8 April 2012: EASTER SUNDAY (Year B)

CHRIST, OUR HOPE, IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!

Liturgy of the Word:

1st Reading: Acts 10:34,37-43
Jesus’ resurrection is the essence of the “Good News” brought by Peter to Cornelius. On this truth depend our salvation and all that we believe about God’s Incarnate Son.

Peter proceeded to speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be seen, not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of
the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!

* Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house
of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.”

* The right hand of the Lord has struck with power; the right hand of the Lord is exalted.
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

* The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.

2nd Reading: Col 3:1-4
Today St. Paul reminds us that the resurrection of Christ should be reflected in our behavior.

Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, appears, then you, too, will appear with him in glory.

Sequence:

With the ancient poet, let us proclaim the joy of Mary Magdalene at Jesus’ resurrection.

Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises! A Lamb the sheep redeems:
Christ, who only is sinless, reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: the Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring what you saw, wayfaring. “The tomb of Christ, who is
living, the glory of Jesus’ resurrection; bright angels attesting, the shroud and napkin resting. Yes, Christ my hope is arisen: to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen! Alleluia!

Gospel: Jn 20:1-9
Coming to accept the reality of the Resurrection was a long process, as we learn from today’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb. The absence of Jesus’ body and the position of the wrappings in the tomb were the first signs that led John and Peter to believe.

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t  know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first. He bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but
did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate
place. Then the other disciple, who had arrived at the tomb first, also went in. He saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

6 April 2012: GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday is the only day in the Liturgical Year in which the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist. The reason for such an exception is the fact that this is a day of mourning for the death of the Lord Jesus while the Eucharist is always also a celebration of his resurrection. The Church does not see fit to have any form of “celebration” while holding such a commemoration. That is why we have only a prayerful meditation on the sufferings of Jesus and the role that we have had in causing them through our sins.

First Reading: Is 52:13-53:12
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the “Servant of Yahweh,” whose suffering would bring forgiveness to His people and whom God would exalt above all the great ones. This is a prophecy of the suffering and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, the obedient Servant of God and Redeemer of all mankind.
Characters: G–God; R1–Female Reader ; R2–Male Reader

G –See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him – so marred was his look beyond human semblance, and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man – so shall he startle many nations. Because of him, kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it.
R1 –Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
R2 –He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth. There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned
and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.
R1 –Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.
R2 –But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon him was the chastisement
that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.
R1 –We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.
R2 –Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.
R1 –Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong
nor spoken any falsehood. But the Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.
G –If my servant gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light
in fullness of days. Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked. And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 31

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 rescue me. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God.

* For all my foes I am an object of reproach, a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends; they who see me abroad flee from me. I am forgotten like the unremembered dead; I am like a
dish that is broken.

* But my trust is in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God. In your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”

* Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. Take courage and be stouthearted, all you who hope in the Lord.

2nd Reading: Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Against the backdrop of the temple liturgy, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the sinless High Priest. In such capacity, he has offered himself as the spotless Victim and has thereby become the Mediator of the New Covenant.

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without committing sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Gospel: Jn 18:1-19:42
In his Passion narrative, St. John emphasizes Jesus’ self-offering in obedience to the Father’s plan. He is the new Paschal Lamb who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies, thereby becoming a source of salvation for all. The very moment of his crucifixion becomes his “exaltation.”

Characters:
J–Jesus; N1–Female Narrator; N2–Male Narrator; P–Pilate; Pt–Peter; C–Crowd, Chief priests and
other characters.

N1 –Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas, his betrayer, also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them,
J –Whom are you looking for?
N2 –(They answered him,)
C –Jesus the Nazarene.
J –I AM.
N2 –(He said to them.) Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, “I AM,” they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them,
J –Whom are you looking for?
N2 –(They said,)
C –Jesus the Nazarene.
N2 –(Jesus answered,)
J –I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.
N2 –This was to fulfill what he had said, “I have not lost any of those you gave me.”
N1 –Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,
J –Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not  drink the cup that the Father gave me?
N1 –So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
N2 –Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
C –You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?
Pt –I am not.
N1 –(He said.) Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered
him,
J –I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.
N2–When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
C –Is this the way you answer the high priest?
N2 –(Jesus answered him,)
J –If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?
N1 –Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Simon Peter was standing near a  charcoal fire, keeping warm. And they said to him,
C –You are not one of his disciples, are you?
N1 –(He denied it and said,)
Pt –I am not!
N1 –One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
C –Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?
N1 –Again, Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.
N2 – Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said,
P –What charge do you bring against this man?
N2 –(They answered and said to him,)
C –If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.
N2 –(At this, Pilate said to them,)
P –Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.
C –We do not have the right to execute anyone,
N1 – The Jews answered him in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said
indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned
Jesus and said to him,
P –Are you the King of the Jews?
N1 – (Jesus answered,)
J –Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?
N1 –(Pilate answered,)
P –I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?
N1–(Jesus answered,)
J –My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my attendants
would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not
here.
N1– (So Pilate said to him,)
P –Then you are a king?
N1– (Jesus answered,)
J –You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
N1 – (Pilate said to him,)
P –What is truth?
N2– When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
P –I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?
N2 – (They cried out again,)
C –Not this one but Barabbas!
N1 – Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. The soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head; they clothed him in a purple cloak, and came to him and said,
C –Hail, King of the Jews!
N1 – And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
P –Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.
N2 – So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And Pilate said to them,
P –Behold the man!
N2 – When the chief priests and the guards saw him, they cried out,
C –Crucify him, crucify him!
N2 –(Pilate said to them,)
P –Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.
N2 – (The Jews answered,)
C –We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
N1 – When Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
P –Where are you from?
N1 – Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him,
P – Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?
N1– (Jesus answered him,)
J –You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.
N2– Consequently, Pilate tried to release Jesus; but the Jews cried out,
C –If you release him, you are not a friend of Caesar! Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.
N2– When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for the Passover, and it
was about noon. And he said to the Jews,
P –Behold your king!
N2– (They cried out,)
C –Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!
N2– (Pilate said to them,)
P –Shall I crucify your king?
N2– (The chief priests answered,)
C –We have no king but Caesar!
N1– Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
N2– Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief
priests of the Jews said to Pilate, C –Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’
N2– (Pilate answered,)
P –What I have written, I have written.
N1– When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from
the top down. So they said to one another,
C –Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,
N1– in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says: “They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.” This is what the soldiers did.
N2– Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother,
J –Woman, behold, your son!
N2– Then he said to the disciple,
J –Behold, your mother!
N2– And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
N1– After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said,
J –I thirst.
N1–There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and raised it to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
J –It is finished!
N1– And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. (Pause. All kneel down in silence for a while.)
N2– Since it was Preparation Day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and that they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately
blood and water flowed out.
N1– An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe.
N2– For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of it will be broken.” And again another passage says: “They will look upon him whom they have pierced.”
N1–After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body.
N2–Nicodemus, the one who had first come to Jesus at night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with
burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.
N1– Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish Preparation Day, for the tomb was close by.

5 April 2012: HOLY THURSDAY • MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

1st Reading: Ex 12:1-8.11-14
The sacrifice of the Passover lamb and its consumption during the Passover meal foreshadow the Eucharist as the sacrificial meal of the New Covenant.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. 

The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, flight. It is the Passover of the Lord. For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt – I, the Lord! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.
This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution.”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 116

Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ!

* How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. 

* Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. 

* To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people.

2nd Reading: 1 Cor 11:23-26
Writing to the Christians of Corinth, St. Paul narrates the institution of the Eucharist and of the ministerial priesthood the way he learned it from Jesus himself.

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Gospel: Jn 13:1-15
St. John assumed that all the faithful were familiar with the institution of the Eucharist. Hence, in his account of the Last Supper, he focuses the attention of his readers on the virtues of humility and spirit of loving service which should characterize all those who participate in the Eucharistic celebration but especially those who preside over it.

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. 

The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, Jesus rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well!” Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.” So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.
I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

1 April 2012: PALM SUNDAY / “ALAY KAPWA” SUNDAY (Year B)

Part 1: COMMEMORATION OF THE LORD’S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

Gospel: Mk 11:1-10

When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should say to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ reply, ‘The Master has need of it and will send it back here at once.’ ” So they went off and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street, and they untied it. Some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They answered them
just as Jesus had told them to, and they permitted them to do it.
So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!”

Part 2: THE MASS

1st Reading: Is 50:4-7
What we are about to hear is the third Song of the Lord’s Servant. Its content foreshadows the preaching mission of Jesus and the tortures inflicted on him during his passion.

The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.

I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard. My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced. I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 22

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

* All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: “He relied on the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if He loves him.” 

* Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me. They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones.
 

* They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. But you, O Lord, be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me! 

* I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you: “You who fear the Lord, praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”

2nd Reading: Phil 2:6-11
In a few, dramatic sentences, St. Paul summarizes the total self-emptying and the supreme exaltation of God’s Son.

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness. And found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel: Mk 15:1-39
Throughout his passion Jesus follows the path of humility and patient endurance. His only concern is to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation.

 Characters: 

J: Jesus; N1–First Narrator; N2–Second Narrator; P: Pilate; C: Crowd, Chief priests;
S: Soldier/centurion
P –The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
N1 –As soon as morning came, the chief priests, with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him,
P –“Are you the king of the Jews?”
(N1 –He said to him in reply,)
J –“You say so.”
N2 –The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him,
P –“Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.”
N2 –Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast Pilate used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward and began to ask Pilate to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered,
P –“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
N1 –For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said to them in reply,
P –“Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
(N1 –They shouted repeatedly,)
C –“Crucify him!”
(N1 –Pilate said to them,)
P –“Why? What evil has he done?”
N1 –They only shouted the louder,
C –“Crucify him!”
N2 –So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
N2 –The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with,
S –“Hail, King of the Jews!”
N2 –and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.
N1 –They pressed into service a passerby, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They brought him to the place called Golgotha – which is translated “Place of the Skull.” They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
N2 –The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” With him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
C –“Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross!”
N1 –Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said,
C –“He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe!”
N2 –Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him. At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
J –“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
N2 –which is translated,
J –“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
N2 –Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
C –“Look, he is calling Elijah.”
N1 –One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying,
C –“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
N1 –Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
(All kneel and pause for a while.)
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how Jesus breathed his last he said,
S –“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

25 March 2012: 5th Sunday of Lent (Year B)

1st Reading: Jer 31:31-34
The prophecy of a “New Covenant” written not on stone but on the hearts of people is of vital importance in the history of salvation. This prophecy became a reality in Jesus Christ and we
are all part of its constant fulfillment.

The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master,
says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 51

Create a clean heart in me, O God! 

* Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. 

* A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. 

* Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall return to you. 

2nd Reading: Heb 5:7-9
Today the author of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that our salvation is the fruit of Christ’s prayer, suffering, and obedience unto death. We enjoy his salvation in proportion to our obedience
to him.

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his  reverence. Son though he was, Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. And when he was
made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Gospel: Jn 12:20-33
The death of Christ was not an unexpected regrettable “accident,” but a vital moment in the overall plan of salvation. Jesus accepted it in full freedom, knowing that the salvation of humankind depended on it.

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 

Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

18 March 2012: 4th Sunday of Lent (Year B)

1st Reading: 2 Chr 36:14-16.19-23
God continues to love us even when we go astray. He remains faithful to His promises even when we forget ours. Such is the basic messsage of this theological reading of the history of Israel.

In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practising all the abominations of the nations and polluting the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Early and often did the Lord, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the Lord against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy. Their enemies burned the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon, where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons until the kingdom of the Persians came to power. All this was to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah: “Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled.”
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 137

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

*By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. On the aspens of that land we hung up our harps. 

* For there our captors asked of us the lyrics of our songs, and our despoilers urged us to be joyous: “Sing for us the songs of Zion!” 

* How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither!

* May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy.

2nd Reading: Eph 2:4-10
Our salvation is first and foremost God’s doing. It is the fruit of His compassionate love, which we make our own by clinging to Him in faith.
Brothers and sisters:
God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ. By grace you have been saved. He raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

Gospel: Jn 3:14-21
God loved us first. He loved us to the utmost, to the point of giving His only Son for the very people who were offending Him. There can be no greater love than this.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

11 March 2012: 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B)

 First Reading Ex 20:1-3.7-8. 12-17  
The Ten Commandments enshrine values and duties which are valid not only for the Jews but also for all human beings and for ever.

In those days, God delivered all these commandments: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain. Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”

 Responsorial Psalm Ps 19
 Lord, you have the words of everlasting life!

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.

 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.

They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.

 2nd Reading 1 Cor 1:22-25

 Preaching a crucified Messiah has always seemed a vain enterprise. Yet, the fact remains that it is through the Cross of Christ that the allwise God has redeemed the world. Such is St. Paul’s forceful reminder today.

 First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians Brothers and sisters: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom. But we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

 Gospel Jn 2:13-25

The glory and purity of God’s Temple was of paramount importance to Jesus. And he bravely upheld this principle even if his driving the traders out of the Temple area set him on a collision course with the Jewish authorities.

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”


At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty- years, and you will raise it up in three days?”

 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, anddid not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.