Daily Readings

The word of God continued to spread and grow.After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,they returned to Jerusalem,taking with them John, who is called Mark.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 Saulfor the work to which I have called them.”Then, completing their fasting and prayer,they laid hands on them and sent them off.So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit,went down to Seleuciaand from there sailed to Cyprus.When they arrived in Salamis,they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. 

R.        (4)  O God, let all the nations praise you!or:R.        Alleluia.May God have pity on us and bless us;            may he let his face shine upon us.So may your way be known upon earth;            among all nations, your salvation.R.        O God, let all the nations praise you!or:R.        Alleluia.May the nations be glad and exult            because you rule the peoples in equity;            the nations on the earth you guide.R.        O God, let all the nations praise you!or:R.        Alleluia.May the peoples praise you, O God;            may all the peoples praise you!May God bless us,            and may all the ends of the earth fear him!R.        O God, let all the nations praise you!or:R.        Alleluia.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the light of the world, says the Lord;whoever follows me will have the light of life.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus cried out and said,“Whoever believes in me believes not only in mebut also in the one who sent me,and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.I came into the world as light,so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,I do not condemn him,for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.Whoever rejects me and does not accept my wordshas something to judge him: the word that I spoke,it will condemn him on the last day,because I did not speak on my own,but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.And I know that his commandment is eternal life.So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

Those who had been scattered by the persecutionthat arose because of Stephenwent 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 themand 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 allto 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 Churchand taught a large number of people,and it was in Antioch that the discipleswere first called Christians.

R.    (117:1a)  All you nations, praise the Lord.or:R.    Alleluia.His foundation upon the holy mountainsthe 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 Babylonamong 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 heris 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.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;I know them, and they follow me.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.”

The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judeaheard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.So when Peter went up to Jerusalemthe 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 Joppawhen 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 youby which you and all your household will be saved.’As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon themas it had upon us at the beginning,and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,‘John baptized with waterbut you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’If then God gave them the same gift he gave to uswhen 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.”

R. (see 3a) 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 onAnd 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.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;I know my sheep, and mine know me.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said:“I am the good shepherd.A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.A hired man, who is not a shepherdand 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.”