(the Sunday before Christ The King
Sunday)
Introduction
Dear
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Good
morning!
Welcome to
Saint Dominic’s Parish Church for the celebration of Sunday Holy Mass.
This Sunday
we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Martyrs in Viet Nam. They are 118 heroes of the Christian faith in
God’s merciful love, expressed through their perseverance in all forms of
suffering, torture, and even death.
Their living
witnesses shed before us who are tempted by different forms of evil in today’s
society bright examples of how to fight for our faith in the Lord God Who alone
deserves our love, praise, thanks and worship.
We pray in
this Holy Mass for the support of the Holy Martyrs so that we may remain faithful
like them to the end regardless of difficulties and challenges.
Please all
stand for the entrance hymn.
1. First Reading Wis 3:1-9
(see 2014 EM page 218)
The Lord God
never abandons His faithful in times of trials and sufferings. It is He Who grants them knowledge of His
saving truth, love to hold it, strength to keep it, and courage to even die for
it. Finally, is He, too, Who will ensure
them of life ever-happy and ever-lasting in His Kingdom.
2. Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:
(see 2014 EM #314)
3. Second Reading Rom 8:35.37-39
Saint Paul
feels proud of being victim of all forms of injustice and persecution because
of Christ Jesus Whom he so loves that no one and nothing can separate him from the former.
(see 2014 EM page 184)
4. Verse before the Gospel Mt 5:10
Blessed are they who
are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,/ for theirs is the Kingdom of
heaven.
5. Gospel Jn 15:18-21
Jesus said to His disciples: “If the world hates you,
realize that it hates me first. If you
belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not
belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates
you. Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my words, they will also keep
yours. And they will do these things to
you on account of my name, because they do not know the One who sent me.”
