1st Reading  Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and ourselves not to burden you beyond what is essential.

Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.' This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders.

Then the apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this letter to take with them:

'The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us, and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.'

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm  Ps 66:2-3, 5-6, 8

R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

or

R. Alleluia.

O God, be gracious and bless us

and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

and all nations learn your saving help. R.

Let the nations be glad and exult

for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

you guide the nations on earth. R.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

till the ends of the earth revere him. R.

Second Reading Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

A reading from the book of the Apocalypse

He showed me the holy city coming down out of heaven.

In the spirit, the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel or crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel  John 14:23-29

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.

Jesus said to his disciples:

'If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him

and make our home with him.

Those who do not love me do not keep my words.

And my word is not my own;

it is the word of the one who sent me.

I have said these things to you

while still with you;

but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you everything

and remind you of all I have said to you.

Peace I bequeath to you,

my own peace I give you,

a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

You heard me say:

I am going away, and shall return.

If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father,

for the Father is greater than I.

I have told you this now, before it happens,

so that when it does happen you may believe.'

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

1st Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

They assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them.

Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. 'We all have to experience many hardships' they said 'before we enter the kingdom of God.' In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Repsonsorial Psalm:

(sung) I will praise you Lord, I will praise you Lord, Here amongst your people I will praise you Lord.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures. R.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds

and the glorious splendour of your reign. R.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

your rule lasts from age to age. R.

Second Reading:

A reading from the book of the Apocalypse

He will wipe away all the tears from their eyes.

I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.'

Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: 'Now I am making the whole of creation new'.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel:

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

I give you a new commandment: love one another.

When Judas had gone Jesus said:

'Now has the Son of Man been glorified,

and in him God has been glorified.

If God has been glorified in him,

God will in turn glorify him in himself,

and will glorify him very soon.

My little children,

I shall not be with you much longer.

I give you a new commandment:

love one another;

just as I have loved you,

you also must love one another.

By this love you have for one another,

everyone will know that you are my disciples'.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

St Rita’s Men’s Social group session 26 April 2019 – Coffee, Chat and Cake – Reflecting on the ANZAC spirit – 11 men participated in a wide-ranging discussion, spending an enjoyable time together.

Thank You to You

Fr Joseph and the PPC invite you to a lunch to thank
you for volunteering in St Rita’s Parish in 2018-2019

Date:          Sunday, 9 June, 2019
Time:         12:00 noon
Where:       UNITAS Centre @ St Rita’s School
Dress:        Smart Casual
Alcohol:      BYO

RSVP by Monday, 3 June 2019 so that we can order food
Either Enter your name in Volunteer Box @ St Rita’s Church,
OR telephone the Parish Office on 07 3207 9177

Or contact the Parish office using the form below

Please advise of any special food requirements

when you register.

St Rita’s Men’s Social group session 21 March 2019 – Show and Tell of Crafts and Hobbies – 13 men turned up and witnessed six presentations of a variety of pursuits and pastimes – lots of discussions and questions.

In 2018, St Rita’s Parish Pastoral Council recommenced organising day trips for parishioners and their friends’ enjoyment, and to encourage and strengthen community ties.  

A planning committee chooses venues around South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales approximately three times a year, that are not only good fun and enjoyable to visit but are at a reasonable price as well.

The bus trips are usually on the third Wednesday of the month, and the first pick up is at the bus stop in Benfer Road outside the Church around 8.00 a.m. on the day of the trip. The bus also picks up from the Redlands Marina shortly after that for our Island parishioners.

All parishioners are very welcome.  For further information please contact Ann on 0411 966 216, Dianne on 07 3829 0811 or Dorothy and Michael on 0431 262 044.