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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 22 March 2026 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Preface, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Offertory

Psalm 118 : 17, 107

Confitebor Tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo : retribue servo Tuo : vivam, et custodiam sermones Tuos : vivifica me secundum verbum Tuum, Domine.

English translation

I will confess to You, o Lord, with my whole heart, render to Your servant. I shall live and keep Your words. Enliven me according to Your word, o Lord.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Haec munera, quaesumus Domine, et vincula nostrae pravitatis absolvant, et Tuae nobis misericordiae dona concilient. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

May these offerings, we pray to You, o Lord, both loosen the bonds of our sins, and win for us the gifts of Your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Preface of the Holy Cross

Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos Tibi semper et ubique gratias agere : Domine, Sancte Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus : Qui salutem humani generis in ligno Crucis constituisti : ut, unde mors oriebatur, inde vita resurgeret : et, qui in ligno vincebat, in ligno quoque vinceretur : per Christum, Dominum nostrum.

Per quem majestatem Tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt Potestates. Caeli caelorumque Virtutes ac beata Seraphim socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces ut admitti jubeas, deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes :

English translation

It is truly meet and just, right and profitable for us, at all times, and in all places, to give thanks to You, o Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God. Who had established the salvation of mankind in the wood of the cross, that from whence death came into the world, thence a new life might spring, and that he who by a tree overcome, by a tree might be overthrown. Through Christ our Lord.

Through Whom the Angels praise, the Dominations adore, the Powers, trembling with awe, worship Your majesty, which the heavens, and the forces of heaven, together with the Blessed Seraphim joyfully do magnify. And may You command that it be permitted to our lowliness to join with them in confessing You and unceasingly to repeat :

Communion

1 Corinthians 11 : 24, 25

Hoc corpus, quod pro vobis tradetur : hic calix novi Testamenti est in Meo sanguine, dicit Dominus : hoc facite, quotiescumque sumitis, in Meam commemorationem.

English translation

This is My Body, which shall be delivered for you. This is the chalice of the New Testament in My Blood, says the Lord. Do this, as often as you receive it, in commemoration of Me.

Post-Communion Prayer

Adesto nobis, Domine, Deus noster : et, quos Tuis mysteriis recreasti, perpetuis defende subsidiis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Draw near to us, o Lord, our God, and with Your perpetual succour defend those whom You have refreshed with Your mysteries. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 22 March 2026 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. John

John 8 : 46-59

In illo tempore : Dicebat Jesus turbis Judaeorum : Quis ex vobis arguet me de peccato? Si veritatem dico vobis, quare non creditis mihi? Qui ex Deo est, verba Dei audit. Propterea vos non auditis, quia ex Deo non estis.

Responderunt ergo Judaei et dixerunt ei : Nonne bene dicimus nos, quia Samaritanus es tu, et daemonium habes? Respondit Jesus : Ego daemonium non habeo, sed honorifico Patrem Meum, et vos inhonorastis Me. Ego autem non quaero gloriam Meam : est, qui quaerat et judicet.

Amen, amen, dico vobis : si quis sermonem Meum servaverit, mortem non videbit in aeternum. Dixerunt ergo Judaei : Nunc cognovimus, quia daemonium habes. Abraham mortuus est et Prophetae; et Tu dicis : Si quis sermonem Meum servaverit, non gustabit mortem in aeternum. Numquid Tu major es patre nostro Abraham, qui mortuus est? Et Prophetae mortui sunt. Quem teipsum facis?

Respondit Jesus : Si Ego glorifico meipsum, gloria Mea nihil est : est Pater Meus, qui glorificat Me, quem vos dicitis, quia Deus vester est, et non cognovistis eum : Ego autem novi eum : et si dixero, quia non scio eum, ero similis vobis, mendax. Sed scio eum et sermonem ejus servo. Abraham pater vester exsultavit, ut videret diem meum : vidit, et gavisus est.

Dixerunt ergo Judaei ad Eum : Quinquaginta annos nondum habes, et Abraham vidisti? Dixit eis Jesus : Amen, amen, dico vobis, antequam Abraham fieret, Ego sum. Tulerunt ergo lapides, ut jacerent in Eum : Jesus autem abscondit se, et exivit de Templo.

English translation

At that time, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews, “Which of you shall convince Me of sin? If I say truth to you, why do you not believe Me? He Who is of God, hears the words of God. Therefore you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, “Do we not say well, that You are a Samaritan, and had a devil?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a devil, but I honour My Father, and you have dishonoured Me. But I do not seek My own glory, there is one who seeks and judges.”

“Amen, Amen, I say to you, if any man keeps My word, he shall not see death forever.” The Jews therefore said, “Now we know that You have a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and You said, ‘If any man keeps My word, he shall not taste death forever. Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself?”

Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father Who glorified Me, of Whom you say that He is your God. And you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I shall say that I do not know Him, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know Him, and do keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see My day. He saw it, and was glad.”

The Jews therefore said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM.” They took up stones therefore to cast at Him, but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the Temple.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 22 March 2026 : Gradual and Tract

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Gradual

Psalm 142 : 9, 10 and Psalm 17 : 48-49

Eripe me, Domine, de inimicis meis : doce me facere voluntatem Tuam.

Response : Liberator meus, Domine, de gentibus iracundis : ab insurgentibus in me exaltabis me : a viro iniquo eripies me.

English translation

Deliver me from my enemies, o Lord, teach me to do Your will.

Response : My Deliverer, o Lord, from the angry nations, You will lift me up above those who rise up against me, from the unjust man You will deliver me.

Tract

Psalm 128 : 1-4

Saepe expugnaverunt me a juventute mea.

Response : Dicat nunc Israel : saepe expugnaverunt me a juventute mea.

Response : Etenim non potuerunt mihi : supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores.

Response : Prolongaverunt iniquitates suas : Dominus justus concidit cervices peccatorum.

English translation

Often have they fought against me from my youth.

Response : Let Israel now say, often have they fought against me from my youth.

Response : But they could not prevail over me, the wicked have wrought upon my back.

Response : They have lengthened their iniquities, the Lord Who is just will cut the neck of sinners.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 22 March 2026 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Lectio Epistolae Beati Pauli Apostoli ad Hebraeos – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews

Hebrews 9 : 11-15

Fratres : Christus assistens Pontifex futurorum bonorum, per amplius et perfectius tabernaculum non manufactum, id est, non hujus creationis : neque per sanguinem hircorum aut vitulorum, sed per proprium sanguinem introivit semel in Sancta, aeterna redemptione inventa.

Si enim sanguis hircorum et taurorum, et cinis vitulae aspersus, inquinatos sanctificat ad emundationem carnis : quanto magis sanguis Christi, qui per Spiritum Sanctum semetipsum obtulit immaculatam Deo, emundabit conscientiam nostram ab operibus mortuis, ad serviendum Deo viventi?

Et ideo novi Testamenti mediator est : ut, morte intercedente, in redemptionem earum, praevaricationum, quae erant sub priori Testamento, repromissionem accipiant, qui vocati sunt aeternae hereditatis, in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.

English translation

Brethren, Christ having come, a High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by His own Blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh, how much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who, through the Holy Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the Living God?

And therefore He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of His death, for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, they who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 22 March 2026 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Introit

Psalm 42 : 1-2 and 3

Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta : ab homine iniquo et doloso eripe me : quia Tu es Deus meus et fortitudo mea.

Emitte lucem Tuam et veritatem Tuam : ipsa me deduxerunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum Tuum et in tabernacula Tua.

Response : Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta : ab homine iniquo et doloso eripe me : quia Tu es Deus meus et fortitudo mea.

English translation

Judge me, o God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy. Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. For You are my God and my Strength.

Send forth Your light and Your truth, they have conducted me, and brought me unto Your holy hill, and into Your tabernacles.

Response : Judge me, o God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy. Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. For You are my God and my Strength.

Collect

Quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, familiam Tuam propitius respice : ut, Te largiente, regatur in corpore : et, Te servante, custodiantur in mente. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Look with favour upon Your household, we beseech You, o Almighty God, that, by Your gift, it may be governed in body and, by Your preservation, may be guarded in Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season and time of Lent, and as we are approaching the last two weeks of this Lenten season, we are reminded ever more through our Scripture readings of the things that happened around the Passion of Our Lord, building up towards the climax at the events we commemorate at the Easter or Paschal Triduum. We are reminded of all the plotting, hardships, trials and oppositions that the Lord encountered throughout His ministry and works, all of which came about because of the pride, ego and ambition of many among the people of God at that time, especially the leaders and elders of the people, all of whom sought to silence and destroy the Lord, seeing Him as a great threat to them and their status in the community.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which we heard the conversation between Jeremiah and God, where the prophet confided to God everything that the people had carried out against him, in their plots and designs to destroy him and to silence him despite everything that he had done for the good of the people of God, in bringing to them the warning from the Lord and also telling them at the same time of God’s continued patience and love for each and every one of them. And instead of appreciating what God had done for them through the labours of His prophet Jeremiah, they all tried to crush him and strike at him with all sorts of oppositions.

But God is a Just and Mighty God, Who is always kind, compassionate and caring towards those who are faithful to Him. He does not abandon His faithful ones to destruction and ruin, and He was certainly not silent when those who have held on to hope in Him faced challenges, trials and difficulties. He was always with each and every one of them, guiding and strengthening them all throughout their journey and struggles, carrying them and supporting them, providing them with the necessary courage and inspiration throughout those difficult moments. There were indeed times when the prophet Jeremiah almost lost it amidst all the plots and challenges facing him, and yet, in the end, he still trusted fully in the Lord and His Providence.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in which the continuation of the debates and the disagreements among the leaders and elders of the people, the elders and important persona of the Jewish community, were heard by us, as they gathered and debated about what the Lord Jesus had told them in their confrontation if we recall what it was as highlighted in our readings yesterday. The Lord rebuked those people for lacking faith and for not believing in Him despite everything that He has shown them and done before them all, all the miracles and wonders He had done, all the Wisdom that He had delivered to them, which they refused to believe out of pride and ego.

And they all debated as we heard in today’s Gospel passage, doubting and refuting Christ’s claim simply because they thought that it was impossible for someone like Him to have been the Messiah, thinking that they knew His background and identity, as a mere Son of a carpenter from Nazareth in Galilee, a region from which no prophet or Messiah was prophesied to come or originate from, but little did they know that the Lord was truly born in Bethlehem in Judea, and His foster-father was none other than the Heir of David himself, the King of Israel, and therefore, fulfilling perfectly all that God Himself had proclaimed and repeatedly reassured to all of His people through His many prophets and messengers.

The Lord has not withhold anything from us, and He gave us only the best of the best, none other than His own Beloved and Begotten Son, Whom He has sent into our midst to bring unto us the healing and reconciliation that is necessary so that we may find our way back to Him and His loving embrace. Having been separated from Him due to our disobedience and sins, we should have deserved death and destruction. And yet, God Who is always loving, kind and compassionate towards us always show us all His love, His ever present grace and His patient care, ever always reaching out to us all despite our stubborn attitudes and refusals to follow Him or listen to His words and reminders, as our ancestors had done to the prophets and to the Lord Himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to journey through this time and season of Lent, with the spirit and fervour in our hearts, doing our best in every time and moment, seeking to strengthen our connection and relationship with God once again, if we have not been doing so regularly so far. Let us all continue to strive to spend more good and quality time with the Lord and to reorientate our lives so that we may truly walk faithfully and courageously with the Lord, be it in good times or bad times, in times of plenty and in times of suffering. Let us all continue to be good role models and examples in our every actions, words and deeds, in our every efforts and endeavours in life.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to show us all His most generous mercy, love and kindness at all times, strengthening each one of us with the necessary courage and inspiration, the patience and perseverance necessary to continue pushing on regardless of the challenges and trials that we may be facing in life. Let us not lose hope and be overcome by fear whenever we encounter difficult moments and struggles, remembering that the Lord Himself has suffered the worst of sufferings and punishments for our sake. Even as we journey patiently through all these challenges, let us remember that God is always with us, and there are those whom He has placed to help and journey with us too. Therefore, let us all continue to trust in the Lord and follow Him wholeheartedly, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 7 : 40-53

At that time, many who had been listening to these words began to say, “This is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some wondered, “Would the Christ come from Galilee? Does Scripture not say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David? The crowd was divided over Him. Some wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

The officers of the Temple went back to the chief priests, who asked them, “Why did you not bring Him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this Man.” The Pharisees then said, “So you, too, have been led astray! Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in Him? Only those cursed people, who have no knowledge of the Law!”

Yet one of them, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, spoke out, “Does our law condemn people without first hearing them and knowing the facts?” They replied, “Do you, too, come from Galilee? Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.” And they all went home.

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Saturday, 21 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 7 : 2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

O Lord, my God, in You I take shelter; deliver me and save me from all my pursuers, lest lions tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

O Lord, my righteousness; You see that I am blameless. Bring to an end the power of the wicked, but affirm the just, o righteous God, searcher of mind and heart.

You cover me as a shield. Oh God, for You protect the upright. A righteous judge is God, His anger ever awaiting those who refuse to repent.

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Saturday, 21 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 11 : 18-20

YHVH made it known to me and so I know! And You let me see their scheming. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me that they were plotting, “Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.”

YHVH, God of hosts, You Who judge with justice and know everyone’s heart and intentions, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have entrusted my cause.

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Friday, 20 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings, we are reminded that as we progress through this time and season of Lent, each and every one of us as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen may have to encounter difficult trials, oppositions and challenges in our paths and in our ways, but we must not give up hope and we must not be afraid or fearful because ultimately, God is always with us and He will always guide us and provide for us everything that we need in our paths and journeys, in doing whatever it is that He has entrusted to us to do. Let us all remember that whatever hardships and difficulties we have to endure, the Lord Himself has also experienced it as well, in His loving sacrifice through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the account of the persecution of God’s prophets and servants by the people to whom they had been sent to minister to, highlighting just how stubborn and unreasonable the people had often been in their refusal to obey the words of the Lord, despite all that the Lord Himself had done for them, and everything that He has told them and given to them in reassurance of His constant love and care. Instead of appreciating the works of the Lord made through His prophets, they hardened their hearts and minds against those words and reminders, plotting the suffering and destruction of those prophets and messengers of God that had been sent for their own good.

This passage from the Book of Wisdom was also in fact also a prophecy about the Lord’s salvation itself, as it spoke clearly about the coming of the One Whom God would send into this world and Who would claim to be the Son of God, having God Himself as His Father in Heaven. All these were indeed what the Lord Jesus Himself had done, everything that the author of the Book of Wisdom had said and recorded, as reminders for all of us that everything which God had promised to us He would do, He would indeed accomplish and fulfil perfectly without exception. That is why we are reminded of God’s Providence and Love, and how He had shown this Love so perfectly and wonderfully to us through His Son, Who manifested to us the perfect Love of God.

And as we heard in how those people were to treat this same manifestation of God’s Perfect Love, by plotting against Him, persecuting and rejecting Him as they had done to the prophets in the past, and eventually as it would all be accomplished through Christ, that He would suffer and die the worst of sufferings, humiliations and punishments, all of which He did willingly and lovingly as He took up and bore His Cross, upon His own bleeding shoulders, so that by His wounds and hurts, His outpoured Blood and broken Body, He might show unto us all the perfect fulfilment of God’s promises and assurances to us, in His consistent and ever enduring Love, one which He bore even unto the Cross and unto His death at Calvary.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the confrontation between the Lord and His opponents, some of the Jewish people in Jerusalem, where the latter wanted to see the Lord arrested, silenced and destroyed. The Lord pointed out against the complaints and doubts which those who opposed Him had in Him, how they thought they knew where He came from and therefore judged and being biased against Him prematurely, telling them all that they all thought they knew it better and that they knew Him, as a mere carpenter’s Son from a small and unassuming town in Galilee, from where no prophet or Saviour was predicted or prophesied to come from.

And yet, God’s truth was hidden from them, and even if any of them did know the truth, their pride and ego, their hubris and ambition became their undoing as all those things prevented them from truly embracing God’s truth and Good News, and accepting His fully free and generous gift of Love through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Despite everything that the Lord Himself had done, all the miracles and wonders that He had performed before the people and before even those naysayers and opponents of His, they still refused to believe nonetheless, no matter how many amazing things and great Wisdom they themselves had heard. Some of them even accused the Lord of colluding with the forces of evil and the prince of demons.

That was why, as we come ever closer to the celebration and commemoration of the events of the Holy Week in just over a week’s time, we are reminded of the events that would transpire in Jerusalem regarding the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the sufferings and hardships that He would undergo for the salvation of the whole world. We are reminded of how God’s love has been manifested so wonderfully and perfectly for us all, and that is why we are called to reflect upon all the love and grace that the Lord our God has shown us so patiently and willingly for our salvation, and this Lent, let us all see in what way and manner that we can live our lives better and more devotedly as Christians, in our attitudes in our respective communities and in our various areas in life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do our best in glorifying God at all times. Let us all be the good role models, inspirations and examples for everyone around us in how we continue to put our trust and faith in God despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face in life. Each and every one of us are the bearers of God’s Light, His truth, Good News and Love to our world today. Let us hence this Lent make the effort to be ever more loving in our every actions, in loving both God and our neighbours, and showing genuine care and kindness to everyone whom we encounter in life, now and always. Amen.