I am writing to you, my own children,
whose sins have already been forgiven through his name;
I am writing to you, fathers,
who have come to know the one
who has existed since the beginning;
I am writing to you, young men,
who have already overcome the Evil One;
I have written to you, children,
because you already know the Father;
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know the one
who has existed since the beginning;
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong and God’s word has made its home in you,
and you have overcome the Evil One.
You must not love this passing world
or anything that is in the world.
The love of the Father cannot be
in any man who loves the world,
because nothing the world has to offer
– the sensual body, the lustful eye, pride in possessions –
could ever come from the Father but only from the world;
and the world, with all it craves for, is coming to an end;
but anyone who does the will of God remains for ever.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Give the Lord, you families of peoples,
give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Bring an offering and enter his courts,
worship the Lord in his temple.
O earth, tremble before him.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the peoples in fairness.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!