Bulletin for the Third Sunday in Easter, 4 May
The Third Sunday of Easter
4 May 2025
Hymns, or as announced
196 - O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
693 - Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!
597 - Take my life, and let it be
195 - Lord, the light of your love is shining
Collect Two
Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord:
Give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The First Reading Acts 9: 1-6, (7-20)
A reading from Acts chapter 9, beginning at verse 1:
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. 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 at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Conversion of Saint Paul. Caravaggio, 1600
The Psalm Psalm 30
The Second Reading Revelation 5: 11-14
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,
‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!’
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,
‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!’
And the four living creatures said,
‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped.
The Gospel Reading John 21: 1-19
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Post Communion Prayer
Living God, your Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread.
Open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in all his redeeming work;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Collect Of The Word
Christ our friend, you ask for our love in spite of our betrayal; give us courage to embrace forgiveness, to know you again, and to trust ourselves in you.
Notes and notices
An Eastertide Letter to the Parishes has been emailed and posted on our website and social media and is available also in print. Please ask a warden if you need help in locating this in the church.
Westport Sunday Club Dates (subject to change):
25 May, 01 Jun, 07 Sep, 12 Oct, 16 Nov, 07 Dec
Sunday Club, until Holy Trinity is reopened, continues to meet at the start of the Holy Trinity service at 12 noon in St Mary’s Church, moving next door for activities, lessons and snacks in Carrowbeg House.
Sunday Club is run according to the Church of Ireland’s Safeguarding Policy and Guidelines. For more information, please contact in the first instance Steffi Jebaraj (+353 89 941 8165) or Shirley Larkin (+353 87638 8503).
A Summer Kids’ Club event for all the children of the Aughaval parishes is provisionally planned for Saturday 21st June – details and confirmation of date to follow.
Weekly service pattern for the Aughaval Group of Parishes
· Turlough Parish Church, Saturday at 7pm
· Christ Church Castlebar, Sunday at 10am
· Holy Trinity Westport (temporarily in St Mary’s), Sunday at 12 noon
· St Thomas’s Dugort, Achill (April- Sept inclusive), Sunday at 3pm
· Holy Trinity Inishbiggle, as announced
· Midweek Holy Communion (temporarily in St Mary’s), Wed at 10.30am, followed by coffee in the Clew Bay Hotel from 11.10am.
All are invited and welcome.
Pastoral care and enquiries:
Please contact the Rector, Revd Suzanne Cousins, phone 083 800 3233
Email aughaval@tuam.anglican.org
Aughaval Parishes website aughaval.tlk.ie
