Mass Reading: Sunday - 31st March 2024

First reading
Acts 10:34,37-43
'We have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection'

    Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23

This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
    for his love has no end.
Let the sons of Israel say:
    ‘His love has no end.’

This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
    his right hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I shall live
    and recount his deeds.

This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.

The stone which the builders rejected
    has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
    a marvel in our eyes.

This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.

________

Second reading
Colossians 3:1-4
Look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is

    Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.

The word of the Lord.

________

Sequence
Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
    offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended:
    combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain,
    yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary: 
    say what thou didst see 
    upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen:
he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen
    from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!

________

Gospel Acclamation
1Cor5:7-8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed:
let us celebrate the feast then, in the Lord.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 20:1-9
He must rise from the dead

    It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

    So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 31st March 2024

ACTS 10:34a, 37-43; PS 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; COL 3:1-4; JN 20:1-9

Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ! This event is the greatest event in our Catholic faith. It is through the resurrection that Christ defeated sin and death and opened for us the gates to eternal life. All of God’s promises are fulfilled through this glorious event. We have been preparing for 40 long days, through prayer and penance, so that we might be better prepared to receive Christ this day, and to better prepare our hearts to one day rise with Christ in eternal life. Today, we do not fast, but rather, celebrate and rejoice because of our great and merciful God!

The meaning and joy of Easter is not just a “one-day” affair, but is an essential element of our Catholic faith. We are called to live out the joy of Easter all year long. Our readings today reveal how we can do this here and now in our day-to-day lives.

In our First Reading, St. Luke preaches the Good News to us. He gives a synopsis of Who Christ is and what He did for us. He opens the door for people to partake in all that God wants to give us by saying, “everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.” He radically educates and invites people into a life with Christ.

St. Luke’s vocation was to evangelize to the ends of the earth, and as Catholics, that is our vocation, too. If we step back and think about how incredible our faith is, how could we not want to share this goodness with others? Oftentimes, we can focus on life’s many hardships, but if we recognize how truly blessed we are — we have a God who died and rose for us, and we have the most intimate way of receiving Him through Holy Communion — then we can become a people of joy, an Easter people. And if we are living our lives with this joy, then every moment becomes a moment of evangelization — how we greet people on the street or in our parish; how we do chores around the house; how we respond to our spouse. We are blessed with the knowledge of our faith — it is our job to faithfully share it in word and with the witness of our lives.

Our Gospel portrays the third day after Jesus’ death when Mary of Magdala visits Jesus’ tomb early in the morning. Once she saw the stone removed, she ran to tell Simon Peter and John in fear that someone had taken Jesus’ body. Simon Peter and John ran to the tomb as well, and upon seeing, they believed. Each figure in our Gospel today “ran.” We can tell the relationship that these disciples had with Jesus because of the way they responded about Him. Mary didn’t see the empty tomb and think, “someone else will figure it out.” Peter and John didn’t hear the news and think, “I will check on it in a little bit.” They each responded with conviction as they “ran” for Jesus.

As we reflect on this Gospel, we must ask ourselves, “Do I have a relationship with Christ to the point where I am running to Him each day?” The way these disciples responded with willingness and eagerness is how we should respond to Christ. We must avoid complacency, and as intentional disciples, we must stop rationalizing our choices by telling ourselves we will someday get around to putting God first — “I am too busy now, but I will pray later” or “I will eventually get around to spending less on material things and increase my gifts to the church.” Every moment throughout our day is an opportunity to respond to God in gratitude, compassion and eagerness. And although there will be moments when we do not “feel” like responding to Him, it is in those moments when we faithfully respond anyway that matters the most.

Let us celebrate this glorious day with prayer and feasting, for Christ is risen! And let us strive to carry this Easter joy with us all year long by the way we live our lives and how we respond to Christ each day. Happy Easter!

Mass Reading: Saturday - 30th March 2024

First reading
Genesis 1:1-2:2
God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good

    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water.

    God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day.

    God said, ‘Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two.’ And so it was. God made the vault, and it divided the waters above the vault from the waters under the vault. God called the vault ‘heaven.’ Evening came and morning came: the second day.

    God said, ‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear.’ And so it was. God called the dry land ‘earth’ and the mass of waters ‘seas’, and God saw that it was good.

    God said, ‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.’ And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the third day.

    God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth.’ And so it was. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.

    God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within the vault of heaven.’ And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and every kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply upon the earth.’ Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.

    God said, ‘Let the earth produce every kind of living creature: cattle, reptiles, and every kind of wild beast.’ And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast, every kind of cattle, and every kind of land reptile. God saw that it was good.

    God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’

God created man in the image of himself, 

in the image of God he created him, 

male and female he created them.

    God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.’ And so it was. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day.

    Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing.

The word of the Lord.

________

Psalm
Psalm 103(104):1-2,5-6,10,12-14,24,35

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the Lord, my soul!
    Lord God, how great you are,
clothed in majesty and glory,
    wrapped in light as in a robe!

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

You founded the earth on its base,
    to stand firm from age to age.
You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak:
    the waters stood higher than the mountains.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow in between the hills.
On their banks dwell the birds of heaven;
    from the branches they sing their song.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

From your dwelling you water the hills;
    earth drinks its fill of your gift.
You make the grass grow for the cattle
    and the plants to serve man’s needs.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

How many are your works, O Lord!
    In wisdom you have made them all.
    The earth is full of your riches.
Bless the Lord, my soul!

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

________

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God,
who are wonderful in the ordering of all your works,
may those you have redeemed understand
that there exists nothing more marvellous
than the world’s creation in the beginning
except that, at the end of the ages,
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

________

Second reading
Genesis 22:1-18
The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith

    God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am’ he replied. ‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’

    Rising early next morning Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and started on his journey to the place God had pointed out to him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Then Abraham said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there; we will worship and come back to you.’

    Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, loaded it on Isaac, and carried in his own hands the fire and the knife. Then the two of them set out together. Isaac spoke to his father Abraham, ‘Father’ he said. ‘Yes, my son’ he replied. ‘Look,’ he said ‘here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘My son, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.’ Then the two of them went on together.

    When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.

    But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said. ‘I am here’ he replied. ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said. ‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your only son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son.

    Abraham called this place ‘The Lord Provides’, and hence the saying today: On the mountain the Lord provides.

    The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own self – it is the Lord who speaks – because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Psalm
Psalm 15(16):5,8-11

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
    it is you yourself who are my prize.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
    since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
    even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
    nor let your beloved know decay.

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

You will show me the path of life,
    the fullness of joy in your presence,
    at your right hand happiness for ever.

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

________

Let us pray.

O God, supreme Father of the faithful,
who increase the children of your promise
by pouring out the grace of adoption
throughout the whole world
and who through the Paschal Mystery
make your servant Abraham father of nations,
as once you swore,
grant, we pray,
that your peoples may enter worthily
into the grace to which you call them.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

________

Third reading
Exodus 14:15-15:1
The sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea

    The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the Lord.’

    Then the angel of God, who marched at the front of the army of Israel, changed station and moved to their rear. The pillar of cloud changed station from the front to the rear of them, and remained there. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the armies drawing any closer the whole night long.

    Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove back the sea with a strong easterly wind all night, and he made dry land of the sea. The waters parted and the sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea, walls of water to right and to left of them. The Egyptians gave chase: after them they went, right into the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

    In the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the army into confusion. He so clogged their chariot wheels that they could scarcely make headway. ‘Let us flee from the Israelites,’ the Egyptians cried. ‘The Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians!’

    ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘that the waters may flow back on the Egyptians and their chariots and their horsemen.’

    Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians marched right into it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the very middle of the sea. The returning waters overwhelmed the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s whole army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left. But the sons of Israel had marched through the sea on dry ground, walls of water to right and to left of them.

    That day, the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. Israel witnessed the great act that the Lord had performed against the Egyptians, and the people venerated the Lord; they put their faith in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.

    It was then that Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song in honour of the Lord:

________

Canticle
Exodus 15
Hymn of victory after crossing the Red Sea

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
    Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my strength, my song, my salvation.
    This is my God and I extol him,
    my father’s God and I give him praise.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

The Lord is a warrior! ‘The Lord’ is his name.
    The chariots of Pharaoh he hurled into the sea,
the flower of his army is drowned in the sea.
    The deeps hide them; they sank like a stone.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

Your right hand, Lord, glorious in its power,
    your right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.
    In the greatness of your glory you crushed the foe.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

You will lead your people and plant them on your mountain,
    the place, O Lord, where you have made your home,
the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have made.
    The Lord will reign for ever and ever.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

________

Let us pray.

O God, whose ancient wonders
remain undimmed in splendour even in our day,
for what you once bestowed on a single people,
freeing them from Pharaoh’s persecution
by the power of your right hand
now you bring about as the salvation of the nations
through the waters of rebirth,
grant, we pray, that the whole world
may become children of Abraham
and inherit the dignity of Israel’s birthright.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

________

Fourth reading
Isaiah 54:5-14
With everlasting love the Lord your redeemer has taken pity on you

Thus says the Lord:

Now your creator will be your husband,
his name, the Lord of Hosts;
your redeemer will be the Holy One of Israel,
he is called the God of the whole earth.

Yes, like a forsaken wife, distressed in spirit,
the Lord calls you back.
Does a man cast off the wife of his youth?
says your God.

I did forsake you for a brief moment,
but with great love will I take you back.
In excess of anger, for a moment
I hid my face from you.
But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you,
says the Lord, your redeemer.

I am now as I was in the days of Noah
when I swore that Noah’s waters
should never flood the world again.
So now I swear concerning my anger with you
and the threats I made against you;

for the mountains may depart,
the hills be shaken,
but my love for you will never leave you
and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken,
says the Lord who takes pity on you.

Unhappy creature, storm-tossed, disconsolate,
see, I will set your stones on carbuncles
and your foundations on sapphires.
I will make rubies your battlements,
your gates crystal,
and your entire wall precious stones.
Your sons will all be taught by the Lord.
The prosperity of your sons will be great.
You will be founded on integrity;
remote from oppression, you will have nothing to fear;
remote from terror, it will not approach you.

The word of the Lord.

________

Psalm
Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
    and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
    restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
    give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
    At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

The Lord listened and had pity.
    The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:
    O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

________

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God,
surpass, for the honour of your name,
what you pledged to the Patriarchs by reason of their faith,
and through sacred adoption increase the children of your promise,
so that what the Saints of old never doubted would come to pass
your Church may now see in great part fulfilled.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

________

Fifth reading
Isaiah 55:1-11
Come to me and your soul will live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you

Thus says the Lord:

Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty;
though you have no money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat,
and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
your wages on what fails to satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and you will have good things to eat
and rich food to enjoy.
Pay attention, come to me;
listen, and your soul will live.

With you I will make an everlasting covenant
out of the favours promised to David.
See, I have made of you a witness to the peoples,
a leader and a master of the nations.
See, you will summon a nation you never knew,
those unknown will come hurrying to you,
for the sake of the Lord your God,
of the Holy One of Israel who will glorify you.

Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above earth
as my ways are above your ways,
my thoughts above your thoughts.

Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.

The word of the Lord.

________

Canticle
Isaiah 12
The rejoicing of a redeemed people

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Truly, God is my salvation,
    I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
    he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
    Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
    Declare the greatness of his name.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Sing a psalm to the Lord
    for he has done glorious deeds;
    make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

________

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God,
sole hope of the world,
who by the preaching of your Prophets
unveiled the mysteries of this present age,
graciously increase the longing of your people,
for only at the prompting of your grace
do the faithful progress in any kind of virtue.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

________

Sixth reading
Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4
In the radiance of the Lord, make your way to light

Listen, Israel, to commands that bring life;
hear, and learn what knowledge means.
Why, Israel, why are you in the country of your enemies,
growing older and older in an alien land,
sharing defilement with the dead,
reckoned with those who go to Sheol?
Because you have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
Had you walked in the way of God,
you would have lived in peace for ever.
Learn where knowledge is, where strength,
where understanding, and so learn
where length of days is, where life,
where the light of the eyes and where peace.
But who has found out where she lives,
who has entered her treasure house?

But the One who knows all knows her,
he has grasped her with his own intellect,
he has set the earth firm for ever
and filled it with four-footed beasts.
He sends the light – and it goes,
he recalls it – and trembling it obeys;
the stars shine joyfully at their set times:
when he calls them, they answer, ‘Here we are’;
they gladly shine for their creator.
It is he who is our God,
no other can compare with him.
He has grasped the whole way of knowledge,
and confided it to his servant Jacob,
to Israel his well-beloved;
so causing her to appear on earth
and move among men.

This is the book of the commandments of God,
the Law that stands for ever;
those who keep her live,
those who desert her die.
Turn back, Jacob, seize her,
in her radiance make your way to light:
do not yield your glory to another,
your privilege to a people not your own.
Israel, blessed are we:
what pleases God has been revealed to us.

The word of the Lord.

________

Psalm
Psalm 18(19):8-11

You have the message of eternal life, O Lord.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
    it gives wisdom to the simple.

You have the message of eternal life, O Lord.

The precepts of the Lord are right,
    they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
    it gives light to the eyes.

You have the message of eternal life, O Lord.

The fear of the Lord is holy,
    abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
    and all of them just.

You have the message of eternal life, O Lord.

They are more to be desired than gold,
    than the purest of gold
and sweeter are they than honey,
    than honey from the comb.

You have the message of eternal life, O Lord.

________

Let us pray.

O God, who constantly increase your Church
by your call to the nations,
graciously grant
to those you wash clean in the waters of Baptism
the assurance of your unfailing protection.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

________

Seventh reading
Ezekiel 36:16-17,18-28
I shall pour clean water over you and I shall give you a new heart

    The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, the members of the House of Israel used to live in their own land, but they defiled it by their conduct and actions. I then discharged my fury at them because of the blood they shed in their land and the idols with which they defiled it. I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them in foreign countries. I sentenced them as their conduct and actions deserved. And now they have profaned my holy name among the nations where they have gone, so that people say of them, “These are the people of the Lord; they have been exiled from his land.”

    ‘But I have been concerned about my holy name, which the House of Israel has profaned among the nations where they have gone.

    ‘And so, say to the House of Israel, “The Lord says this: I am not doing this for your sake, House of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I mean to display the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord – it is the Lord who speaks – when I display my holiness for your sake before their eyes. Then I am going to take you from among the nations and gather you together from all the foreign countries, and bring you home to your own land.

    ‘“I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances. You will live in the land which I gave your ancestors. You shall be my people and I will be your God.”’

The word of the Lord.

________

Psalm
Psalm 41(42):2-3,5,42:3-4

Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.

My soul is thirsting for God,
    the God of my life;
when can I enter and see
    the face of God?

Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.

These things will I remember
    as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd
    into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving,
    the throng wild with joy.

Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
O send forth your light and your truth;
    let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you dwell.

Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.

And I will come to the altar of God,
    the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
    O God, my God.

Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.

________

Let us pray.

O God of unchanging power and eternal light,
look with favour on the wondrous mystery of the whole Church
and serenely accomplish the work of human salvation,
which you planned from all eternity;
may the whole world know and see
that what was cast down is raised up,
what had become old is made new,
and all things are restored to integrity through Christ,
just as by him they came into being.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

________

Epistle
Romans 6:3-11
Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again

    When we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.

    If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a Christian dies, of course, he has finished with sin.

    But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

The word of the Lord.

________

Psalm
Psalm 117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
    for his love has no end.
Let the sons of Israel say:
    ‘His love has no end.’

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
    his right hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I shall live
    and recount his deeds.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The stone which the builders rejected
    has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
    a marvel in our eyes.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

________

Gospel
Mark 16:1-8
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, has risen

    When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising.

    They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ But when they looked they could see that the stone – which was very big – had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, ‘There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him. But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him, just as he told you.”’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reading: Friday - 29th March 2024

First reading
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice

See, my servant will prosper,
he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.

As the crowds were appalled on seeing him
– so disfigured did he look
that he seemed no longer human –
so will the crowds be astonished at him,
and kings stand speechless before him;
for they shall see something never told
and witness something never heard before:
‘Who could believe what we have heard,
and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’

Like a sapling he grew up in front of us,
like a root in arid ground.
Without beauty, without majesty we saw him,
no looks to attract our eyes;
a thing despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering,
a man to make people screen their faces;
he was despised and we took no account of him.

And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,
ours the sorrows he carried.
But we, we thought of him as someone punished,
struck by God, and brought low.
Yet he was pierced through for our faults,
crushed for our sins.
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,
and through his wounds we are healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,
each taking his own way,
and the Lord burdened him
with the sins of all of us.
Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,
he never opened his mouth,
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house,
like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers
never opening its mouth.

By force and by law he was taken;
would anyone plead his cause?
Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;
for our faults struck down in death.
They gave him a grave with the wicked,
a tomb with the rich,
though he had done no wrong
and there had been no perjury in his mouth.

The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering.
If he offers his life in atonement,
he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life
and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.

His soul’s anguish over
he shall see the light and be content.
By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,
taking their faults on himself.

Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,
he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,
for surrendering himself to death
and letting himself be taken for a sinner,
while he was bearing the faults of many
and praying all the time for sinners.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 30(31):2,6,12-13,15-17,25

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
    Let me never be put to shame.
In your justice, set me free,
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
    It is you who will redeem me, Lord.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In the face of all my foes
    I am a reproach,
an object of scorn to my neighbours
    and of fear to my friends.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Those who see me in the street
    run far away from me.
I am like a dead man, forgotten in men’s hearts,
    like a thing thrown away.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;
    I say: ‘You are my God.
My life is in your hands, deliver me
    from the hands of those who hate me.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Let your face shine on your servant.
    Save me in your love.’
Be strong, let your heart take courage,
    all who hope in the Lord.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

________

Second reading
Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9
The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us

    Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

    During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Phil2:8-9

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Christ was humbler yet,
even to accepting death, death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name which is above all names.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

________

John 18:1-19:42
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

Key: N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.

    N. Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kedron valley. There was a garden there, and he went into it with his disciples. Judas the traitor knew the place well, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, and he brought the cohort to this place together with a detachment of guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. Knowing everything that was going to happen to him, Jesus then came forward and said,

    ✠ Who are you looking for?

    N. They answered, 

    C. Jesus the Nazarene.

    N. He said, 

    ✠ I am he.

    N. Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said, ‘I am he’, they moved back and fell to the ground. He asked them a second time,

    ✠ Who are you looking for?

    N. They said,

    C. Jesus the Nazarene.

    N. Jesus replied,

   ✠ I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.

    N. This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, ‘Not one of those you gave me have I lost.’

    Simon Peter, who carried a sword, drew it and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

   ✠ Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

   N. The cohort and its captain and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had suggested to the Jews, ‘It is better for one man to die for the people.’

        Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s palace, but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who was keeping the door and brought Peter in. The maid on duty at the door said to Peter,

    O. Aren’t you another of that man’s disciples?

    N.. He answered,

    O. I am not.

    N. Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others.

        The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered,

    ✠ I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together: I have said nothing in secret. But why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught: they know what I said.

    N. At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying,

    O. Is that the way to answer the high priest?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ If there is something wrong in what I said, point it out; but if there is no offence in it, why do you strike me?

    N. Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

    As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him,

    O. Aren’t you another of his disciples?

    N. He denied it, saying,

    O. I am not.

    N. One of the high priest’s servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

    O. Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?

    N. Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crew.

    They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves or they would be defiled and unable to eat the passover. So Pilate came outside to them and said,

    O. What charge do you bring against this man?

    N. They replied,

    C. If he were not a criminal, we should not be handing him over to you.

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.

    N. The Jews answered,

    C. We are not allowed to put a man to death.

    N. This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die.
    So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him, and asked,

    O. Are you the king of the Jews?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?

    N. Pilate answered,

    O. Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.

    N. Pilate said,

    O. So you are a king, then?

    N. Jesus answered,

    ✠ It is you who say it. Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Truth? What is that?

    N. and with that he went out again to the Jews and said,

    O. I find no case against him. But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release the king of the Jews?

    N. At this they shouted:

    C. Not this man, but Barabbas.

    N. Barabbas was a brigand.

    Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him and saying,

    C. Hail, king of the Jews!

    N. and they slapped him in the face.

    Pilate came outside again and said to them,

    O. Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case.

    N. Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said,

    O. Here is the man.

    N. When they saw him the chief priests and the guards shouted,

    C. Crucify him! Crucify him!

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Take him yourselves and crucify him: I can find no case against him.

    N. The Jews replied,

    C. We have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

    N. When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased. Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus

    O. Where do you come from?

    N. But Jesus made no answer. Pilate then said to him,

    O. Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater guilt.

    N. From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted,

    C. If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.

    N. Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated himself on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was Passover Preparation Day, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews,

    O. Here is your king.

    N. They said,

    C. Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Do you want me to crucify your king?

    N. The chief priests answered,

    C. We have no king except Caesar.

    N. So in the end Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

        They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: ‘Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.’ This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate,

    C. You should not write ‘King of the Jews,’ but ‘This man said: “I am King of the Jews.”’

    N. Pilate answered,

    O. What I have written, I have written.

    N. When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another,

    C. Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.

    N. In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled:

        They shared out my clothing among them.

        They cast lots for my clothes.

        This is exactly what the soldiers did.

        Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother,

    ✠ Woman, this is your son.

    N. Then to the disciple he said,

    ✠ This is your mother.

    N. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

        After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly he said:

    ✠ I am thirsty.

    N. A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said,

    ✠ It is accomplished;

    N. and bowing his head he gave up his spirit. 

    Here all kneel and pause for a short time. 

        It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:

        Not one bone of his will be broken;

        and again, in another place scripture says:

        They will look on the one whom they have pierced.

        After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. Nicodemus came as well – the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time – and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Mass Reading: Thursday - 28th March 2024

First reading
Exodus 12:1-8,11-14
The Passover is a day of festival for all generations, for ever

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:

    ‘This month is to be the first of all the others for you, the first month of your year. Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, “On the tenth day of this month each man must take an animal from the flock, one for each family: one animal for each household. If the household is too small to eat the animal, a man must join with his neighbour, the nearest to his house, as the number of persons requires. You must take into account what each can eat in deciding the number for the animal. It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may take it from either sheep or goats. You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel shall slaughter it between the two evenings. Some of the blood must then be taken and put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten. That night, the flesh is to be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. You shall eat it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in your hand. You shall eat it hastily: it is a passover in honour of the Lord. That night, I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out punishment to all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord! The blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s honour. For all generations you are to declare it a day of festival, for ever.”’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 115(116):12-13,15-18

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

How can I repay the Lord
    for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
    I will call on the Lord’s name.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

O precious in the eyes of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
    you have loosened my bonds.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
    I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
    before all his people.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord

    This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn13:34

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you, 
says the Lord.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

________

Gospel
John 13:1-15
Now he showed how perfect his love was

    It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was.

    They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’

    When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 24th March 2024

 

IS 50:4-7; PS 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; PHIL 2:6-11; MK 14:1-15:47

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday — the beginning of our Holy Week. Our liturgy starts with the account of Jesus humbly entering into Jerusalem riding a donkey. People put cloaks and palm branches in His pathway crying, “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” It is with great joy that Christ was being honored as king, still in the same breath, we are filled with sorrow as we reflect on Christ’s passion and death. Thankfully, we know the glorious outcome of this painful journey. Today, as we read about the climax of Christ’s mission here on earth, we are reminded that He is the Perfect Steward, a model for us all on our stewardship journey.

Our First Reading, from the prophet Isaiah, portrays a suffering servant. The suffering servant, in many ways, foreshadows what Jesus endured during His passion — “I gave my back to those who beat me… my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” Christ endured such tortures, knowing that He did not deserve them, but still He humbly submitted to them.

We see that throughout Christ’s life, His mission as a steward was to fulfill His Father’s mission. He became man for a reason, and He humbly and obediently submitted to that mission for each one of us. We, too, play a unique role in our Father’s mission by bringing souls to Christ. And it simply begins with the witness of our lives. Let all that we do, including the way we speak and act, reflect our mission in this life.

This message is re-echoed in our Second Reading, from St. Paul to the Philippians. St. Paul says, “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself… he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We see again that although our Lord deserved every honor and praise from man while on earth, He chose the path of service and humility, sacrifice and love. He gave us everything in that moment. This truly was an overflowing gift for each one of us. So how can we share our gratitude with the Gracious Giver? We can bring service, humility, sacrifice and love into all areas of our lives — our homes by the way we treat our family members, into our church by the way we welcome and serve our neighbors, and into our workplaces by the way we speak and act.

Our Gospel today shares the account of Jesus’ last days on earth, and how He lives them says a great deal about how we should be living ours as faithful stewards. Jesus does many things in these last days, and they all revolve around prayer and service — two trademark actions of a good and faithful Catholic. He first hosts a Passover meal in which He gives us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. He then intensely prays to His Father. Lastly, He submits to humiliation, torture and death for our sake, calling out to God the Father in His weakest moments. We might not be called to the same type of prayer and service, but we are all called to commit time in daily prayer with our Lord, and to serve our families, churches and neighbors in the various ways God is calling us to do so. No matter our state in life, we are all called to be faithful stewards through prayer and service.

As we embark on this Holy Week, let us take some time to reflect on the life of Christ as He is our model Steward, and may we strive to imitate Him daily.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 24th March 2024

Gospel
Mark 11:1-10
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord.

When they drew near to Jerusalem, 
to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, 
Jesus sent two of his disciples, and said to them, 
‘Go into the village opposite you, 
and immediately as you enter it 
you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat; 
untie it and bring it. 
If any one says to you, 
“Why are you doing this?” say,
“The Lord has need of it 
and will send it back here immediately.”’ 
And they went away,
and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; 
and they untied it.
And those who stood there said to them, 
‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ 
And they told them what Jesus had said; 
and they let them go. 
And they brought the colt to Jesus, 
and threw their garments on it; 
and he sat upon it.
And many spread their garments on the road, 
and others spread leafy branches 
which they had cut from the fields. 
And those who went before 
and those who followed cried out, 
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! 
Hosanna in the highest!’

________

First reading
Isaiah 50:4-7
I did not cover my face against insult: I know I shall not be shamed

The Lord has given me
a disciple’s tongue.
So that I may know how to reply to the wearied
he provides me with speech.
Each morning he wakes me to hear,
to listen like a disciple.
The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,
so that I am untouched by the insults.
So, too, I set my face like flint;
I know I shall not be shamed.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 21(22):8-9,17-20,23-24

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me deride me.
    They curl their lips, they toss their heads.
‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;
    let him release him if this is his friend.’

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Many dogs have surrounded me,

    a band of the wicked beset me.
They tear holes in my hands and my feet
    I can count every one of my bones.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

They divide my clothing among them.
    They cast lots for my robe.
O Lord, do not leave me alone,
    my strength, make haste to help me!

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

I will tell of your name to my brethren
    and praise you where they are assembled.
‘You who fear the Lord give him praise;
    all sons of Jacob, give him glory.
    Revere him, Israel’s sons.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

________

Second reading
Philippians 2:6-11
Christ humbled himself but God raised him high

His state was divine,
yet Christ Jesus did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings
in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Phil2:8-9

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Christ was humbler yet,
even to accepting death, death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name which is above all names.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

________

Mark 14:1-15:47

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark

Key: N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.

    N. It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death. For they said,

    C. It must not be during the festivities, or there will be a disturbance among the people.

    N. Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper; he was at dinner when a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment on his head. Some who were there said to one another indignantly,

     C. Why this waste of ointment? Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.

     N.  and they were angry with her. But Jesus said,

    ✠ Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is one of the good works. You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. She has done what was in her power to do: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. I tell you solemnly, wherever throughout all the world the Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told also, in remembrance of her.

     N. Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, approached the chief priests with an offer to hand Jesus over to them. They were delighted to hear it, and promised to give him money; and he looked for a way of betraying him when the opportunity should occur.

    On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him,

    C. Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the passover?

    N. So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,

    ✠ Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and say to the owner of the house which he enters, ‘The Master says: “Where is my dining room in which I can eat the passover with my disciples?”’ He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there.

     N. The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

    When evening came he arrived with the Twelve. And while they were at table eating, Jesus said,

    ✠ I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me, one of you eating with me.

    N. They were distressed and asked him, one after another,

    C. Not I, surely?

    N. He said to them,

    ✠ It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping into the same dish with me. Yes, the Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!

     N.  And as they were eating he took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them, saying:

    ✠ Take it: this is my body.

     N. Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them,

    ✠ This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many. I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.

     N. After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them,

    ✠ You will all lose faith, for the scripture says: ‘I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.’ However, after my resurrection I shall go before you to Galilee.

    N. Peter said,

    O. Even if all lose faith, I will not.

    N. And Jesus said to him,

    ✠ I tell you solemnly, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.

    N. But he repeated still more earnestly,

    O. If I have to die with you, I will never disown you.

    N. And they all said the same.

    They came to a small estate called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples,

    ✠ Stay here while I pray.

    N. Then he took Peter and James and John with him. And a sudden fear came over him, and great distress. And he said to them,

    ✠ My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and keep awake.

    N. And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. He said:

    ✠ Abba (Father)! Everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.

    N. He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter,

   ✠ Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to keep awake one hour? You should be awake, and praying not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

    N. Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him. He came back a third time and said to them,

    ✠ You can sleep on now and take your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is close at hand already.

    N. Even while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up with a number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the traitor had arranged a signal with them. He had said,

    O. The one I kiss he is the man. Take him in charge, and see he is well guarded when you lead him away.

    N. So when the traitor came, he went straight up to Jesus and said,

    O. Rabbi!

    N. and kissed him. The others seized him and took him in charge. Then one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

    Then Jesus spoke:

    ✠ Am I a brigand, that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs? I was among you teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid hands on me. But this is to fulfil the scriptures.

    N. And they all deserted him and ran away. A young man who followed him had nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.

    They led Jesus off to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled there. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s palace, and was sitting with the attendants warming himself at the fire.

    The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus on which they might pass the death sentence. But they could not find any. Several, indeed, brought false evidence against him, but their evidence was conflicting. Some stood up and submitted this false evidence against him,

    C. We heard him say, ‘I am going to destroy this Temple made by human hands, and in three days build another, not made by human hands.’

    N. But even on this point their evidence was conflicting. The high priest then stood up before the whole assembly and put this question to Jesus,

    O. Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?

    N. But he was silent and made no answer at all. The high priest put a second question to him,

    O. Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?

    N. Jesus said,

    ✠ I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

    N. The high priest tore his robes, and said:

    O. What need of witnesses have we now? You heard the blasphemy. What is your finding?

    N. And they all gave their verdict: he deserved to die.

    Some of them started spitting at him and, blindfolding him, began hitting him with their fists and shouting,

    C. Play the prophet!

    N. And the attendants rained blows on him.

    While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant-girls came up. She saw Peter warming himself there, stared at him and said,

    O. You too were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.

    N. But he denied it, saying.

    O. I do not know, I do not understand, what you are talking about.

    N. And he went out into the forecourt. The servant-girl saw him and again started telling the bystanders,

    O. This fellow is one of them.

    N. But again he denied it. A little later the bystanders themselves said to Peter,

    C. You are one of them for sure! Why, you are a Galilean.

    N. But he started calling down curses on himself and swearing,

    O. I do not know the man you speak of.

    N. At that moment the cock crew for the second time, and Peter recalled how Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.’ And he burst into tears.

    First thing in the morning, the chief priests together with the elders and scribes, in short the whole Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate.

    Pilate questioned him:

    O. Are you the king of the Jews?

    N. He answered,

    ✠ It is you who say it.

    N. And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. Pilate questioned him again:

    O. Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing against you!

    N. But, to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.

    At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, anyone they asked for. Now a man called Barabbas was then in prison with the rioters who had committed murder during the uprising. When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favour, Pilate answered them

    O. Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?

    N. For he realised it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. The chief priests, however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for them instead. Then Pilate spoke again:

    O. But in that case, what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?

    N. They shouted back,

    C. Crucify him!

    N. Pilate asked them,

    O. Why? What harm has he done?

    N. But they shouted all the louder,

    C. Crucify him!

    N. So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, having ordered Jesus to be scourged, handed him over to be crucified.

    The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together. They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him. And they began saluting him,

    C. Hail, king of the Jews!

    N. They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage. 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: they enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.

    They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The inscription giving the charge against him read: ‘The King of the Jews.’ And they crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

    The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said,

    C. Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! Then save yourself: come down from the cross!

    N. The chief priests and the scribes mocked him among themselves in the same way. They said,

    C. He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.

    N. Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.

    When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

    ✠ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?

    N. which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said

    C. Listen, he is calling on Elijah.

    N. Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink, saying:

    O. Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.

    N. But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

    All kneel and pause for a moment.

    And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said,

    O. In truth this man was a son of God.

    N. There were some women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary who was the mother of James the younger and Joset, and Salome. These used to follow him and look after him when he was in Galilee. And there were many other women there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.

    It was now evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the vigil of the sabbath), there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent member of the Council, who himself lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God, and he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate, astonished that he should have died so soon, summoned the centurion and enquired if he was already dead. Having been assured of this by the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph who bought a shroud, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joset were watching and took note of where he was laid.