Monday April 10

Introduction
Holy Week is for us the time when we meditate on the saving death of our Lord. The days of his suffering are approaching. The first reading gives us the first of the famous songs about the Servant of Yahweh. The liturgy of the Holy Week characterizes Jesus as the Servant of Yahweh. This first song speaks perhaps directly about the attitude and role of God’s people, but we find these exemplified fully in Jesus, the perfect servant of God and of people. He is shown here to us as God’s servant who came to serve the poor and the suffering by bringing them justice and freedom, and light in darkness to all; he will be the covenant of us, the people, by uniting us with God and one another. All this he did for us by his saving death.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you have called your people
to be the servant of one another
in the cause of justice and mercy.
You showed us in Jesus, your Son,
what it means to serve
and how much this may cost us.
Fill us with the Spirit of Jesus,
that we too may not break those who are weak
nor repel those groping in the dark.
Let him teach us to serve and to love
with compassion for the helpless
and respect for the least and the poorest,
together with Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading 1 Is 42:1-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Responsorial Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
R. (1a)The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Alleluia
Hail to you, our King;
you alone are compassionate with our faults.

Gospel Jn 12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages
and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

Intentions
Indifference and routine are perhaps more deadening and corrosive to the Christian life than calamities and acute sufferings, for we are often not aware of them. Let us pray to our Father in heaven that we may struggle to regain our freedom which Christ bought for us with his life, and let us say: Lord, set your people free.
– For the Church, that, like the Lord Jesus Christ, it may shun positions of power to share the life and miseries of the faithful to lift them up to the joys and life of the risen Lord, we pray:
– For those who are resigned to a life of boredom and routine, that they may answer Christ’s challenge to grow to his full maturity, we pray:
– For those who have handed over their inner freedom to publicity, social pressure and conformism, that they may dare again to be themselves and to take their lives into their own hands, we pray:
– For those who fight injustice and oppression, that they may not be moved by hatred, but that they may be driven by a genuine love and concern for their neighbor, we pray:
– For those who are afraid of death, that they may rely on Christ, who overcame death by the cross and turned it into a gift of life, we pray:
Lord our God, the loyal death of your Son made it possible for us to become free people and to discover joy in its fullness. Through his death and resurrection, may the pains and storms of life become instruments of the freedom, joy, and happiness promised us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
with your Son in our midst
we your people ask of you today:
Bring to us sinners
the justice of your forgiving love
and help us to establish
true justice on earth,
that we, the people of your lasting love,
may never be a scandal to our neighbor
but servants and signs of hope and joy.
Let this be our offering to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
by the body and blood of your Son
you call us to serve the cause of right.
Breathe into us, your people,
the Spirit of justice of your Son.
Let him take us by the hand
and make us with him
the source of unity and light
to the poor and the blind of our day,
to the seekers of love and truth.
Be with us, your people,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing
We know that these days of the Holy Week the Lord Jesus will lead us from death to life if we learn from him to love and serve one another and to live for one another, even at the cost of sacrificing ourselves. May God give you this courage and bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Monday April 10

A few days before he would die, Jesus visits a family that had always been dearly beloved for him. How poignant a get-together! Jesus, who would soon be killed and then be raised, gets together with Lazarus who was once dead but was raised, with Martha waiting on him, and Mary anointing his feet with fabulous perfume. John does not mention them talking about anything. They didn’t have to. It is as if they read each other’s heart and words would only be superfluous. Of everyone present, Lazarus would have felt most clearly what was in the mind of Jesus, for to some extent he had been there where Jesus would soon be. And how deeply reassuring it would have been for Jesus to be with the one whom he raised from the dead! What he did to Lazarus, his Father would soon do to him. The visit would have given him the strength to face the next six days.

It is a pity that Judas could not make any sense of the intimations of the hearts assembled. He dared to speak and his words vitiated the fragrance of the silence.

Several iconic characters are presented through this story: the crowd that wants to satisfy its curiosity and represents the common evil of superficiality; then comes the hostility of the chief priests, who are ready to kill to defend their prerogatives; followed by Judas, the traitor, who can no longer hypocritically hide his lust for money. But amidst them all, we find Mary who welcomes Jesus into her house in Bethany: her luminous gesture of love and generosity points to the dramatic end which awaits Jesus but, in any case, breaks the cruel darkness of hate.

Tuesday April 11

Introduction
Today’s gospel presents three persons to us. The first is a man preoccupied with himself, his own interests and needs, his selfish satisfaction. He is not a free person; he is not open to Christ, for he serves money and greed. He will betray Jesus. This man is Judas.

Then there is a second man, a good person, open to Christ, but weak. He tries to hide his frailty with impetuous, self-reliant bravery. He cracks in the hour of the test. He will deny Jesus. This person is Peter.

The third person is Jesus. He is totally unselfish, completely open to God and to everyone. He is the perfect servant, the person-for-others, described again today in the first reading in the words of the second song of God’s servant. And because he was the perfect servant he could save us all.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ
had to undergo the humiliation
of being betrayed and denied
by those he called his friends.
But he made his suffering and death
into instruments of love and reconciliation.
Make us with him people-for-others,
who accept difficulties, even betrayals
and misunderstanding of our best intentions,
and turn them into sources of life and joy
for those around us.
Keep us faithful to you and to one another
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading 1 Is 49:1-6
Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4A, 5AB-6AB, 15 AND 17
R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Alleluia
Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.

Gospel Jn 13:21-33, 36-38
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus' side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him,
"Master, who is it?"
Jesus answered,
"It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it."
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
"Buy what we need for the feast,"
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you."

Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?"
Jesus answered him,
"Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later."
Peter said to him,
"Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you."
Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times."

General Intercessions
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son to save us and bring us life by his death and resurrection. Let us pray to Jesus for all who suffer and say: Lord, by your cross you have redeemed the world.
– For those whose ideals have faded, that they may still see and accept the novelty of life and constantly renew themselves, we pray:
– For the perpetual losers of their personal struggles against the forces of evil, that they may trust in Christ, whose grace is mightier than sin and death, we pray:
– For those who are lonely, deserted, or shut up within themselves, that they may accept the companionship of Christ and through him open themselves to others, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may learn from our Lord himself to bear our crosses in patience and humility, that somehow they may bring life to us and to our neighbor, we pray:
– For this community, that with Jesus our Savior it may be poor and serving and open to all needs, we pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, your cross remains to us a mystery, as does all pain and want. Yet we rely on your word and example that it is a way to joy and freedom. Turn our crosses into bearers of happiness and life now and for ever.

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
the evening before he gave up himself to death,
your Son Jesus gave himself to his friends
in the form of bread to be eaten
and a cup of wine to be shared.
As we are gathered here for his holy meal,
let your Son give himself again to us
that we may learn from him
to give ourselves for one another
and that our strength to do so may come
from Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
we have eaten the bread of faithfulness
at the table of Jesus, your Son.
We too have at times betrayed him
when we broke our friendship with you
and when we denied to our neighbor
the right to be happy and free.
From now on, let him be our strength
in bringing justice and dignity
to even the last and least of our brothers and sisters
and in building up together
your community of joy and hope,
in which lives Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever and ever.

Blessing
One of the saddest experiences in life is to see one’s love and trust misunderstood, denied, or even betrayed. This was the lot of Jesus. He suffered from it, yet accepted it in order to undo our disloyalties and betrayals. This is why his own love and loyalty to the Father and to us went as far as it can go: death. And this is how he won for us the courage to love without counting the cost and to be faithful to the end. May God fill us with his blessings: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday April 11

Judas receives bread from the very hand of the Son of God, and lo and behold, it is not the Spirit of Christ that enters him, but Satan! How is this possible? The only explanation possible is the state of mind and the intention with which Judas joins the assembly. He is still a disciple, externally. But internally, he has already betrayed the Master. The moment he resolved to betray Jesus, he had parted ways with him.

Could it be possible that similar dynamics happen in our eucharistic assembly and reception of the Body of Christ? Indeed. The internal disposition with which we approach the sacrament matters. Paul has offered a clear warning on this (see 1 Cor 11:27-29). That is why the priest says a prayer, just before he receives the Body of Christ, and as people pray “Agnus Dei”: “May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy.”

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On the last evening of his earthly life, Jesus had supper with his disciples. John speaks of a small group with Christ at the center; beside him is the beloved disciple, beyond him Peter and Judas. Words and gestures seem muted. Jesus justly offers the traitor a bit of hospitality and friendship but the soul of Judas is already dark and leaves the room at night. The same darkness of negativity hovers over the head of the apostle Peter, the leader of the group, and apparently seems very confident. Who among us is not fragile and capable of betraying his own faith?

Wednesday April 12

Introduction
Today we hear the bad news of the betrayal of Judas, together with the sad yet joyous good news of Jesus’ Passover meal with his disciples. “My time is near. I will keep the Passover with my disciples.” Jesus will eat the Passover meal surrounded by those who have followed him. The traitor leaves them to betray Jesus. But Jesus, the Servant of God and people, faces his death with the fullest trust in God. Jesus will celebrate this Passover in a new way making it the eucharist. This is like a testament he leaves his disciples. It is the deepest way he is going to stay among his disciples then and now.

Opening Prayer
God our Father,
when the hour of your Son Jesus had come
to accept suffering and death
out of love of you
and his saving love for us,
he did not refuse that suffering and deep pain.
In the hour of trial
that we may have to pass through,
do not let us become rebellious
but keep us trusting in you,
for you save us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading 1 IS 50:4-9A
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.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let him confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?

Responsorial Psalm PS 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 AND 33-34
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
for consolers, not one could I find.
Rather they put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Alleluia
Hail to your, our King;
you alone are compassionate with our errors.

OR
Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.

Gospel Mt 26:14-25
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
"What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?"
He said,
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
'The teacher says, My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.'"
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.

When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
"Surely it is not I, Lord?"
He said in reply,
"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"
He answered, "You have said so."

General Intercessions
Let us join our prayers to those of the Lord Jesus, as we say: Lord, hear your people.
– For all those whose love has been betrayed or rejected, we pray:
– For the people who are facing death, that they may trustingly put themselves into the Lord’s hands, we pray:
– For all who suffer and face difficult decisions, that God may be their strength and inspiration, we pray:
– For all Christians, that they may seek the presence of the Lord in the eucharist, we pray:
Lord, stay with us. We love you, now and for ever.

Prayer over the Gifts
Praise be to you, eternal God,
for you invite us to the table of your Son.
Let us, Jesus’ disciples today,
eat his bread of love and strength
and drink his wine of gladness,
that our trust in you may never fade
and that we love one another
in good days and in times of pain.
We ask you through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Our Saving God,
a new world could be born
when Jesus laid down his life for us
and left us the sign that you have made with us
a new and everlasting covenant.
Thank you for letting us celebrate
in memory of him
that sacrifice which brought us life
and unites us in him.
All thanks and praise to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing
It is good to be with the Lord this Holy Week. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the immense love with which God loves us. How do we answer his total love? How much do we echo and mirror it to the people around us? Especially you, parents, how much do you make your children feel God’s love in you? May almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday April 12

There is something sadly ironic about the exchange between Jesus and his disciples. Here’s Jesus unburdening his soul to his closest friends, trusted disciples: “One of you will betray me.” The fact that the Master would soon be betrayed does not shock them, but they are more worried about if it might be “me” who would end up doing it! So they take turns to ask him: “You do not mean me, do you, Lord?” What a shocking failure of empathy!

Come to think of it, we might be no different than the apostles. Aren’t we sometimes tempted to be more concerned about our personal spiritual welfare and being right with God than about the sufferings of the poor and the many social evils around us wherein Jesus gets continually betrayed and killed?

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Judas is the subject of today's Gospel. The first scene shows the palace of the High Priest where Judas seals the deal of betrayal and receives the money he had claimed. The second scene takes place in the room where Jesus dines with the twelve. The betrayal is consummated with two hands found near the same plate and with a cold you've said it yourself that unmasks the crime that will be committed. In the depths of our hearts sometimes we are consumed by betrayals of our plan of faith and love. Judas is not far away after all.

Thursday April 13

1.This Is I for You
2.You Must Wash Each Other's Feet
3.Do This in Memory of Me

1.This is I for You

Greeting

“This is my body, which is for you,”
says the Lord.
“Do this as a memorial of me.”
May the Lord Jesus be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant
This evening we have come together to celebrate the memory of Jesus’ farewell meal: At this supper so heavy with meaning, he did and said unusual, shocking things. Like the lowliest of servants, he, the great Teacher and Lord, washed the feet of his disciples and told them to become, like him, servants of people. Then, as they were eating, he passed the bread and the wine to them, saying: “This is my body broken for you. This is the cup of my blood shed for you. Love one another as I have loved you.” These events happened long ago, and yet, he tells us here and now: I have given you an example. As I have done, so you must do; as I have served, so you must serve. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

2.You Must Wash Each Other's Feet

Greeting (see the Gospel)
“If I, the Lord and Teacher,” says the Lord,
“have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have set you an example
that you also should do as I have done to you.”
May the Lord and servant Jesus be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant
John the Evangelist does not tell the story how Jesus instituted the eucharist at the Last Supper. Instead, John tells us how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. In this way he showed and stressed what the eucharist is all about. It meant for Jesus total commitment in love to the service of the people he came to save, that is, to make free for God and people. It means for us that with Jesus we have to dedicate ourselves completely to the service of God and of our brothers and sisters. Total, self-forgetting and serving love must be the mark of the disciple of Jesus. Jesus is here with us to give us the spirit of service.

3.Do This in Memory of Me

Greeting (See the Gospel)
“If I, the Lord and Teacher,” says the Lord,
“have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have set you an example
that you also should do as I have done to you.”
May the Lord and servant Jesus be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant
When Jesus instituted the eucharist at the Last Supper, he said: “Do this in memory of me.” In memory of Jesus we are now remembering and celebrating what happened at the Last Supper and doing again what he did there, as we do, in fact, at every eucharist. We, God's people, are now the disciples of the Last Supper. The priest, acting in Jesus’ name represents Jesus. The table around which the disciples were gathered is now the altar. The room of the Last Supper is the church. Like the disciples, we are gathered as a community around Jesus and eating with him. This is a basic act for our Christian communities: to be gathered around the Lord, to eat and drink with him and in this way to become more united with him and more like him. Let us celebrate with the Lord.

Penitential Act
Our Lord gives himself to us in the eucharist
that by his strength we may do as he did.
In his presence and before one another,
let us ask ourselves whether we have been faithful
to this task of love.
(SILENCE )
Lord, in the eucharist you call us together
to be one in you,
but we fail to set our differences aside
and to build up love and justice among us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Christ our Lord, in the eucharist you serve us,
but service and sacrifice for others
are often too humiliating and cost us too much:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord, in the eucharist
you continue to share yourself with us,
but when we share
we often measure and weigh our gifts
and we don’t give ourselves:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
May the Lord have mercy on us,
forgive us our lack of love and service
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may celebrate the Lord’s Supper
with the Lord’s own attitude
(SILENCE)
Our God and Father,
in this night
so different from all other nights,
we are gathered here to partake of the supper
which your only Son left us,
so that he could stay with us with all the fullness
of his liberating love.
He gave this meal to us
when he was about to die
and commanded us to celebrate it
as the new and eternal sacrifice.
We pray that in this encounter with your Son
he may share with us his life and love
and be our bread of strength
which enables us to do your loving will
to serve our neighbor far and near.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Ex 12:1-8,11-14): A Day Of Festival, For Ever
As the Jews were saved by the blood of the paschal lamb, so we remember that Jesus is our saving Paschal Lamb. His death and resurrection brought us forgiveness and life.

Reading 1 Ex 12:1-8, 11-14
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,
you shall eat like those who are in 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 116:12-13, 15-16BC, 17-18
R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16) 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.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
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.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
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.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Second Reading (1 Cor 11:23-26): This Is My Body For You
Paul reminds us that we have to let Jesus do among us in his memory what he did at the Last Supper: give us his body to eat.

Reading 2 1 Cor 11:23-26
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.

Alleluia Jn 13:34
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.

Gospel (Jn 13:1-5): Wash Each Other’s Feet: Serve!
Jesus washed his apostles’ feet to impress them and us that service is at the heart of the gospel, together with self-giving.

Gospel Jn 13:1-15
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,
he 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 the 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."

General Intercessions
On this night, which is very different from all other nights,we are invited with the apostles to the supper of the Lord. Let us pray to him that we may enter into his own attitudes and dispositions of the night before he suffered, and let us say to him. R/ Stay with us, Lord.
– Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, you do the will of the Father to the end; you are loyal to your mission of love. Give us the same loyalty, that we may not seek our headstrong selfwill but, in whatever we do, the will of the Father. We pray you, therefore: R/ Stay with us, Lord.
– Lord, at the Last Supper you found a way to stay with those you love. Give us the strength to keep standing by the side of those in need of love, that we may support them in their misery and give them hope in life and in you. We pray you, therefore: R/ Stay with us, Lord.
– Christ, our Savior, at the Last Supper you gave us your commandment of love as your last testament. Commit us to do the works of love so that we can truthfully celebrate the eucharist by working toward social justice, peace and respect for human dignity. We pray you, therefore: R/ Stay with us, Lord.
– Lord, on this night you showed that your love does not consist in mere words but that it is stronger than death, for you give your life for us. Give us the strength to love you and others with a love stronger than words, with a loyal and total love: We pray you, therefore: R/ Stay with us, Lord.
– Lord Jesus, tonight you show us that love means humble service. We ask you for the courage not to do works of “charity” to be seen by people but to help others quietly and unobtrusively, so as to respect their human dignity, and to give preference to the poor, to the unknown, to little people, to the outcasts of life. We pray you, therefore: R/ Stay with us, Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of love, you said at the Last Supper, as you tell us again tonight, that a person can have no greater love than to lay down one’s life for ones’ friends. Give us the strength not to live for ourselves but, by the warmth of our hearts and our commitment to one another, to make your love a bit more visible on earth, that people may believe in you, now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts
Our God and Father,
your Son Jesus gave himself to his friends
as the new Paschal Lamb
in the taste of a piece of bread
and the joy of a cup of wine.
As he stays with us now,
may he nourish us with his body
to make us truly his body to the world,
the Church of his pilgrim people
on the march to the promised land
of everlasting joy and happiness.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Today we are poignantly told by Jesus: this is my body and blood for you; this is I giving myself for you. Learn from me to give yourself to God and each other.

Introduction to the Our Father
Before we share the Lord’s table
as the people he has united,
let us pray with the Lord Jesus
the prayer which he himself has taught us. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil.
Give us today the bread of your Son
to lead us forward
on the road of love and service
and to be our strength
in the trials of life,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

For the Breaking of Bread
We break bread together
for ourselves and for one another,
that the joy and peace
of our Lord Jesus Christ
may be with us for ever.

Invitation to Communion
This is the Lamb of God
who laid down his life
to take our sins away
and to be our life.
Come to the table of the Lord
in peace and friendship.
It is the Lord who invites us
and the Lord who nourishes us;
it is the Lord who gives us his peace.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
May the body and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
fill us with new life,
enable us to love one another,
and be for us a source of lasting peace.

Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
when he gave himself to his friends
as food and drink for the road,
your Son Jesus committed himself
to stay with us as the personforothers
and the Lordwhoserves.
May we learn from him
to be committed to our neighbor,
to love and serve without counting the cost
and to set our brothers and sisters free
from all enslaving evil,
as a foretaste of the unending happiness
which you have prepared for us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Before the Procession
After the Last Supper, Jesus went with the apostles to the garden of Gethsemani to pray before he would be taken prisoner and begin his passion, to die the next day on the cross. Like the apostles, we are asked by our Lord to watch and pray with him. We could reflect on how he accepted his suffering out of loyal love for his Father and for us. We could also thank him for staying with us in the eucharist, to be among us the bond of unity and love.

Thursday April 13

“There is one other point which I would like to emphasize, since it significantly affects the authenticity of our communal sharing in the Eucharist. It is the impulse which the Eucharist gives to the community for a practical commitment to building a more just and fraternal society. In the Eucharist our God has shown love in the extreme, overturning all those criteria of power which too often govern human relations and radically affirming the criterion of service: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mc 9:35). It is not by chance that the Gospel of John contains no account of the institution of the Eucharist, but instead relates the “washing of feet” (cf.Jn 13:1-20): by bending down to wash the feet of his disciples, Jesus explains the meaning of the Eucharist unequivocally. Saint Paul vigorously reaffirms the impropriety of a Eucharistic celebration lacking charity expressed by practical sharing with the poor (cf.1Cor 11:17-22, 27-34).” (John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine, §28)

Friday April 14

1.The Suffering Servant Wins
2.The Cry of All Those Crucified
3.It Is Accomplished

1.The Suffering Servant Wins

Introduction by the Commentator

We are here to remember the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. He stands before us as the Man of Sorrows, insulted, tortured, disfigured, crushed, finally dying on a cross the death of a criminal. Yet, at the foot of the cross we are not lamenting a man whose life was a failure, for to us the cross is the sign of victory over sin and death. We believe that he is God’s own Son risen from the dead and alive in our midst. This is not merely a story about the past, for the passion and death of Jesus is still going on in the people and the nations that suffer, in the poor, the hungry, in the victims of war, in all those crucified in any way. But we also believe that Christ rises today in Christians who struggle against sin and evil, in those who bring hope and joy to others. This is how we are one with our Lord today.

2.The Cry of All Those Crucified

Introduction by the Commentator
Good Friday: good for us, but painful and humiliating for Jesus. In his suffering and death God seems to be reduced to silence. But today we do not weep over someone who died. We raise up our eyes to Jesus who died to give us life. His death means the victory of life over death, for we see Jesus’ death in the light of his resurrection and the beginning of our risen life. Death is defeated. So, we raise our eyes to a risen Lord. In Jesus’ cry on the cross we hear the cry of all those who have been crucified in their lives, but also their hopes that they and we with Jesus will overcome all evil.

3.It Is Accomplished

Introduction by the Commentator
Just before his death on the cross, Jesus says: “It is accomplished” or “It is fulfilled.” What is accomplished? Accomplished and finished is his torture on the cross and his earthly life and task. Accomplished in him is the will of the Father and his work to bring forgiveness and life to people. All is accomplished as far as Jesus’ mission on earth is concerned and we are assured that evil will never triumph again: The final victory belongs to God. But… Not yet accomplished is the kingdom of justice and love and compassion on earth. For that task is to be accomplished by us, the disciples of Jesus, who have to let the Spirit of Jesus accomplish that work in us and with us. As long as there are people who suffer from hunger and injustice, they add to what was lacking in the suffering of Jesus and we, the disciples, have to do away with these evils. This celebration of the Lord’s Passion reminds us of this task, so that we can help people rise with him.

Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God the Lord
to make us new people
made in the image of his beloved Son
(SILENCE)
God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
your beloved Son became one of us,
like us in everything but sin,
when he was born from our flesh and blood.
By his suffering you save us
from the death we deserve
for being co-responsible for the evil of sin
in us and in the world.
May his suffering not have been in vain,
but fill us with the life and grace
he has won for us on the cross
and help us to become like him, our risen Lord
who lives and reigns with you for ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Is 52:13, 53:12): Jesus Took Our Ills Upon Himself
Suffering is hard to take and will always remain a mystery. Yet it is through suffering that the Servant of God won his victory over evil and sin. Suffering is a part of life and a source of life, in us as well as in Jesus the Servant.

Reading 1 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.

Second Reading (Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9): Jesus Felt And Made Up For Our Weakness
Jesus suffered for us to save us. Since his death and resurrection, everyone who suffers can unite one’s pains to those of Jesus and share in his victory over evil.

Reading 2 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.

Alleluia Phil 2:8-9
Christ became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of the this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

Passion of Jesus (Jn 18:1—19, 19:42) It Is Accomplished
John stood at the foot of the cross. He wants the world to know that Jesus is not merely a man who suffered and was put to death, but God’s own Son who voluntarily offered his life for all so that we can become God’s sons and daughters.

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.

Celebrant’s Introduction of the Intercessions
Gathered at the foot of the cross, we will pray now for the great needs of the Church and of the world, for we remember today that Jesus gave his life that all might be saved and be gathered in his body, the Church.

Celebrant’s Introduction to the Veneration Rite
Before us lies the broken body
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He did not live for himself,
he did not die for himself.
He lived and died for us.
He invites us now to take and eat his body
in his memory, to share in his sufferings and death
and to rise with him to a deeper Christian life.
He also invites us to break bread for one another,
that is, like him, to live for one another.
We now pray with Jesus to our Father in heaven. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
In your mercy keep us free from sin
and renew with us your covenant
on account of the love
with which your suffering Servant
died for us on the cross today,
in the joyful hope of rising again
as our glorious Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion
Thus says the Lord:
If the grain of wheat
does not fall in the ground
it remains a single grain,
but if it dies it yields fruit in abundance.
(RAISING THE HOST)
This is the body of our Lord
who died on the cross
to become for us the source of life.
Happy are we to be invited
to the supper of forgiveness and life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion
Lord God, merciful Father,
we thank you for loving us so much
that you gave your only Son Jesus Christ
to restore us to life
by his triumphant death and resurrection.
Continue giving us the strength
to win our struggles against sin and evil
and to bear our crosses in life
together with your Son.
Give us the firm faith
that you want us to live
and to render you always
faithful, dedicated service.
Help us to give ourselves to one another
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer Over the People
Lord God, Father of Jesus Christ,
bless your people gathered here before you.
May your Son not have died for us in vain.
Send us home with the assurance
that our sins are forgiven,
that evil can be overcome
and that death is not the end.
Give us your risen Son
as our companion on the road of life,
to help us grow in your eternal life
and to bear witness to the world
that he lives among us
as our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Friday April 14

1.Free and Risen with Christ
2.I Was There
3.Liberated and Living in the Covenant of Love

Structure of the Rite. The Easter Vigil rite harmoniously integrates everything in one continuous celebration that follows the normal structure of the eucharistic celebration.
The Liturgy of the Light is the opening rite of the Mass.
The Liturgy of the Word is an expanded version of the usual Liturgy of the Word, so that we can hear about God liberating his people both in the Old and in the New Testaments; here the Gloria comes after the readings from the Old Testament and before those of the New Covenant to mark our entering into the definitive covenant of joy and life.
After the gospel and the homily comes the Baptismal Liturgy, everywhere with the blessing of water and the renewal of baptismal vows, and in parishes hopefully with an actual baptism. In the case of the baptism of an adult, if the celebrant has also helped in the preparation for baptism of the candidate, the law itself entitles him to confer also the rite of confirmation, without recourse to the bishop.
Finally comes the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Those participating in it are considered to have complied with the Office of Readings for Easter.

General Introduction by the Celebrant or a Commentator
As there is an introduction by the Presiding Celebrant for each part of tonight’s celebration, a suitable lay minister could give the general introduction at the beginning of the service.

2.I Was There
The reality of the whole Easter event is so tremendous and real for us that we must relive it as not just an event from the past but something present and real affecting us today. When Jesus died on the cross, I was there and looked up to him. When Jesus died on the cross and was buried, I was there and died and was buried with him, for I have been baptized in his death. When Jesus rose from the dead, I was there with him, for I rose with him to the new life of baptism. When Jesus, as the firstborn from the dead, went ahead of us to the promised land of heaven, I was there with him and I began, with the whole people of God, my journey to the promised land of heaven and I am still on the way in hope. Sisters and brothers, this is what we relive in this Easter celebration. It is our greatest celebration, for it is the celebration of life and joy.

3.LIBERATED FOR THE COVENANT OF LOVE
Tonight we celebrate the capital, central event for Christianity: the liberation of God’s people from the slavery of sin, so that they can enter into the new and everlasting covenant whereby God, at his own initiative, binds his people to himself in a deep union of life and love. For God’s people in the Old Testament God saw the hardships they suffered in their slavery in Egypt, liberated them and made with them the covenant through Moses on Mount Sinai. For us Christians, God saw our slavery to sin and our inability to get rid of it. So he sent Jesus, his own Son, to make us free by his death on the cross on Mount Golgotha and by his resurrection. Now we are a free people, capable of love and service and justice. We celebrate this freedom and covenant this very night.

PART I: SERVICE OF THE LIGHT

Introduction by the Celebrant
Dear People of God: At the beginning of the Jewish Easter celebration the youngest in the group asked: “Why is this night so different from all other nights?” and the head of the family answered: Tonight we celebrate because once we were slaves under the Pharaoh of Egypt, but the Lord God has set us free and led his people out of Egypt with joy.” When we Christians ask ourselves tonight: “Why celebrate in the dark of the night?” we answer, “We begin our celebration in the dark because we were once slaves in the darkness of sin, but the Lord Jesus has set us free by dying for us on the cross. But in the night of Easter he rose from the dead and brought us the life of his risen life. There he made us God’s new chosen people and became our light to lead us to the promised land.” This is why we light the fire and the Easter candle as we sing our praise and thanks to God.
– Then follow the blessing of the fire, the lighting of the Easter candle, the procession into the church and the Exsultet.

PART II. THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

Introduction by the Celebrant
We listen now to the Word of God with open ears and hearts and with great joy. God’s Word tonight speaks of the liberation of the people of God, old and new, and therefore how we too have been liberated by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Note. The seven Old Testament readings may be reduced to three. Exodus 14, on the passover from Israel to the Promised Land, should always be among those selected.

First Reading (Gen 1:1-2, 2:2): The Beautiful Poem of Creation
In this first act of salvation, God created order out of chaos and light out of darkness. He created man and woman in his own image and entrusted the earth and its resources to them to develop.

Holy Saturday
At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter

Reading 1 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 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! Alleluia.
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 2 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 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 3 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 4 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 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 good will.
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 5 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 6 Bar 3:9-15, 32C4:4
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 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 7 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 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
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 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 Mt 28:1-10
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was like lightning
and his clothing was white as snow.
The guards were shaken with fear of him
and became like dead men.
Then the angel said to the women in reply,
"Do not be afraid!
I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
'He has been raised from the dead,
and he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.'
Behold, I have told you."
Then they went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce this to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."

First Reading (Ex 14:15-31): Passing through the Water to Freedom
This is the story of the night of Israel’s freedom: God led his people out from slavery to freedom through the saving waters and made a covenant with them. We will enter into freedom in Christ through the waters of baptism.

Second Reading (Is 55:1-11): Invitation to Paradise Regained
If we seek the Lord, he will restore us by his free gift of grace and make a new covenant with us. Then we can be his witnesses to all nations and bring them to God.

Third Reading (Ez 36:16-28): A New People with a New Heart
When during the exile the Jews repent their infidelity, God promises to wash his people from their sins. They will become like a new people with a new heart living in a new covenant of love. We are that people of the new covenant washed in baptism.

Introduction before the Gloria and the Opening Prayer.
The candles on the altar are now lit for we enter the New Testament, in which Christ is our light.

Opening Prayer.
Let us pray that we may follow wholeheartedly
Christ, our light and life
(PAUSE)
Lord our God,
your have brightened this night
with the glorious light of Christ.
Make us rise with him to a new life
of faithful love in the new covenant
and renew us in mind and body
that we may be your loyal sons and daughters
and give you wholehearted service,
together with your risen Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First New Testament Reading (Rom 6:3-11): Risen With Christ
We become part of the death and resurrection of Christ through baptism; there we have taken up the struggle against sin and begun to live the life of Christ.

Gospel of Year A (Mt 28:1-10): The Lord Is Risen!
God reveals himself in power in Jesus’ resurrection. It is a new creation of the world, beginning, like the first creation, on the first day. The women, the disciples and we, disciples today, are now witnesses to the risen Christ.

Gospel of Year B (Mt 28:1-10): The Lord Is Risen!
To their surprise, the women do not find the body of Jesus in the tomb, for he is risen. They have to announce this good news to the apostles. It is also our Good News.

Gospel of Year C (Lk 24:1-12): The Lord Is Alive and Risen!
The women disciples of Jesus find the tomb empty and do not know what to think. The angel announces to them that the Lord is alive and risen. The apostles have difficulty believing. Yet, with them, we have to be witnesses to the risen Lord.

PART III. THE LITURGY OF BAPTISM

Note. If the baptismal font is to be blessed, whether there are actual baptisms or not, the Litany of the Saints is sung or prayed. If the font is not to be blessed, there is a blessing of holy water, followed by the renewal of baptismal vows.

Introduction by the Celebrant
Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Brothers and sisters in Christ in this beautiful night we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By dying he destroyed death for us, by rising he has affirmed our life. In baptism we have died with him to sin but we have not yet won all our struggles against evil and God’s life in us has not yet come to full bloom. This is why the Church invites us again to reject what is against the covenant of love and to promise, as we did in baptism, to live according to its law of service and goodness. We renew our baptismal promises. And so:
Do you reject...
Do you believe...

General Intercessions
Where the Litany of the Saints has been used at baptism and/or the blessing of the font, it serves as General Intercessions. Otherwise:
Let us pray to God our Father, who has raised Jesus from the dead, and let us say: R/ Lord raise us up with your Son.
– For those who have been baptized tonight and for all Christians, that they may remain faithful to their baptismal promises in all circumstances of life, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all who suffer and for the dying that their hope and strength may be Jesus, who, through and beyond death, has built a road to new life, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all those whose experiences have discouraged or disillusioned them in life, that they may not remain obsessed by the past but look forward to the future with its new prospects and opportunities, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all those who have committed themselves to serve the needs of others, that they may keep faith in a better world in which peace and justice are not empty words, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all of us gathered here in the joy of Easter, that we may be happy and jovial people who know that God loves us with an enduring love and that we may radiate this love on one another, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
Our God and Father, you call us your sons and daughters and that is what we really are. Make us gratefully cooperate with you in the works of your creating and serving love and to look forward in hope to the happiness without end promised us in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer Over the Gifts
Lord, God of life,
you gather us around this table
to celebrate the Easter meal
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept with this bread and this wine
the prayers and offerings of your people.
Make our faith firm,
that your Son may continue
to live in us and to lead us to you,
our living and loving God for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let our joy brim over in this eucharist as we give thanks to the Father for having saved us by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Invitation to the Our Father
Sons and daughters of the Father through baptism,
let the joy of the Spirit cry out in us
in Jesus’ own words. R/ Our Father...

Invitation to Communion
This is our risen Lord, who said
and says again to us this night:
“I am the bread of life.
Those who eat my flesh and drink by blood
have eternal life and I live in them.”
With this faith, come to the table of the Lord.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our Father,
with joy we have shared
in the Easter meal of your Son.
Through his body and blood you have assured us
that we are destined for eternal life
and that this life is already stirring in us.
Keep filling us with the Spirit of your love,
that we may live in the joy of your one people,
one in heart and mind,
and living for one another and for you,
our God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer after Communion
What an experience of joy
if we have really relived tonight
what we have become through Jesus’ resurrection.
May we keep living in the hope and happiness
of a people that is risen above sin and evil
and live for all that is good and beautiful.
May the almighty and loving God bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, alleluia, alleluia!

R/ Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!

Friday April 14

“An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to speak, and impossible to be silent.” (Edmund Burke). The event in question today is Death. Not an ordinary death, but the death of the Son of God. A seemingly useless, unnecessary death that could have been avoided. If only he had been careful, more prudent, had compromised a little! A seemingly wasted life and a wasted death. Only seemingly. Because the final words of Jesus reveal something precious: “It is accomplished.” So, his death was an accomplishment. What is accomplished through his death? His Mission. The purpose for which he was born. Reconciliation of sinful humanity with God. Our redemption.

Can one death mean so much? His death does. There was a Death, certainly, but it was a birthing as well. With sorrow and gratitude, let us look on him whom we have pierced. For his death has birthed us into new life.

Saturday April 15

Holy Saturday. The day when God lay dead in the tomb and the world groped in darkness without Him. But not for long. As the day ended, deep down the chaos and the deadness a new creation was happening. God in Christ defeats death for ever, making our resurrection from death a possibility and actuality. Mary and her friends go to the tomb seeking death and its stink. What meets them at the tomb is the irrepressible aroma of life. “Why look for the living among the dead?” Christ is risen, indeed! The resurrection of Christ was the laughter of God at the defeat of death and sin. The holy Mother Church cannot contain her joy today. So She breaks into the Exsultet. She does so, even calling the sin of Adam a “happy fault” and “necessary sin,” for it “gained for us so great a Redeemer!” Let us laugh our hearts out and rejoice!

Sunday April 16

Two men run to the grave at dawn one spring day. A woman, the disciple Mary Magdalene, encouraged them to set out. It's true! The tomb is empty; everything is in disarray, even the shroud is out of place. Peter is the first to enter; the other disciple had the courtesy to wait for what will happen. Entering he sees and believes: he knows how to read every sign in the light of faith. Since then, many new experiences accumulate, difficult to understand. Scripture alone will reveal the full meaning of the Resurrection.

Sunday April 16

1.The Victory of Life
2.A Risen People
3.Called to Life with Christ

1.The Victory of Life

Greeting (See alternative Second Reading)

Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed
and he is risen from the dead.
Let us celebrate the feast
by getting rid of all that is evil
and becoming all new in the Lord.
May the Risen Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant
It is very inspiring to meet people wounded in their love and their life, whom we expect to be disgruntled and discouraged, yet who keep believing in love and the goodness of God and of the people around them. Today we meet in the eucharist him who keeps our faith and hope alive in God’s goodness and loving concern: it is Jesus, our Lord risen from the dead. He went through suffering and death for us, and when all looked lost, all seemed in vain, he kept trusting in the Father and he rose from the dead. By the power of Jesus we too can rise to new life, to a feast of joy within us. We believe in the risen Lord and in the resurrection he has brought us.

Penitential Act
We celebrate with our Risen Lord
that we are people who erred but are forgiven.
We acclaim Jesus our Savior.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, Lamb that was slain,
you are risen, the firstborn of the dead:
Glory to you!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, light of the world,
our resurrection and life:
Glory to you!
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, hope of all nations
our joy and our bread of life:
Glory to you!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
keep forgiving us our sins,
make us all new and lead us
to the joy of everlasting life. Amen.

Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God
that we may rise with the risen Lord Jesus
(PAUSE)
God of all life,
take away all sadness and doubt from us
and help us to believe in life,
now that your Son Jesus Christ is risen.
Make us see him raised up and alive,
walking with us on the road of life,
that we too may be a living people,
rising up from our drab and indifferent ways.
Fill us with the joy of the Spirit,
that our faith and love may never waver,
for Christ is risen and we are alive in him,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

2.A Risen People
Greeting (see Second Reading II)


Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed;
let us celebrate the feast of Easter
by getting rid of the old ways of evil
and eating the new bread
of sincerity and truth.
A Happy Easter to all of you,
and may the Risen Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant
Jesus our Lord is risen. Alleluia! This Jesus who was condemned to death, scourged and mocked and crowned with thorns, he who was jeered when he died on the cross, is risen and alive! Since that day God guarantees that his love is stronger than death. He also reassures us on this day: look to my risen Son: with him you are already rising from your pain and loneliness and wounds. With my Son and his Church your task is to lift up people from their miseries, to revive hope and joy and happiness until the day when you will fully rise to the happiness that can never be dimmed or taken away from you. Let the joy of the risen Christ light up your faces.

Penitential Act
Christ has overcome sin and death.
Have we let him drive out from us the evil of sin?
Have we let him renew us?
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, all glory to you!
For you are the firstborn from the dead.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, all praise to you!
For your rising is the pledge of a new world.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, all thanksgiving to you!
For you are the hope of all people.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord.
We are sure you forgive us all our sins
and want us to live to the full.
Stay with us and lead us forward
on the road to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer
Let us give thanks to the Father
for he has brought us life and joy
through Jesus, his risen Son.
(PAUSE)
God of life and of love,
we rejoice today that Jesus is risen
and that he has begun
to raise us up with him in baptism.
Continue in us the work of resurrection,
lift us above our faults, our mediocrity,
to joy and unselfish love
as we serve you in one another.
Let your Spirit make us free
to bring hope and justice to all around us,
until you raise us up to share
in your happiness without end.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our risen Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

3. Called to Life with Christ

Greeting

Christ is risen, alleluia!
With Christians all over the world
we shout this cry of joy today
as we thank our Father in heaven
for raising Jesus from the dead.
May the peace and joy of the Risen Lord
be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant
Today we celebrate life: the life of Jesus, as he rose from the dead; our life that is now stronger than death, stronger than all suffering and pain. Life makes sense and is worthwhile. It is very precious, and we have to bring life to one another and to our world: it must be a risen world in which there is joy, not fear, where justice and love triumph. Let us pray to the risen Lord here among us that we and our world may rise with him.

Penitential Act
It is time to cast off sin
and to rise with Jesus our Lord.
We acclaim him as our liberator from sin.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you have changed our mourning
into joy and life and freedom:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you have buried our sins;
you call us out of our tombs with you:
Christ have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you have opened to all people
the gate to life;
you are the hope and light and life of all:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
undo our past of sin
and make us rise with you.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer
Let us pray that the risen Christ
may fill our lives with love and joy
(PAUSE)
Lord God, loving Father,
we acclaim Jesus your Son as our risen Lord.
We thank you that in him
a new, risen life has begun for us
and a new dawn has come for the world.
We pray you on this day of joy:
Pour out his Holy Spirit on us too,
that we may become new,
free in heart and spirit,
and break for each other the bread of love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading: Witnesses to the Resurrection
Peter testifies to the reality of the resurrection: Jesus is truly risen personally and if we believe in the risen Lord, we will be saved.

Reading 1 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.

Second Reading: Risen With Christ
Christ’s resurrection has already begun in us, says St Paul. We must continue to rise with him by letting him free us more and more, so as to share one day in his full risen glory.

Reading 2: 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.

Alternative Second Reading: 1 Cor 5:6b–8 New People in the Risen Christ
We should not let evil ferment in us, but rather let the new life in Christ be the ferment that transforms us and the world.

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
R.Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us feast with joy in the Lord.
R.Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel I: [Day Masses] He Saw and He Believed
Mary Magdalene and the apostles were upset to find the tomb empty. But first John, then the others, realized that Jesus was risen from the dead. Thus they strengthen our faith in the risen Lord.

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.

Or Gospel II [may be used at Sunday evening Masses]
Lk 24:13-35: They Recognized the Lord at the Breaking of Bread
Every Christian goes on the road of Emmaus with the risen Lord; we grope to understand his word, his presence is hidden and recognizable only by faith, he nourishes us with the eucharist. Are we eager to proclaim his good news?

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

Renewal of Baptismal Promises
– In Easter Sunday Masses which are celebrated with a congregation, the rite of the renewal of baptismal promises is repeated after the homily and replaces the Creed.
– The renunciations reject all that is against the covenant of love between God and his people; the promises renew our fidelity to that covenant.
– The priest speaks to the people in these or similar words:

Dear friends, Christ is risen, and we rose with him on the day we were baptized. Since then, we are called to a new, risen life, until the day the Lord will raise us up to enter with him in the Father’s joy. Let this holy water come down on us like a life-giving rain that steeps us deeper into the life of Christ. May the Lord pour the flood of his love on you and may the Holy Spirit rejoice your heart. And so:
Priest: Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God’s children?
All: I do.
P.: Do you reject the glamor of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?
All: I do.
P.: Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?
All: I do.
Then the priest continues:
P.: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,creator of heaven and earth?
All: I do.
P.: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
All: I do.
P.: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
All: I do.
The priest concludes: God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.
All: Amen
The priest sprinkles the people with holy water, while a fitting baptismal song is sung.

General Intercessions
On the day of the Lord’s resurrection we celebrate his and our new, risen life. Let us pray to the Lord of life and say: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
– Risen Lord, fill your Church to the brim with a deep faith in your resurrection, that all of your people may be alive with the joy of seeing how rich and meaningful their life is now, we pray to you, Lord: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
– Risen Lord, for all the newly baptized, that the new life they have received on Easter may grow and inspire them to do good, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
– Risen Lord, for those who rarely come to church and for those who have lost the way to church, that the feast of Easter may be an invitation to them to renew their faith and their life in you, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
– Risen Lord, for all people who are persecuted, for those who suffer from injustice and illness, that you hear their cries for liberation and raise them up from their sorrows, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
– Risen Lord, for all our faithful departed, that they may now share in the life and the joy that you have promised to all who believe in you, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
– Risen Lord, for all of us, that the joy the Blessed Virgin Mary experienced at the sight of her risen Son may deepen our faith in the resurrection and fill our lives with the peace that Easter brings, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.
Risen Lord, in you life and love were stronger than death. Let your life in us bring us light, forgiveness and joy, now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts
Father,
together we celebrate our new life
at the table of your Son
and we offer it with him.
Accept our joy and thanks,
and let his life and love
grow day after day in us
and in the community he saved.
Let the power of his resurrection work in us
to lift up our brothers and sisters who suffer.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
With great gratitude and joy let us give thanks to the Father, for he has saved us and made us new by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
As sons and daughters of the Father
through the death and resurrection of Jesus,
let us pray to him the prayer
taught us by our risen Lord. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from every evil
and grant us in our day
the peace which our Lord Jesus brought
to the apostles in the evening of Easter.
To make us into your new people,
keep us free from sin
and strengthen us in the trials of life.
Already in this life we wait for the happiness
of those risen with your Son,
and we are certain of the coming in glory
of your living Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion
This is the Risen Lord,
our paschal Lamb that was slain
but who is alive and risen.
With faith in him,
let us accept his invitation
to eat the bread that gives life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion
Father, we have heard it today:
we have risen with Christ,
we are brought back to life through him
and we have eaten at his table
the food of resurrection and life.
By your Holy Spirit,
keep us faithful to our baptismal promises,
make our joy and love contagious,
let us be your new people
and raise us up on the last day
with Jesus, your Risen Son,
for he is our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing
Christ has made us all new
by rising from the dead.
May we live like risen people
who have encountered the Lord
in his Word, at his table,
in one another.
May we bring his life and hope
to all those around us.
May almighty God bless you all
with his strength, his compassion,
his self-giving love:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

And share the love and joy of Christ
with one another. R/ Thanks be to God.

Monday April 17

Introduction
Peter had refused to say that he knew Jesus. Now, he cannot stop proclaiming that Jesus is risen. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, rush to tell the apostles that Jesus is risen. The readings of today are all about witnessing to the resurrection. Peter proclaims it as the key to his faith: Jesus who had been killed is truly risen and we, his disciples, are witnesses to this fact and this person. Mary Magdalene and her companion are told by the angels at the tomb that Jesus is risen. Then, they themselves encountered him. The Risen Jesus instructed them to convey this news to his other disciples. For now, they too, are witnesses that Christ is alive. We are these witnesses today.

Opening Prayer
Our living God,
our heart is glad and rejoices
and we feel secure in our faith,
that we have a living person to believe in,
Jesus Christ, who is risen from the dead.
Let him show us the path of life,
let us live in the joy of his presence
and give us the grace to make us witnesses,
so that we can proclaim with our whole life,
that Jesus is our risen, living Lord,
now and for ever.

Reading 1: Acts 2:14, 22-33
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

“You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.

My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.”

Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel: Mt 28:8-15
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

Intentions
– For all the newly-baptized, that they may keep growing nearer to the risen Lord, we pray:
– For the missionaries, that they may proclaim to all those who are willing to listen that Jesus is the Risen Lord, who raises us above our selfishness and limitations, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may be joyful people, firm in our faith, because we have a Lord who has overcome evil and death, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
God,
it is a real joy for us
that your Son, Jesus, has invited us
to sit at table with him.
Let him again break for us
the bread of himself
and let him make us a people of joy and hope,
who live close to Jesus
and close to our brothers and sisters,
as we are bound together
by the life and love of Jesus Christ,
our risen Lord, now and for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Lord God,
your Son Jesus, has spoken to us
his Word of greeting that takes away our fears
and that fills us with joy.
He has nourished us at his table
with the warmth of his loving presence.
Give us now the inspiration
to let our whole life bear witness to him,
to say that we believe in his message of hope
and that he is the center and meaning of our life.
For he is Jesus, our living Lord,
now and for ever.

Blessing
Do not be afraid. Tell your brothers and sisters that the Lord is risen and alive. Let him also be alive in our communities, in our joy, in our faith, in our readiness to serve and love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Monday April 17

In a culture that did not accept as valid the testimony of women, it is remarkable that the four gospels did not hesitate to make Mary Magdalene’s the first testimony of the resurrection of Jesus. It has much to say about the role of women as preachers today. The chief priests and the Jewish authorities also had a “first”: they were the first to give an explanation of the empty tomb. They would be followed by a cloud of theologians throughout the centuries who have tried to explain everything in the Faith. To explain is to explain away, because our explanations never do justice to reality. To “explain” means “to flatten out”, and a mystery flattened out is only a theory at best. Perhaps it will be especially through the preaching of women that the mysteries will become mysteries again.