EASTER SUNDAY (B): The Empty Tomb

 

MARCH 31, 2024 - SUNDAY
EASTER SUNDAY: The Resurrection Of The Lord (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR II
Lectionary: 42

Reading I

Acts 10:34a, 37-43

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 visible,

not to all the people, but to 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

118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R.  (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

or:

R.  Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

    for his mercy endures forever.

Let the house of Israel say,

    “His mercy endures forever.”

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

or:

R.  Alleluia.

“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.”

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

or:

R.  Alleluia.

The stone which the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone.

By the LORD has this been done;

    it is wonderful in our eyes.

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

or:

R.  Alleluia.

Reading II

Col 3:1-4

Brothers and sisters:

If then 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.

OR:

I Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:

Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?

Clear out the old yeast,

so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, 

inasmuch as you are unleavened.

For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, 

not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, 

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Sequence

Victimae paschali laudes

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.

Alleluia

Cf. 1 Cor 5:7b-8a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;

let us then feast with joy in the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

Jn 20:1-9

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 also went in, 

the one who had arrived at the tomb first, 

and he saw and believed.

For they did not yet understand the Scripture 

that he had to rise from the dead.

- John 20:1-9

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Christ finally finishes His mission for us to save us through His Passion & Death, & now, finally HE RAISES in our hearts that He prove to us that His never ending unconditional LOVE for us will NEVER FADES, forever. Instead, it would STRENGTHEN our FAITH as we bring ourselves back to HIM. ALLELUIA!

PRAYER: 

We thank You Lord God for the gift of life. We're are truly blessed cause we know that in spite of all of Your pain & suffering that You've made from the Cross, You prove to ourselves that death is not the end of our lives, it just only the beginning.

HOLY SATURDAY (B): Easter Vigil in the Night before Easter

MARCH 30, 2024 - SATURDAY
HOLY SATURDAY / BLACK SATURDAY
(Easter Vigil in the Night before Easter)
Lectionary: 41
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading I

Gn 1:1—2:2

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,

the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,

while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Then God said,

"Let there be light,"" and there was light.

God saw how good the light was.

God then separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."

Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.

Then God said,

"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,

to separate one body of water from the other."

And so it happened:

God made the dome,

and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.

God called the dome "the sky."

Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.

Then God said,

"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,

so that the dry land may appear."

And so it happened:

the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,

and the dry land appeared.

God called the dry land "the earth, "

and the basin of the water he called "the sea."

God saw how good it was.

Then God said,

"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:

every kind of plant that bears seed

and every kind of fruit tree on earth

that bears fruit with its seed in it."

And so it happened:

the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed

and every kind of fruit tree on earth

that bears fruit with its seed in it.

God saw how good it was.

Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.

Then God said:

"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,

to separate day from night.

Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,

and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,

to shed light upon the earth."

And so it happened:

God made the two great lights,

the greater one to govern the day,

and the lesser one to govern the night;

and he made the stars.

God set them in the dome of the sky,

to shed light upon the earth,

to govern the day and the night,

and to separate the light from the darkness.

God saw how good it was.

Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

Then God said,

"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,

and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."

And so it happened:

God created the great sea monsters

and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,

and all kinds of winged birds.

God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,

"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;

and let the birds multiply on the earth."

Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.

Then God said,

"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:

cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds."

And so it happened:

God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,

and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.

God saw how good it was.

Then God said:

"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,

the birds of the air, and the cattle,

and over all the wild animals

and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."

God created man in his image;

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:

"Be fertile and multiply;

fill the earth and subdue it.

Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,

and all the living things that move on the earth."

God also said:

"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth

and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;

and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,

and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,

I give all the green plants for food."

And so it happened.

God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.

Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.

Since on the seventh day God was finished

with the work he had been doing,

he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.

Or

Gn 1:1, 26-31a

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,

God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,

the birds of the air, and the cattle,

and over all the wild animals

and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."

God created man in his image;

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:

"Be fertile and multiply;

fill the earth and subdue it.

Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,

and all the living things that move on the earth."

God also said:

"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth

and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;

and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,

and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,

I give all the green plants for food."

And so it happened.

God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35

R. (30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and glory,

robed in light as with a cloak.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,

not to be moved forever;

with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;

above the mountains the waters stood.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You send forth springs into the watercourses

that wind among the mountains.

Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;

from among the branches they send forth their song.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You water the mountains from your palace;

the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.

You raise grass for the cattle,

and vegetation for man's use,

Producing bread from the earth.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have wrought them all—

the earth is full of your creatures.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

R.  Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

or

Ps 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20 and 22

R.  (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Upright is the word of the LORD,

 and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

 of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;

 by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;

 in cellars he confines the deep.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

 the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down;

 he sees all mankind.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Our soul waits for the LORD,

 who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

 who have put our hope in you.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Reading II

Gn 22:1-18

God put Abraham to the test.

He called to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am,"  he replied.

Then God said:

"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,

and go to the land of Moriah.

There you shall offer him up as a holocaust

on a height that I will point out to you."

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,

took with him his son Isaac and two of his servants as well,

and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust,

set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.

Then he said to his servants:

"Both of you stay here with the donkey,

while the boy and I go on over yonder.

We will worship and then come back to you."

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust

and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders,

while he himself carried the fire and the knife.

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:

"Father!" Isaac said.

"Yes, son," he replied.

Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood,

but where is the sheep for the holocaust?"

"Son," Abraham answered,

"God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust."

Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him,

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

Next he tied up his son Isaac,

and put him on top of the wood on the altar.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,

"Abraham, Abraham!"

"Here I am!" he answered.

"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.

"Do not do the least thing to him.

I know now how devoted you are to God,

since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."

As Abraham looked about,

he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram

and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;

hence people now say, "On the mountain the LORD will see."

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:

"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,

that because you acted as you did

in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly

and make your descendants as countless

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;

your descendants shall take possession

of the gates of their enemies,

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing--

all this because you obeyed my command."

Or

Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

God put Abraham to the test.

He called to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

Then God said:

"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,

and go to the land of Moriah.

There you shall offer him up as a holocaust

on a height that I will point out to you."

When they came to the place of which God had told him,

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,

"Abraham, Abraham!"

"Here I am," he answered.

"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.

"Do not do the least thing to him.

I know now how devoted you are to God,

since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."

As Abraham looked about,

he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram

and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:

"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,

that because you acted as you did

in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly

and make your descendants as countless

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;

your descendants shall take possession

of the gates of their enemies,

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing--

all this because you obeyed my command."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

 the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Reading III

Ex 14:15—15:1

The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?

Tell the Israelites to go forward.

And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,

split the sea in two,

that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land.

But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate

that they will go in after them.

Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,

his chariots and charioteers.

The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,

when I receive glory through Pharaoh

and his chariots and charioteers."

The angel of God, who had been leading Israel's camp,

now moved and went around behind them.

The column of cloud also, leaving the front,

took up its place behind them,

so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians

and that of Israel.

But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed

without the rival camps coming any closer together

all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,

and the LORD swept the sea

with a strong east wind throughout the night

and so turned it into dry land.

When the water was thus divided,

the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land,

with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

The Egyptians followed in pursuit;

all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and charioteers went after them

right into the midst of the sea.

In the night watch just before dawn

the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud

upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;

and he so clogged their chariot wheels

that they could hardly drive.

With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,

because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians.

Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea,

that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians,

upon their chariots and their charioteers."

So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,

and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.

The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea,

when the LORD hurled them into its midst.

As the water flowed back,

it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh's whole army

which had followed the Israelites into the sea.

Not a single one of them escaped.

But the Israelites had marched on dry land

through the midst of the sea,

with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day

from the power of the Egyptians.

When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore

and beheld the great power that the LORD

had shown against the Egyptians,

they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;

horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

Responsorial Psalm

Ex 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18

R. (1b) Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;

horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

He is my God, I praise him;

the God of my father, I extol him.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

The LORD is a warrior,

LORD is his name!

Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea;

the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

The flood waters covered them,

they sank into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,

your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

You brought in the people you redeemed

and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance

the place where you made your seat, O LORD,

the sanctuary, LORD, which your hands established.

The LORD shall reign forever and ever.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

Reading IV

Is 54:5-14

The One who has become your husband is your Maker;

his name is the LORD of hosts;

your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,

called God of all the earth.

The LORD calls you back,

like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,

a wife married in youth and then cast off,

says your God.

For a brief moment I abandoned you,

but with great tenderness I will take you back.

In an outburst of wrath, for a moment

I hid my face from you;

but with enduring love I take pity on you,

says the LORD, your redeemer.

This is for me like the days of Noah,

when I swore that the waters of Noah

should never again deluge the earth;

so I have sworn not to be angry with you,

or to rebuke you.

Though the mountains leave their place

and the hills be shaken,

my love shall never leave you

nor my covenant of peace be shaken,

says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled,

I lay your pavements in carnelians,

and your foundations in sapphires;

I will make your battlements of rubies,

your gates of carbuncles,

and all your walls of precious stones.

All your children shall be taught by the LORD,

and great shall be the peace of your children.

In justice shall you be established,

far from the fear of oppression,

where destruction cannot come near you.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13   

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear

and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;

you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

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

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger lasts but a moment;

a lifetime, his goodwill.

At nightfall, weeping enters in,

but with the dawn, rejoicing.

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

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;

O LORD, be my helper.

You changed my mourning into dancing;

O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

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

Reading V

Is 55:1-11

Thus says the LORD:

All you who are thirsty,

come to the water!

You who have no money,

come, receive grain and eat;

come, without paying and without cost,

drink wine and milk!

Why spend your money for what is not bread,

your wages for what fails to satisfy?

Heed me, and you shall eat well,

you shall delight in rich fare.

Come to me heedfully,

listen, that you may have life.

I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,

the benefits assured to David.

As I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander of nations,

so shall you summon a nation you knew not,

and nations that knew you not shall run to you,

because of the LORD, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

Seek the LORD while he may be found,

call him while he is near.

Let the scoundrel forsake his way,

and the wicked man his thoughts;

let him turn to the LORD for mercy;

to our God, who is generous in forgiving.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

As high as the heavens are above the earth,

so high are my ways above your ways

and my thoughts above your thoughts.

For just as from the heavens

the rain and snow come down

and do not return there

till they have watered the earth,

making it fertile and fruitful,

giving seed to the one who sows

and bread to the one who eats,

so shall my word be

that goes forth from my mouth;

my word shall not return to me void,

but shall do my will,

achieving the end for which I sent it.

Responsorial Psalm

Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

 is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Reading VI

Bar 3:9-15, 32--4:4

Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life:

listen, and know prudence!

How is it, Israel,

that you are in the land of your foes,

grown old in a foreign land,

defiled with the dead,

accounted with those destined for the netherworld?

You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!

Had you walked in the way of God,

you would have dwelt in enduring peace.

Learn where prudence is,

where strength, where understanding;

that you may know also

where are length of days, and life,

where light of the eyes, and peace.

Who has found the place of wisdom,

who has entered into her treasuries?

The One who knows all things knows her;

he has probed her by his knowledge--

The One who established the earth for all time,

and filled it with four-footed beasts;

he who dismisses the light, and it departs,

calls it, and it obeys him trembling;

before whom the stars at their posts

shine and rejoice;

when he calls them, they answer, "Here we are!"

shining with joy for their Maker.

Such is our God;

no other is to be compared to him:

he has traced out the whole way of understanding,

and has given her to Jacob, his servant,

to Israel, his beloved son.

Since then she has appeared on earth,

and moved among people.

She is the book of the precepts of God,

the law that endures forever;

all who cling to her will live,

but those will die who forsake her.

Turn, O Jacob, and receive her:

walk by her light toward splendor.

Give not your glory to another,

your privileges to an alien race.

Blessed are we, O Israel;

for what pleases God is known to us!

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11 

R. (John 6:68c) 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.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the command of the LORD is clear,

enlightening the eye.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;

the ordinances of the LORD are true,

all of them just.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

They are more precious than gold,

than a heap of purest gold;

sweeter also than syrup

or honey from the comb.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

Reading VII

Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their land,

they defiled it by their conduct and deeds.

Therefore I poured out my fury upon them

because of the blood that they poured out on the ground,

and because they defiled it with idols.

I scattered them among the nations,

dispersing them over foreign lands;

according to their conduct and deeds I judged them.

But when they came among the nations wherever they came,

they served to profane my holy name,

because it was said of them: "These are the people of the LORD,

yet they had to leave their land."

So I have relented because of my holy name

which the house of Israel profaned

among the nations where they came.

Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD:

Not for your sakes do I act, house of Israel,

but for the sake of my holy name,

which you profaned among the nations to which you came.

I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations,

in whose midst you have profaned it.

Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,

when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.

For I will take you away from among the nations,

gather you from all the foreign lands,

and bring you back to your own land.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you

to cleanse you from all your impurities,

and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,

taking from your bodies your stony hearts

and giving you natural hearts.

I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,

careful to observe my decrees.

You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;

you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4

When baptism is celebrated.

R.  (42:2) Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

I went with the throng

and led them in procession to the house of God,

Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,

with the multitude keeping festival.

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Send forth your light and your fidelity;

they shall lead me on

And bring me to your holy mountain,

to your dwelling-place.

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Then will I go in to the altar of God,

the God of my gladness and joy;

then will I give you thanks upon the harp,

O God, my God!

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Or 

Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

When baptism is not celebrated.

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

 proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

 is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

or

Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

When baptism is not celebrated 

R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.

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.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

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.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;

should I offer a holocaust, you would not accept it.

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;

a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

EPISTLE

Rom 6:3-11

Brothers and sisters:

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus

were baptized into his death?

We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,

so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead

by the glory of the Father,

we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,

we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.

We know that our old self was crucified with him,

so that our sinful body might be done away with,

that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.

For a dead person has been absolved from sin.

If, then, we have died with Christ,

we believe that we shall also live with him.

We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;

death no longer has power over him.

As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;

as to his life, he lives for God.

Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin

and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his mercy endures forever.

Let the house of Israel say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

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.

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

By the LORD has this been done;

it is wonderful in our eyes.

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mark 16:1-7

When the sabbath was over, 

Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome 

bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.

Very early when the sun had risen,

on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.

They were saying to one another, 

“Who will roll back the stone for us

from the entrance to the tomb?”

When they looked up,

they saw that the stone had been rolled back;

it was very large.

On entering the tomb they saw a young man

sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,

and they were utterly amazed.

He said to them, “Do not be amazed!

You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.

He has been raised; he is not here.

Behold the place where they laid him.

But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 

‘He is going before you to Galilee; 

there you will see him, as he told you.’”

REFLECTION:

Holy Saturday is a day of grief and mourning, of patient waiting and hoping. With Mary and the disciples, we grieve the death of the most important member of our Christian community. The faith of Mary and the disciples was strongly challenged on that first Holy Saturday as they awaited the resurrection.

When the full impact of the death of friends and loved ones fully hits us, it has the potential to stun, dull, and crush the human heart. It can immobilize us from action and thought. If we are people without faith and hope, the experience of confusion, grief and loss has the potential to kill us.

Today we reflect on that period of confusion and silence, between the sadness of the cross and the joy of Easter. From the bewilderment of Jesus’ disciples to the great faith of Mary, we examine our own lives in light of the great “Sabbath of Time” and draw courage from Mary’s example to face the future with deep hope, patience, love, and interior peace.

At the end of this long day of waiting, we celebrate the mother of all liturgies, a true feast for the senses. The Church gathers in darkness and lights a new fire and a great candle that will make this night bright for us. We listen to our ancient Scriptures: stories of creation, Abraham and Isaac, Moses and Miriam and the crossing of the sea, poems of promise and rejoicing, and the story of the empty tomb. We see, hear, taste, feel the newness of God in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. In the “Mother of all liturgies,” the past and present meet, death and life embrace and life are triumphant; we reject evil and renew our baptismal promises to God.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank You for Your life & sacrifice. As we reflect on your death & burial, may we be comforted knowing the certain hope of the resurrection. AMEN.

Jesus Dies On The Cross (GOOD FRIDAY - B)

MARCH 29, 2024 - FRIDAY
GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION (Red)
Lectionary: 40
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading I
Is 52:13—53:12

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.

Who would believe what we have heard?

    To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

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.

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.

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.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

    each following his own way;

but the LORD laid upon him

    the guilt of us all.

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.

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.

If he 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
31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25

R.   (Lk 23:46) 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.

R.   Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

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.

R.  Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

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.”

R.  Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

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

R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reading II
Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9

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 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.

Verse Before the Gospel
Phil 2:8-9

Christ became 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 other name.

GOSPEL
Jn 18:1—19:42

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, “Whom are you looking for?”

They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

He said to them, “I AM.”

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,

“Whom are you looking for?”

They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

Jesus answered,

“I told you that I AM.

So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”

This was to fulfill what he had said, 

“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”

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,

“Put your sword into its scabbard.

Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

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.

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, 

“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

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,

“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.”

When he had said this, 

one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, 

“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

Jesus answered him,

“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; 

but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”

Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.

And they said to him,

“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said,

“I am not.”

One of the slaves of the high priest, 

a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, 

“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

Again Peter denied it.

And immediately the cock crowed.

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, 

“What charge do you bring against this man?”

They answered and said to him,

“If he were not a criminal, 

we would not have handed him over to you.”

At this, Pilate said to them, 

“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews answered him, 

“We do not have the right to execute anyone,“ 

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, 

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered,

“Do you say this on your own 

or have others told you about me?”

Pilate answered,

“I am not a Jew, am I?

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.

What have you done?”

Jesus answered,

“My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong 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.”

So Pilate said to him,

“Then you are a king?”

Jesus answered,

“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.”

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this,

he again went out to the Jews and said to them,

“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?”

They cried out again,

“Not this one but Barabbas!”

Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.

And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, 

and clothed him in a purple cloak, 

and they came to him and said,

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

And they struck him repeatedly.

Once more Pilate went out and said to them, 

“Look, I am bringing him out to you, 

so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

So Jesus came out, 

wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.

And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”

When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, 

“Crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves and crucify him.

I find no guilt in him.”

The Jews answered, 

“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, 

because he made himself the Son of God.”

Now when Pilate heard this statement,

he became even more afraid, 

and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, 

“Where are you from?”

Jesus did not answer him.

So Pilate said to him,

“Do you not speak to me?

Do you not know that I have power to release you 

and I have power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered him,

“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.”

Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, 

“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

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 Passover, and it was about noon.

And he said to the Jews,

“Behold, your king!”

They cried out,

“Take him away, take him away!  Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Shall I crucify your king?”

The chief priests answered,

“We have no king but Caesar.”

Then he 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.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.

It read,

“Jesus the Nazorean, 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, 

“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’

but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”

Pilate answered,

“What I have written, I have written.”

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, 

“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “ 

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.

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, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished, 

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 

Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop 

and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

        Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

Now 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.

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.

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.

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.

Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him 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.

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.

REFLECTION:

Good Friday puts the cross before me and challenges me not to look away. If I have followed Jesus’ footsteps to Calvary, I do not have to fear because I, like him, am confident in God's enduring presence. Wherever there is suffering or pain, I look again, seeking the face of Jesus. I ask him for the strength I need to be a sign of hope wherever there is despair, to be a presence of love wherever it is most needed.

All of us will one day give up our spirit. All of us will one day say either with words, breath or gesture that it is finished. It will not be like Jesus on a cross, but it may be in pain or in loneliness or fright. There is nothing better for the time of death than to feel and read the gospel, nothing better than to pray for strength in time of death so that it won't take us too much by surprise. In prayer we can offer our death to God; we can do so with Mary - 'Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us, sinners; now and at the hour of our death'.

PRAYER:

Dear Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me and taking away all my sins. Forgive us, Lord. I know & we know that you do not deserve to suffer such agony by our sins. Instead, we are the ones to carry our crosses, cause we are all sinners. But because of Your unconditional love for us, You sacrifice Yourself from everything. May we venerate You in agony. AMEN.