January 25
THE CONVERSION OF ST PAUL
Feast
Entrance Antiphon
I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that the righteous Judge is able to guard until the Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Tim 1:12;4:8)
The Gloria is sung or said.
Collect
O God, who taught the whole world through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, draw us, we pray, nearer to you through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today, and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world. 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
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (22:3-6)
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in this city where
I was educated in the school of Gamaliel, according to the strict observance of our Law. And I was dedicated to God’s service just as any of you are today. As for this Way, I persecuted it to the point of death and arrested its followers, both men and women, throwing them into prison. The high priest and the whole Council of elders can bear witness to this; for they gave me letters for the Jewish brothers in Damascus and I set out to arrest those I would find there and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. But as I was travelling along, nearing Damascus, at about noon a great light from the sky suddenly flashed around me. The Word of the Lord.
(Alternative First Reading Acts 9:1-22)
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116 (117):1-2)
Response: Go out to the whole world; Proclaim the Good News.
Alleluia!
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples! R/.
For great is his love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord lasts forever.
Alleluia! R/.
Acclamation
Alleluia! Alleluia!
I chose you and appointed you
that you should go and bear fruit
and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark (16:15-18)
Jesus told the disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who refuses to believe will be condemned. Signs like these will accompany those who believe: in my Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes in their hands and, if they drink anything poisonous, they will not be hurt. They will lay hands on the sick and they will be healed.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Prayer over the Offerings
As we celebrate the divine mysteries, O Lord, we pray, may the Spirit fill us with that light of faith with which he constantly enlightened the blessed Apostle Paul for the spreading of your glory.
Through Christ, our Lord.
Preface
The Lord be with you.
R/ And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
R/ We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R/ It is right and just.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God.
For you, source of all grace, gave us the Apostle Paul as our model and inspiration in sanctity and apostolate. It was your holy will to change him from a fierce persecutor into an ardent apostle. He is the vessel of election and the doctor of gentiles, and for him to live was Christ and to die was gain.
He travelled to distant places and preached the good news of Jesus through spoken and written word, giving us an example of the apostolate of the media. He established and guided Churches, and valiantly shed his blood for the glory of Jesus Christ your Son.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with thrones and dominions, and with all the hosts and powers of heaven we sing the hymn of your glory as without end we acclaim:
All: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts …
Communion Antiphon
I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)
Prayer after Communion
May the sacrament we have received, O Lord our God,
Stir up in us that fire of charity
With which the blessed Apostle Paul burned ardently
As he bore his concern for all the Churches.
Through Christ our Lord.
Solemn Blessing
The Deacon or the Priest says: Bow down for the blessing.
Then the Priest, holding his hands extended over the people, says:
May God who has granted you to stand firm on apostolic foundations, graciously bless you through the glorious merits of the Holy Apostle Paul.
R/ Amen.
And having instructed you by the tireless preaching of St Paul, may God teach you constantly by his example to win brothers and sisters for Christ.
R/ Amen.
So that through the intercession of the Apostle Paul, you may inherit the eternal homeland that he attained through the shedding of his blood.
R/ Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son X and the Holy Spirit come down on you and remain with you for ever.
R/ Amen.