Saturday, March 28,
2015
PALM SUNDAY – Year B
5:00 pm Novena to Our Lady
5:30 pm Sunset Mass in English
First Reading
ISAIAH 50:4-7
4 Lord Yahweh has given
me a disciple's tongue, for me to know how to give a word of comfort to the
weary. Morning by morning he makes my ear alert to listen like a disciple.
5 Lord Yahweh has
opened my ear and I have not resisted, I have not turned away.
6 I have offered my
back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I have
not turned my face away from insult and spitting.
7 Lord Yahweh comes to
my help, this is why insult has not touched me, this is why I have set my face
like flint and know that I shall not be put to shame.
“The
Word of the Lord”
PSALMS 22:8-9, 17-18,
19-20, 23-24
8 'He trusted himself
to Yahweh, let Yahweh set him free! Let him deliver him, as he took such
delight in him.'
9 It was you who drew
me from the womb and soothed me on my mother's breast.
17 I can count every one
of my bones, while they look on and gloat;
18 they divide my
garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
19 Yahweh, do not hold
aloof! My strength, come quickly to my help,
20 rescue my soul from
the sword, the one life I have from the grasp of the dog!
23 'You who fear Yahweh,
praise him! All the race of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all the race of
Israel!'
24 For he has not
despised nor disregarded the poverty of the poor, has not turned away his face,
but has listened to the cry for help.
Second Reading
PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11
6 Who, being in the
form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped.
7 But he emptied
himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in
every way like a human being,
8 he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death, death on a cross.
9 And for this God
raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names;
10 so that all beings in
the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name
of Jesus
11 and that every tongue
should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“The
Word of the Lord”
Gospel Reading
MARK 15:1-39
1 First thing in the
morning, the chief priests, together with the elders and scribes and the rest
of the Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away
and handed him over to Pilate.
2 Pilate put to him
this question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' He replied, 'It is you who say
it.'
3 And the chief priests
brought many accusations against him.
4 Pilate questioned him
again, 'Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing
against you!'
5 But, to Pilate's
surprise, Jesus made no further reply.
6 At festival time
Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, any one they asked for.
7 Now a man called
Barabbas was then in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the
uprising.
8 When the crowd went
up and began to ask Pilate the customary favour,
9 Pilate answered them,
'Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?'
10 For he realised it
was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
11 The chief priests,
however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for
them instead.
12 Then Pilate spoke
again, 'But in that case, what am I to do with the man you call king of the
Jews?'
13 They shouted back,
'Crucify him!'
14 Pilate asked them,
'What harm has he done?' But they shouted all the louder, 'Crucify him!'
15 So Pilate, anxious to
placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, after having Jesus scourged,
he handed him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers led him
away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the
whole cohort together.
17 They dressed him up
in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him.
18 And they began
saluting him, 'Hail, king of the Jews!'
19 They struck his head
with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him
homage.
20 And when they had
finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own
clothes. They led him out to crucify him.
21 They enlisted a
passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in
from the country, to carry his cross.
22 They brought Jesus to
the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.
23 They offered him wine
mixed with myrrh, but he refused it.
24 Then they crucified
him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get.
25 It was the third hour
when they crucified him.
26 The inscription
giving the charge against him read, 'The King of the Jews'.
27 And they crucified
two bandits with him, one on his right and one on his left.
28
29 The passers-by jeered
at him; they shook their heads and said, 'Aha! So you would destroy the Temple
and rebuild it in three days!
30 Then save yourself;
come down from the cross!'
31 The chief priests and
the scribes mocked him among themselves in the same way with the words, 'He
saved others, he cannot save himself.
32 Let the Christ, the
king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.'
Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.
33 When the sixth hour
came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?' which means,
'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
35 When some of those
who stood by heard this, they said, 'Listen, he is calling on Elijah.'
36 Someone ran and
soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink
saying, 'Wait! And see if Elijah will come to take him down.'
37 But Jesus gave a loud
cry and breathed his last.
38 And the veil of the
Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 The centurion, who
was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, 'In truth
this man was Son of God.'
“The
Gospel of the Lord”
