Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
Gather the people!
Enter the feast!
All are invited, the
greatest and least.
The banquet is ready,
now to be shared.
Join in the heavenly feast
that God has prepared.
Around this table we dine
as kin, beloved fam’ly of God.
We share the
Body of Christ, the Lord.
Here we become what we eat.
Gather the people!
Enter the feast!
All are invited, the
greatest and least.
The banquet is ready,
now to be shared.
Join in the heavenly feast
that God has prepared.
Around this table
God’s bounty falls
on all who hunger and thirst.
We drink the fullness of
Christ the Lord.
So we become what we eat.
Gather the people!
Enter the feast!
All are invited, the
greatest and least.
The banquet is ready,
now to be shared.
Join in the heavenly feast
that God has prepared.
Psalmody
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 I know the one whom I have trusted and I am certain that he, the just judge, has power to keep safe what he has entrusted to me until that Day.
Psalm 63:2-9
A soul thirsting for God
O God, you are my God, for you I long; *
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you *
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary *
to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life, *
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life, *
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, *
my mouth shall praise you with joy.
On my bed I remember you. *
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help; *
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim your goodness; our work give you honor, and our voices celebrate you for ever.
Ant. I know the one whom I have trusted and I am certain that he, the just judge, has power to keep safe what he has entrusted to me until that Day.
Ant 2. Paul, my grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness.
Canticle: Daniel 3:57-88, 56
Let all creatures praise the Lord
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. *
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord. *
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. *
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord. *
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord. *
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord. *
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord. *
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. *
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord. *
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord. *
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. *
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
O Israel, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. *
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. *
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. *
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
Ant. Paul, my grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness.
Ant. 3 God’s grace in me has not been without fruit; it is always at work in me.
Psalm 149
The joy of God’s holy people
Sing a new song to the Lord, *
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker, *
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing *
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people. *
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, *
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips *
and a two-edged sword in their hand,
to deal out vengeance to the nations *
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained; *
this honor is for all his faithful.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Let Israel rejoice in you, Lord, and acknowledge you as creator and redeemer. We put our trust in your faithfulness and proclaim the wonderful truths of salvation. May your loving kindness embrace us now and for ever.
Ant. God’s grace in me has not been without fruit; it is always at work in me.
Dan Schutte, SJ
Glory to God! Glory to God!
Glory to God in the highest!
And on earth, peace on earth,
peace to people of good will.
We praise You, we bless You,
We adore You, we glorify You,
We give You thanks
for Your great glory,
Lord God, Heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
You take away the
sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
You take away the sins of
the world, receive our pray'r;
You are seated at the
right hand, the right hand of
the Father, have mercy on us.
For You alone
are the Holy One;
You alone are the Lord.
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
With the Holy Spirit, in the
glory of God, the Father.
Glory to God! Glory to God!
Glory to God in the highest!
And on earth, peace on earth,
peace to people of good will.
Amen! Amen!
1st Reading
Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Paul addressed the people in these words:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem
in chains for punishment those there as well.
“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’
And he said to me,
‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’
The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus,
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.’
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.
“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.’”
Or:
Acts 9:1-22
You will be told what you must do.
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
He said, “Who are you, sir?”
The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”
The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight.”
But Ananias replied,
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But the Lord said to him,
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
“Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
All who heard him were astounded and said,
“Is not this the man who in Jerusalem
ravaged those who call upon this name,
and came here expressly to take them back in chains
to the chief priests?”
But Saul grew all the stronger
and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus,
proving that this is the Christ.
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
℟. (Mark 16:16) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
℟. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.
℟. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Gospel
Mk 16:15-18
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All reply:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:
Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of
the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the
Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to
the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Ave Maria, gratia plena
Dominus tecum benedicta tu
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus
ventris tui Jesu.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Ave Maria, gratia plena
Dominus tecum benedicta tu
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus
ventris tui Jesu.
Amen.
M.V. Francisco, SJ
Holy, holy, holy
Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and Earth
are full of Your glory,
full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the highest.
M.V. Francisco, SJ
When we eat this Bread
and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death,
O Lord,
until you come again,
until you come again,
we proclaim your Death,
O Lord.
M.V. Francisco, SJ
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread, and
forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who
trespass against us;
and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us,
deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
M.V. Francisco, SJ
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins
of the world, have mercy,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins
of the world, have mercy,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins
of the world, grant us peace,
grant us peace.
Kung itong aming paglalayag,
inabot ng pagkabagabag.
Nawa’y mabanaagan ka,
hinirang na tala ng umaga.
Kahit alon man ng pangamba
'Di alintana sapagka’t
naro’n ka, ni unos ng pighati
at kadiliman ng gabi.
Maria sa puso ninuman.
Ika’y tala ng kalangitan.
Ningning Mo ay walang
pagmamaliw, Inang sinta,
Inang ginigiliw.
Tanglawan kami, aming Ina.
Sa kalangitan naming pita.
Nawa’y maging hantungang
pinakamimithing kaharian.
Maria sa puso ninuman.
Ika’y tala ng kalangitan.
Ningning Mo ay walang
pagmamaliw, Inang sinta,
Inang ginigiliw.
Maria sa puso ninuman.
Ika’y tala ng kalangitan.
Ningning Mo ay walang
pagmamaliw, Inang sinta,
Inang ginigiliw.
Salve Regina
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ: Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.Ad te clamamus, exsules, filii Hevæ, Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
- Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Let us pray
Almighty, everlasting God, who by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, didst prepare the body and soul of the glorious Virgin-Mother Mary to become a worthy dwelling for Thy Son; grant that we who rejoice in her commemoration may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from present evils and from the everlasting death. Amen.
May the divine assistance remain with us always.
- Amen.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
- Amen.
Gospel Canticle
Ant. Let us celebrate the conversion of Saint Paul the apostle. He was transformed from being a persecutor of Christ into a vessel of his grace.
Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. Let us celebrate the conversion of Saint Paul the apostle. He was transformed from being a persecutor of Christ into a vessel of his grace.
Carlo Magno S. Marcelo
Minsan ang buhay
ay isang awit ng galak
at mayroong liwanag na
tatanglaw sa ating pagyapak.
At kahit anong tindi ng unos,
at kahit anong tindi ng dilim
may isang inang nagmamatyag,
nagmamahal sa 'tin.
O Inang mahal, narito kami
awit-awit ang “Ave Maria!”
at dalangin ng bawat
pamilya'y kapayapaa't pagkakaisa.
Ang rosaryo mong
hawak namin at
awit-awit ang “Ave Maria!”
Puspos ka ng diwang banal,
dinggin ang aming payak na dasal:
‘‘Ihatid mo kami sa langit
ng Amang Mapagmahal.’’