as an absolute right that must be respected, even knowing that, in these circumstances, it is what is most lacking,” Chomali observed.
The proposal, the cardinal noted, “is the practical response to the torpidity of the state and society in caring for the sick, in most cases elderly adults, many of whom end their days old, alone, sick, and poor. Many of them are in public hospitals, and in places we cannot imagine, bedridden and abandoned in dire conditions.”
“Euthanasia is referred to as an act of compassion,” he lamented, and warned: “Let us not be mistaken; it is an act of compassion to benefit Western society, which measures everything in terms of productivity, joy, success, and profit, and which cannot tolerate anything related to pain and suffering, much less take responsibility for it.”
“This bill is the sunset of the sense of responsibility toward the weak that belongs to all of society and the triumph of the logic of force over the logic of reason,” he reflected.
A bill detrimental to the poor
According to Chomali, “with euthanasia, the plight of a seriously ill person is resolved with violence — covered in the cloak of kindness, compassion, autonomy, etc.”
Furthermore, he pointed out that it is a measure that works against the lower classes because, especially for the poor, there is the possibility that “third parties may decide for them to end their days.”
“The truth is that those who are accompanied feel loved and well cared for; they don’t ask to end their days; on the contrary, they cling to life and their loved ones as a great treasure until the end,” the cardinal emphasized.
As an example, he mentioned the Las Rosas Foundation — which provides shelter for the poorest and most vulnerable elderly — “where it has never even occurred to a resident, even a bedridden one, to ask for their life to be ended.”
As if that weren’t enough, the cardinal warned, “medical students, who often enter university motivated by the desire to heal, accompany, and care for others, will be taught how to end the life of an innocent human being.”
“Chile is impoverished by a law like this because the character of a society is measured by the capacity of the social fabric — of which we are a part — to care for the defenseless and vulnerable,” Chomali insisted.
Finally, the cardinal called on the promoters of this “unjust law” to focus their attention on the elderly in lamentable situations — hidden away in homes evading state regulations, without social life, and abandoned — while encouraging them to “take legislative action to promote the specialty of palliative care in hospitals and clinics and places where they end their days, as well as to promote solid public policies in favor of older adults in terms of pensions and access to mental health and palliative care.”
“Let us propose laws that allow the sick to die in peace. Let us care for them with the ordinary means available to them through medicine … together with their families and with adequate medical, spiritual, and human assistance,” he proposed.
Chomali then urged: “Let us seriously ask ourselves what lies behind the obstinacy of promoting laws that attack the weakest in society, such as human beings in the womb and on the sickbed, and at the same time.”
“Are we not promoting the law of the jungle and violence to resolve human tragedies, sometimes dramatic ones, which is nothing more than abandoning the rule of law that has cost so much to establish?” the cardinal asked in conclusion.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Leo XIV: ‘There is no cry that God does not hear’
Posted on 06/11/2025 09:50 AM (CNA Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims from the back of a pickup style popemobile before his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 11, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Vatican City, Jun 11, 2025 / 05:50 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV reflected on Christian hope — one of the three theological virtues, along with faith and charity — during his general audience on Wednesday.
“There is no cry that God does not hear, even when we are unaware that we are addressing him,” the pope said, illustrating this idea with the story of Bartimaeus, described in the Gospel of Mark as a blind beggar who encountered Jesus as he was leaving Jericho.
Pope Leo explained that this story helps us understand that “we must never abandon hope, even when we feel lost.”
The Holy Father today spoke on the healings performed by Jesus and invited Catholics to bring before the heart of Christ their “most wounded or fragile parts” or those areas of life where they “feel paralyzed or stuck.”
“Let us ask the Lord with trust to hear our cry and heal us!” the pope said.
At today’s General Audience, Pope Leo XIV addresses English speaking pilgrims: “Jesus, have mercy on me!” Like Bartimaeus, may we cast off our “cloaks” this Jubilee of Hope—our comforts and securities—and let Christ heal us and lead us into newness of life. pic.twitter.com/MRrLmV0HxX
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) June 11, 2025
Pope Leo focused on the attitude of Jesus, who does not immediately approach Bartimaeus but instead asks him what he wants. “It is not obvious that we truly want to be healed of our illnesses — sometimes we prefer to remain as we are so as not to take on new responsibilities,” he said.
“It may seem strange that, faced with a blind man, Jesus does not immediately approach him. But if we think about it, this is how he helps reactivate Bartimaeus’ life: He prompts him to rise and entrusts him with the ability to walk,” the pope added.
Indeed, the pope said that Bartimaeus does not only wish to see again — he also “wants to regain his dignity.”
“To look upward, one must lift one’s head. Sometimes people feel stuck because life has humiliated them, and they simply want to regain their worth,” the Holy Father said.
For this reason, he called on the faithful to do everything they can to obtain what they seek, “even when others scold you, humiliate you, or tell you to give up.”
“If you truly desire it, keep crying out!” he said.
The pope stressed that what saves Bartimaeus is faith. “Jesus heals us so that we may be free,” he said.
Exposing ourselves to Jesus with all our vulnerabilities
Leo XIV also reflected on Bartimaeus’ gesture of casting off his cloak in order to stand up.
“For a beggar, the cloak is everything: It is security, it is home, it is the protection that shields him. In fact, the law protected a beggar’s cloak and required that it be returned by evening if it had been taken as a pledge,” he explained.
The pope compared the beggar’s cloak to the illusion of security that people often cling to.
“Often what holds us back are precisely these apparent securities — the things we have wrapped around ourselves for protection, which in reality prevent us from moving forward,” he said.
Pope Leo noted that, in order to go to Jesus and be healed, Bartimaeus “must expose himself to him in all his vulnerability” — a fundamental step on any path to healing.
Finally, the pope called on the faithful to trustingly bring to Jesus “our illnesses, as well as those of our loved ones,” and “the pain of those who feel lost and without a way out.”
“Let us cry out for them as well, and let us be certain that the Lord will hear us and will stop for us,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
Posted on 06/11/2025 08:30 AM ()
- Readings for the Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
Reading 1 Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3
In those days 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.
Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Alleluia Psalm 25:4b, 5a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,
and guide me in your truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
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 reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Posted on 06/10/2025 08:30 AM ()
Reading 1 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Brothers and sisters:
As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes" and "no."
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us,
Silvanus and Timothy and me,
was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;
therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ
and who anointed us is God;
he has also put his seal upon us
and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135
R. (135a) Lord, let your face shine on me.
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
gives understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Turn to me in pity
as you turn to those who love your name.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Steady my footsteps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity rule over me.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Alleluia Matthew 5:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."
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 reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Posted on 06/9/2025 08:30 AM ()
Reading I Genesis 3:9-15, 20
After Adam had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
OR:
Acts 1:12-14
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7
R. (3) Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
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. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
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. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O joyful Virgin, who gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed Mother of the Church,
who nurture in us the Spirit
of your Son Jesus Christ!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel John 19:25-34
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
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 reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Pentecost Sunday
Posted on 06/8/2025 08:30 AM ()
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Vigil Mass
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Extended Vigil
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day
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 reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day
Posted on 06/8/2025 08:30 AM ()
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Vigil Mass
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Extended Vigil
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday
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."
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
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.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
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.
or: Romans 8:8-17
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
Sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel John 20:19-23
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."
or: John 14:15-16, 23b-26
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.
"Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
"I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all 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 reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Pentecost Sunday - Extended Vigil
Posted on 06/8/2025 08:30 AM ()
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Vigil Mass
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday - Mass during the Day
- Readings for the Pentecost Sunday
Reading 1 Genesis 11:1-9
The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
"Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth."
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that the people had built.
Then the LORD said: ""If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down there and confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says.""
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Reading 2 Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20b
Moses went up the mountain to God.
Then the LORD called to him and said,
""Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob;
tell the Israelites:
You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings
and brought you here to myself.
Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession,
dearer to me than all other people,
though all the earth is mine.
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
That is what you must tell the Israelites.""
So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people.
When he set before them
all that the LORD had ordered him to tell them,
the people all answered together,
""Everything the LORD has said, we will do.""
On the morning of the third day
there were peals of thunder and lightning,
and a heavy cloud over the mountain,
and a very loud trumpet blast,
so that all the people in the camp trembled.
But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God,
and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke,
for the LORD came down upon it in fire.
The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace,
and the whole mountain trembled violently.
The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking,
and God answering him with thunder.
When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai,
he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.
Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise forever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise forever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R. Glory and praise forever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise forever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise forever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise forever!
OR:
R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
Reading 3 Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, ""Lord GOD, you alone know that.""
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I, Ezekiel, prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD:
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
""Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.""
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They went astray in the desert wilderness;
the way to an inhabited city they did not find.
Hungry and thirsty,
their life was wasting away within them.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them.
And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 4 Joel 3:1-5
Thus says the LORD:
I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions;
even upon the servants and the handmaids,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood, fire, and columns of smoke;
the sun will be turned to darkness,
and the moon to blood,
at the coming of the day of the LORD,
the great and terrible day.
Then everyone shall be rescued
who calls on the name of the LORD;
for on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant,
as the LORD has said,
and in Jerusalem survivors
whom the LORD shall call.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 104:1-2, 24 AND 35, 27-28, 29-30
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!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Creatures all look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
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.
Epistle Romans 8:22-27
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Gospel John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the feast,
Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
"Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
As Scripture says:
Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me."
He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
There was, of course, no Spirit yet,
because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
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 reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.