Saint Ceallach
(1080 – 1129)
White
He became hereditary bishop of Armagh in 1105 and made many reforms; not least on his deathbed, when he abolished the hereditary principle by appointing St Malachy as his successor.
Entrance Antiphon : Ex 13: 5, 9
The Lord has led you into a land flowing with milk and honey, that the law of the Lord may always be on your lips, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who give constant increase to your Church by new offspring, grant that your servants may hold fast in their lives to the Sacrament they have received in faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Acts 2:14,22-33
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him: I saw the Lord before me always, for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me. So my heart was glad and my tongue cried out with joy; my body, too, will rest in the hope that you will not abandon my soul to Hades nor allow your holy one to experience corruption. You have made known the way of life to me, you will fill me with gladness through your presence.’ Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, what he foresaw and spoke about was the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 15:1-2,5,7-11
R/ Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God. O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize.’
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, who even at night directs my heart. I keep the Lord ever in my sight: since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; even my body shall rest in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay.
You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, at your right hand happiness for ever.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps117:24
Alleluia, alleluia! This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 28:8-15
Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there. ‘While they were on their way, some of the guards went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.’ The soldiers took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept graciously, O Lord, we pray ,the offerings of your peoples, that, renewed by confession of your name and by Baptism, they may attain unending happiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Rm 6: 9
Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now no more; death will no longer have dominion over him, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
May the grace of this paschal Sacrament abound in our minds, we pray, O Lord, and make those you have set on the way of eternal salvation worthy of your gifts. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
No matter how hard one tries, the truth cannot be hidden for long. While the early witnesses to Christ’s resurrection fled in haste to spread the good news of his resurrection, the soldiers who guarded his tomb were bribed and urged by the chief priests to go and spread the lie that his disciples had stolen his body while they, the soldiers, were sleeping. It didn’t take much intelligence to figure out this was a ruse to hide the truth. Truth, like a furious lion, cannot be denied or contained. Christ’s message, miracles, and resurrection have survived calumnies and lies throughout the ages, and they continue to be new and powerful in this present age. Christ is the divine truth and cannot be defeated.