The First Reading is from the First letter of John chapter 4 verses 1 to 21
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone
out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every
spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from
God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that
it is coming; and now it is already in the world. 4 Little children, you
are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in
you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from
the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the
world listens to them. 6We are from God. Whoever knows God
listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God;
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever
does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was
revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the
world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that
we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the
atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so
much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen
God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is
perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in
us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and
do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the
world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of
God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the
love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love
abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected
among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of
judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no
fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in
love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, ‘I love
God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do
not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God
whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from
him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and
sisters also.
Hear the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
The Gospel reading is from John chapter 15 verses 9 to 17
9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my
love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his
love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in
you, and that your joy may be complete. 12 ‘This is my
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for
one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command
you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the
servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called
you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I
have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose
you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so
that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I
am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
For the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
