DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. Phil 2:8-9
John 12:12-16, Isaiah 50:4-7,
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24, Philippians 2:6-11,
Mark 15:1-39
John 12:12-16
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
By this time, the end of a three year public ministry, many who had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover had heard of You. Many had seen You, were witness to the many miracles You performed, had heard You teach as no other had ever taught, speak as no other had spoken. Many had come to believe in You and in the One who sent You.
Today the Church celebrates the event of Your triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is a foretaste of Your coming in glory and the whole Church welcoming You into the new city of Jerusalem. There You will take Your throne forever and ever.
But now we see the fickle crowds take up palm branches and welcome You as You enter the city on a colt in fulfillment of Sacred Scripture. They lay their cloaks on the road and hail You saying,
"Hosanna!
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
the king of Israel."
Today as the Church enters into the final seven day of our Lenten journey, stay with us Lord, accompany us, and make it a grace-filled period so we can celebrate wholeheartedly the joy of Your glorious Resurrection.
Isaiah 50:4-7
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
How well the prophet speaks of You. Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit he was inspired to write this about You. He prophesied about things that were to come as revealed to Him by the Spirit of God. He wrote of things that the Son of God and the Son of Man would have to endure. God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God; You gave Yourself into the hands of cruel men and they made sport of You. If only they could have known what they were doing. But it was necessary - ours the suffering You bore. Ours the sorrows You carried. You bore a punishment that brings us peace and by Your wounds we are healed. Thank You Beloved for "paying a debt You did not owe for us who owed a debt we could not pay."
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
In this Psalm David is describing the horrors that he is suffering at the hands of Saul who has been hounding him for years and is giving him no rest. But centuries later You would suffer more atrociously, and be treated more savagely than David ever was. In fact the horror of Your sufferings made You cry out in agony, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
In these verses David the prophet speaks of Your Crucifixion and of events that will occur when the soldiers divide Your garments and cast lots for Your seamless robe. These are all prophecies concerning You which are fulfilled.
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
"He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him."
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
Philippians 2:6-11
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
I am grateful that You showed us the way to the Heart of the Father. It is through humility and self-emptying obedience that we can truly image You.
Help me to remember this especially when my ego and my pride take a bruising. Teach me to be silent as You were. There is no need to defend myself if I am wrong. And there is absolutely no need to defend myself when I am right. You are my Defender.
Thank You for the Cross - the Sign of Victory and Triumph over death, sin, and the world.
Thank You Father for proclaiming to the all that lives and is whether in heaven, on earth and under the earth that Your Son and our Savior is truly King of Kings and Lord of Lord before whose Name all shall bend the knee and pay homage to Your eternal glory. Amen
Mark 15:1-39
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
For as often as I hear the Passion narratives in the coming week, and as often as I shall read it for my own personal reflection, grant although I will never be able to grasp the full extent of what You have endured and obtained for me, at least to some extent understand and appreciate the unpayable debt I owe You.
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
He said to him in reply, "You say so."
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
"Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?"
They shouted again, "Crucify him."
Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him."
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha
—which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
"Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe."
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
"Truly this man was the Son of God!"
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. Phil 2:8-9
John 12:12-16, Isaiah 50:4-7,
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24, Philippians 2:6-11,
Mark 15:1-39
John 12:12-16
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
By this time, the end of a three year public ministry, many who had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover had heard of You. Many had seen You, were witness to the many miracles You performed, had heard You teach as no other had ever taught, speak as no other had spoken. Many had come to believe in You and in the One who sent You.
Today the Church celebrates the event of Your triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is a foretaste of Your coming in glory and the whole Church welcoming You into the new city of Jerusalem. There You will take Your throne forever and ever.
But now we see the fickle crowds take up palm branches and welcome You as You enter the city on a colt in fulfillment of Sacred Scripture. They lay their cloaks on the road and hail You saying,
"Hosanna!
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
the king of Israel."
Today as the Church enters into the final seven day of our Lenten journey, stay with us Lord, accompany us, and make it a grace-filled period so we can celebrate wholeheartedly the joy of Your glorious Resurrection.
Isaiah 50:4-7
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
How well the prophet speaks of You. Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit he was inspired to write this about You. He prophesied about things that were to come as revealed to Him by the Spirit of God. He wrote of things that the Son of God and the Son of Man would have to endure. God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God; You gave Yourself into the hands of cruel men and they made sport of You. If only they could have known what they were doing. But it was necessary - ours the suffering You bore. Ours the sorrows You carried. You bore a punishment that brings us peace and by Your wounds we are healed. Thank You Beloved for "paying a debt You did not owe for us who owed a debt we could not pay."
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
In this Psalm David is describing the horrors that he is suffering at the hands of Saul who has been hounding him for years and is giving him no rest. But centuries later You would suffer more atrociously, and be treated more savagely than David ever was. In fact the horror of Your sufferings made You cry out in agony, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
In these verses David the prophet speaks of Your Crucifixion and of events that will occur when the soldiers divide Your garments and cast lots for Your seamless robe. These are all prophecies concerning You which are fulfilled.
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
"He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him."
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
Philippians 2:6-11
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
I am grateful that You showed us the way to the Heart of the Father. It is through humility and self-emptying obedience that we can truly image You.
Help me to remember this especially when my ego and my pride take a bruising. Teach me to be silent as You were. There is no need to defend myself if I am wrong. And there is absolutely no need to defend myself when I am right. You are my Defender.
Thank You for the Cross - the Sign of Victory and Triumph over death, sin, and the world.
Thank You Father for proclaiming to the all that lives and is whether in heaven, on earth and under the earth that Your Son and our Savior is truly King of Kings and Lord of Lord before whose Name all shall bend the knee and pay homage to Your eternal glory. Amen
Mark 15:1-39
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
For as often as I hear the Passion narratives in the coming week, and as often as I shall read it for my own personal reflection, grant although I will never be able to grasp the full extent of what You have endured and obtained for me, at least to some extent understand and appreciate the unpayable debt I owe You.
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
He said to him in reply, "You say so."
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
"Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?"
They shouted again, "Crucify him."
Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him."
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha
—which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
"Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe."
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
"Truly this man was the Son of God!"
No comments:
Post a Comment