THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS

THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS

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983 READING I FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

1.

Exodus 3:11-15

Moses, hearing the voice of the Lord from the burning bush, said to him,

"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh

and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

He answered, "I will be with you;

and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:

when you bring my people out of Egypt,

you will worship God on this very mountain."

Moses said to God, "But when I go to the children of Israel

and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'

if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"

God replied, "I am who am."

Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:

I AM sent me to you."

God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:

The LORD, the God of your fathers,

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,

has sent me to you.

"This is my name forever;

this is my title for all generations."

2.

Sirach 51:8-12

I remembered the mercies of the LORD,

his kindness through ages past;

For he saves those who take refuge in him,

and rescues them from every evil.

So 1 raised my voice from the very earth,

from the gates of the netherworld, my cry.

I called out: 0 Lord, you are my father,

you are my champion and my savior;

Do not abandon me in time of trouble,

or leave me in the time of the proud without help.

I will ever praise your name

and be constant in my prayers to you.

Thereupon my prayer was heard

and you saved me from evil of every kind

and rescued me from the time of trouble.

For this reason I thank you and I praise you,

and bless the name of the LORD.

984 READING I FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

DURING THE SEASON OF EASTER

1.

Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple area

for the three o'clock hour of prayer.

And a man crippled from birth was carried

and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate"

every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,

he asked for alms.

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,

and said, "Look at us."

He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold,

but what I do have I give you:

in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."

Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,

and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.

He leaped up, stood, and walked around,

and went into the temple with them,

walking and jumping and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging

at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,

and they were filled with amazement and astonishment

at what had happened to him.

2.

Acts 4:8-12

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said:

"Leaders of the people and elders:

If we are being examined today         

about a good deed done to a cripple,

namely, by what means he was saved,

then all of you and all the people of Israel should know

that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean

whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;

in his name this man stands before you healed.

He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,

which has become the cornerstone.

There is no salvation through anyone else,

nor is there any other name under heaven

given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

3.

Acts 5:27-32, 40-42

When the court officers had brought the Apostles In

and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,

the high priest questioned them,

"We gave you strict orders, [did we not?],

to stop teaching in that name.

Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching

and want to bring this man's Blood upon us."

But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,

"We must obey God rather than men.

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,

though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.

God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior

to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.

We are witnesses of these things,

as is the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him."

After recalling the Apostles, the Sanhedrin had them flogged,

ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus,

and dismissed them.

So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,

rejoicing that they had been found worthy

to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,

they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.

985 RESPONSORIAL PSALM

1.

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (4a) Praise the Lord and call upon his name.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. Praise the Lord and call upon his name.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. Praise the Lord and call upon his name.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

R. Praise the Lord and call upon his name.

2.

Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (2) Blessed be the naine of the Lord forever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,

praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD

both now and forever.

R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

From the rising to the setting of the sun

is the name of the LORD to be praised.

High above all nations is the LORD;

above the heavens is his glory.

R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high

and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

986 READING II FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

1.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

and Sosthenes our brother,

to the Church of God that is in Corinth,

to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,

with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus

Christ, their Lord and ours.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2.

Philippians 2:6-11

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under tlie earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

3.

Colossians 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:

Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,

heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

bearing with one another and forgiving one another,

if one has a grievance against another;

as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

And over all these put on love,

that is, the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,

the peace into which you were also called in one Body.

And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,

as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,

singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed,

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

988 GOSPEL

1.

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since tie was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us."

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

He had no relations with her until she bore a son,

and he named him Jesus.

2.

Luke 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,

and the infant lying in the manger.

When they saw this,

they made known the message

that had been told them about this child.

All who heard it were amazed

by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things,

reflecting on them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God

for all they had heard and seen,

just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,

he was named Jesus,

the name given him by the angel

before he was conceived in the womb.

3.

John 14:6-14

Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you know me, then you will also know my Father.

From now on you do know the Father and have seen him."

Philip said to him,

"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time

and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.

The Fattier who dwells in me is doing his works.

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,

or else, believe because of the works themselves.

Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,

and will do greater ones than these,

because I am going to the Father.

And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,

so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."