fasting and abstinence

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 13 : 21-33, 36-38

At that time, after He said a discourse to His disciples after He washed their feet, Jesus was distressed in Spirit, and said plainly, “Truly, one of you will betray Me.” The disciples then looked at one another, wondering whom He meant. One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining near Jesus; so Simon Peter signalled him to ask Jesus whom He meant.

And the disciple, who was reclining near Jesus, asked Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “I shall dip a piece of bread in the dish, and he to whom I give it, is the one.” So Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And as Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus then said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

None of the others, reclining at the table, understood why Jesus said this to Judas. As Judas had the common purse, they may have thought that Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or “Give something to the poor.” Judas left as soon as he had eaten the bread. It was night.

When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. God will glorify Him, and He will glorify Him very soon. My children, I am with you for only a little while; you will look for Me, but as I already told the Jews, so now I tell you : where I am going you cannot come.”

Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but afterwards you will.” Peter said, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I am ready to give my life for You.”

“To give your life for Me?” Jesus asked Peter, “Truly I tell you, the cock will not crow, before you have denied Me three times.”

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 70 : 1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17

In You, o Lord, I seek refuge; let me not be disgraced. In Your justice help me and deliver me, turn Your ear to me and save me!

Be my Rock of refuge, a Stronghold to give me safety, for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o Lord, have been my Hope, my Trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

My lips will proclaim Your intervention and tell of Your salvation all day, little though it is what I can understand. You have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim Your marvels.

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Listen to me, o islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. YHVH called me from my mother’s womb; He pronounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in His quiver.

He said to me, “You are Israel, my servant, through you I will be known.” “I have laboured in vain,” I thought, “and spent my strength for nothing.” Yet what is due me was in the hand of YHVH, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of YHVH, and my God is my Strength.

And now YHVH has spoken, He Who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel to Him. He said : “It is not enough that you be My servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that My salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”

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Monday, 25 March 2024 : Monday of Holy Week (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded yet again of everything which the Lord our most loving, kind and merciful God had done for our sake, which He showed us all through His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Whose actions and sufferings had been foretold even by the prophets and messengers of God in the past, just as we heard it again through the readings of the Scriptures. These are meant to help us deepen our understanding of the significance of everything that we commemorate and remember throughout this most momentous and solemn Holy Week, so that we may truly appreciate how blessed and beloved each and every one of us have been, by our most loving God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke through His servant Isaiah regarding the coming of His salvation, grace and love which He would do through a Servant that He would send into the midst of His beloved people. And most importantly, that Servant would be the One through Whom the Lord would bring about His salvation and grace to all, fulfilling everything that He has promised to all of His beloved people throughout time. God has always remembered His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy to those whom He cared for, and He sent all of His love manifested perfectly and shown to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is the One Whom the Lord had spoken through His prophet Isaiah in a prophecy to keep His people in His hope and light.

However, this same Servant, the Son of God and Son of Man, would have to suffer greatly for this purpose, as He has to endure the most bitter and painful sufferings and difficulties, in the midst of His mission. And today as we are already in the midst of this Holy Week, we are reminded of all that Our Lord and Saviour had done for our sake, in His great and ever enduring love for each and every one of us, for the sake of our salvation. He took up His Cross willingly and endured the worst of humiliations, sufferings out of His love, in His desire to lead us all back to His Heavenly Father, reuniting all of us wholly and perfectly with our loving God, Father and Creator. He showed us all just how great God’s love is, that it even transcended beyond our sins and faults, which He would willingly forgive if we all seek Him for His forgiveness and desire to be reconciled with Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord and His interactions with Mary, one of His close friends, and also with one of His close disciples, namely that of Judas Iscariot, whom we now know as the one who would betray the Lord Jesus. Judas was likely an intelligent person, as he was entrusted with the finances of the whole group. If Judas had been uneducated and illiterate, it was unlikely that he would have been given such a responsibility. It was in this occasion that Judas criticised Mary when she went to anoint the Lord’s feet with expensive perfume made from pure nard. Judas criticised Mary’s actions, saying that the expensive perfume could have been sold and the proceeds could have been used to help the poor according to what he said. However the Gospel passage also gave a context, in that Judas was not being truthful or sincere in what he said.

That was because he was actually hoping to gain for his own benefit from stealing from the funds that he himself had managed on behalf of the group. Judas Iscariot was indeed a dishonest man and he did not genuinely follow the Lord wholeheartedly, allowing himself to be tempted by worldly desires, by the temptations of money and material possessions. The Lord knew all these, and he rebuked Judas and said that what Mary had done was right, just and virtuous. He told everyone that she was in fact preparing His Body for burial, and this was yet another important premonition of what would soon happen, as the time for the Lord’s Passion, His suffering and death was about to come at that time. Of course at that moment, no one would have realised this meaning and importance, but for all of us who have known what happened next, it was a truly important moment.

In contrast to Judas’ prideful and condescending attitude, Mary showed great humility before the Lord, wiping the feet of the Lord with her own hairs after having wet them with her tears. The hair is a woman’s greatest asset and the crown of her beauty, and for Mary to have used her own hair to wipe the Lord’s feet, a body part traditionally considered as dirty and filthy, it must have indeed been very significant, together with the fact that she wept as she was doing so. All of these indicated just how much she loved the Lord and had faith in Him, and also her recognition of her own sinfulness and wicked nature, her unworthiness before God. These are the attitudes which all of us should have in our own lives and faith, that we all should also be humble in seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness, in embracing His generous mercy and compassionate love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore having heard from the readings of the Scriptures today, let us all therefore reflect on how we can transform our lives for the better. Each and every one of us have been reminded and called to return once again to God’s most generous love, and to embrace His forgiveness and mercy. He has always loved us all and He has always been ready to welcome us back to Himself, opening His hands as always to embrace us all with His most generous and awesome love. However, we also have to commit ourselves to His path and show the willingness to embrace HIs mercy and love. Otherwise, we cannot truly and fully enjoy the fruits of the Lord’s forgiveness, mercy and compassion.

Let us all therefore once again seek the Lord with a contrite heart and with sorrow for our many sins and wickedness, regret and desire to be forgiven from all those evil things we have said, done and committed in our past lives and actions. Let us all seek God’s most wonderful mercy and forgiveness, and do our best so that we may receive fully God’s amazing grace and love, and be restored completely in faith and truth, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 25 March 2024 : Monday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 12 : 1-11

At that time, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where He had raised Lazarus, the dead man, to life. Now they gave a dinner for Him, and while Martha waited on them, Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus.

Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume, made from genuine spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Judas Iscariot – the disciple who was to betray Jesus – remarked, “This perfume could have been sold for three hundred silver coins, and the money given to the poor.” Judas, indeed, had no concern for the poor; he was a thief, and as he held the common purse, he used to help himself to the funds.

But Jesus spoke up, “Leave her alone. Was she not keeping it for the day of My burial? (The poor you always have with you, but you will not always have Me.)” Many Jews heard that Jesus was there and they came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead.

So the chief priests thought about killing Lazarus as well, for many of the Jews were drifting away because of him, and believing in Jesus.

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Monday, 25 March 2024 : Monday of Holy Week (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 26 : 1, 2, 3, 13-14

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

When the wicked rush at me to devour my flesh, it is my foes who stumble, my enemies fall.

Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fail; though war break out against me, I will still be confident.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!

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Monday, 25 March 2024 : Monday of Holy Week (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 42 : 1-7

Here is My Servant Whom I uphold, My Chosen One in Whom I delight. I have put My Spirit upon Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He does not shout or raise His voice. Proclamations are not heard in the streets.

A broken reed He will not crush, nor will He snuff out the light of the wavering wick. He will make justice appear in truth. He will not waver or be broken until He has established justice on earth; the islands are waiting for His law.

Thus says God, YHVH, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread the earth and all that comes from it, Who gives life and breath to those who walk on it. I, YHVH, have called you for the sake of justice; I will hold your hand to make you firm; I will make you as a covenant to the people, and as a light to the nations, to open eyes that do not see, to free captives from prison, to bring out to light those who sit in darkness.

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Sunday, 24 March 2024 : Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we enter into the most solemn celebration of the Holy Week, the holiest and most important week of the whole entire liturgical year when we mark the very important and crucial events that happened at the pinnacle of the Lord’s life and ministry in this world. We mark everything that happened when the Lord began the final part of His mission in gathering all of us together and bringing us all up close to the salvation and eternal life which He Himself has promised and reassured us. And we begin this solemn commemoration with this Sunday’s Palm Sunday celebration, when we remember the grand and triumphant entry of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey and welcomed by the people of the city like a great conquering King.

This event had been foretold and prophesied by the prophets, particularly the prophet Zechariah, who prophesied that the Lord Himself, as King, would come to His people riding on a donkey, which the Lord’s triumphal entry perfectly fulfilled and accomplished. However, this glorious moment would soon give way to the much more sombre and sorrowful moments of the Passion of the Lord, the Crucifixion and all the sufferings that the same Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, would have to suffer and go through as He took up His Cross, bearing all of our sins, wickedness, faults and mistakes upon Himself and His own shoulders. Therefore, while this Sunday’s liturgy begins with a triumphant commemoration of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem with the procession with the blessed palms, it soon changed into the more sombre reminder of the true nature of this Week’s events that revolved around the Lord’s Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross.

Essentially, we are all reminded that first of all, God’s love for us all is so great, so enduring and powerful, that He has given us all His beloved Son, as the perfect manifestation of His Love, extending unto all of us His love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness that He has offered freely to all of us, that His love for us is no longer intangible, and His Presence became truly felt, approachable and accessible to each and every one of us, without exception. He showed all of us His desire to come to us, and while He is truly our Lord and King, but we are all His beloved people, and He came to us to save us all, through none other than His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and what He would do for our sake through His Passion on the Cross.

Certainly some if not many of us may have been wondering in our hearts and minds, why is it that the Lord could not have just done it all so easily by erasing from us our sins, if He could have done it all simply because He is so all-powerful, almighty and great. He could have saved Himself the trouble and the sufferings of having to go through all the challenges, trials, rejections and difficulties that He had to go through, the humiliations and pains that He had to endure as He went through the moments of His Passion, His suffering on the Cross and His death. And yet, God did all these because not only that His love for us is truly great and enduring, but He also wants to show us through His Son, how we all can approach Him and be forgiven from our many sins.

We must realise first of all that sin is borne out of our disobedience against God, from our conscious refusal to obey Him, His will and Law, and our conscious choice to do what was contrary to the guidance and rules that He has established with us. Sin came to us, corrupting and dominating us because we have chosen to follow the falsehoods and the temptations that the devil has placed in our path to make us stumble, when we have the choice to remain faithful to God. God Who created us all and gave us life has also given us the free will and the freedom to choose our path and course in life. Should we choose to disobey God and sin against Him, it is by our conscious choice that we have done so, and if we want to return to Him, then we will have to choose to embrace the love and mercy, the compassion and forgiveness that He has freely offered to us.

And through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Himself, God has shown us the perfect example of obedience and faith, of what is needed for all of us to do in our own lives so that we may truly be able to follow God in each and every moments of our lives. The Lord, as the Son, faithfully obeyed His Father’s will, just as highlighted in our second reading from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Philippians. He faithfully embraced His mission, taking up His Cross and putting upon Himself all the punishments, sufferings and pains that are due to us, that we should have endured and suffered instead, all because He loved each and every one of us, and He wanted to show us all that love and the perfect obedience through which He can be the ultimate example and inspiration for us all to follow in our own paths in life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we begin this most solemn commemoration of everything that we remember in this Holy Week, let us all become ever more aware and attuned to our actions, words, deeds and every parts of our whole lives and existence. Have we been truly ready to commemorate this most important week in the whole liturgical year, marking the crucial events in the history of our salvation? Have we realised that it was our many sins, faults, stubbornness and wicked deeds that Our Lord Himself has taken up, as He carried His Cross onto Calvary? Otherwise, then this Holy Week will just end up becoming another regular week and event when we just go through the motion, going and attending the Masses and services, year after year, repeating the events but without true spiritual growth and without growing in relationship and closeness with God.

Therefore, let us all remember the great and ever enduring love which the Lord Himself has shown us, manifested perfectly through His Son, in His Passion on the Cross, in all the sufferings, pains, humiliations and everything that He had to endure for our sake, but which He willingly took upon Himself out of His ever generous and enduring love for us. We must never take this generous love for granted, and we must keep in mind that if we continue to remain in the state of sin, in disobeying God and His commandments, then there will be no path for us to come close to God and His salvation simply because it is by our own decision and conscious choice that we have decided to reject Him and refuse everything, all the love, compassion and mercy which He has shown us all these while. It was after all the same people who welcomed the Lord Jesus to Jerusalem as we commemorate this Sunday, who would also cry out on Good Friday, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence be aware of our many sins, wickedness, our unworthiness, and all the things in our lives which have kept us away from God. Let us all realise that every time we commit sin against Him, we have brought about hurt and pain for Him, all the wounds that have been inflicted upon Him and all the sufferings He bore, all these were due to our sins. He still bore all those sins, sufferings and pains because of His ever enduring and great love for us, but we must not take for granted all that He had done for us. That is because as long as we continue to walk in the path of sin, we will continue to fall deeper and deeper into the darkness, and in the end, if we continue to do this, we may end up being lost forever from God, because we ourselves have chosen to reject Him and decided to put our lot in the darkness and wickedness of the world, with Satan and all those forces of evil.

Let us hence make good use of this time we have been given, especially during this time of Holy Week, to renew our commitments to God, and to be ever more thoroughly committed to His cause. Let us deepen our relationship with the Lord, our most loving and merciful God, and let us all be the good role models and examples, inspirations and encouragement for one another, for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith, and help us in our journey of faith and life, especially as we embark on this most solemn journey this Holy Week, this time of intense commemoration of Our Lord’s Passion, His suffering and death on His Cross. May God be with us all, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 March 2024 : Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Passion Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 14 : 1 – Mark 15 : 47

It was now two days before the Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus on a false charge, and put Him to death; but they said, “Not during the Festival, for there might be trouble among the people.”

Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper. As He was reclining at dinner, a woman entered carrying an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfumed oil on Jesus’ head. Then some of them became angry and said, “What a useless waste of perfume. It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor.” And they criticised her.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why are you troubling her? What she has just done for Me is a very charitable work. At any time you can help the poor, for you always have them with you; but you will not have Me forever. This woman did what she had to do : she anointed My Body for burial, before I die. Truly, I say to you, wherever the Good News is proclaimed, and this will be throughout the world, what she has done will be told in praise of her.”

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests, in order to betray Jesus to them. On hearing him, they were excited and promised to give him money. So Judas started planning the best way to hand Jesus over to them.

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day when the Passover Lamb was killed, disciples asked Him, “Where would you have us to go to prepare the Passover meal for You?” So Jesus sent two of His disciples with these instructions, “Go into the city, and there, a man will come to you carrying a jar of water.”

“Follow him to the house he enters and say to the owner, ‘The Master says, Where is the room where I may eat the Passover meal with My disciples?’ Then He will show you a large room upstairs, already arranged and furnished. There, you will prepare for us.”

The disciples went off. When they reached the city, they found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were at table eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me, one who shares My meal.”

They were deeply distressed at hearing this and asked Him, one after the other, “You do not mean me, do You?” And Jesus answered, “It is one of you Twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with Me. The Son of Man is going as the Scriptures say He will. But alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed; better for him if he had never been born.”

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them. And He said, “Take this. It is My Body.” Then He took a cup, and after He had given thanks, He passed it to them and they all drank from it. And He said, “This is My Blood, the Blood of the Covenant, poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not taste the fruit of the vine again, until that day when I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.”

After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “All of you will be dismayed and fall away; for the Scripture says : I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I am raised, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”

Then Peter said to Him, “Even though all the others fall away, I will not.” And Jesus replied, “Truly I say to you, today, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” But Peter insisted, “Though I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all of them said the same.

They came to a place which is called Gethsemane; and Jesus said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” But He took Peter, James and John along with Him, and, becoming filled with fear and distress, He said to them, “My soul is full of sorrow, even to death. Remain here and stay awake.”

Then He went a little further on and fell on the ground, praying that, if possible, this hour might pass Him by. Jesus said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Yet, not what I want, but what You want.” Then He came and found them asleep; and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not stay awake for one hour? Stay awake and pray, all of you, so that you may not slip into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the body is weak.”

And, going away, He prayed, saying the same words. When He came back to the disciples, He found them asleep again. They could not keep their eyes open; and they did not know what to say to Him. When He came back the third time, He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is all over, the time has come : the Son of Man is now given into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go! Look : the one who betrays Me is approaching.”

While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, who had been sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders. The traitor had arranged a signal for them, “The One I kiss, He is the Man. Arrest Him, and take Him away under guard.”

So, when He came, He went directly to Jesus, and said, “Master! Master!” and kissed Him. Then they seized Jesus and arrested Him. One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the High Priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. Jesus turned to them and said, “So, you have set out against a robber! Did you need swords and clubs to arrest Me? Day after day, I was among you, teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest Me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”

Then they all deserted Him and fled. A young man, covered by nothing but a linen cloth, followed Jesus. When they took hold of him, he left the cloth in their hands and fled away naked. They led Jesus to the High Priest; and all the chief priests assembled, with the elders and the teachers of the Law. Peter had followed Him at a distance; and went right into the courtyard of the High Priest, where he sat with the guards, warming himself at the fire.

Now the chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus so that they might put Him to death; but they were unable to find anything. Even though many came up to speak falsely against Him, their evidence did not agree. At last, some stood up and gave this false witness : “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made by human hands, and, in three days, I will build another, not made by human hands.” But even so, their evidence did not agree.

The High Priest then stood up in the midst of them and asked Jesus, “Have You no answer at all? What about this evidence against You?” But Jesus was silent and made no reply. The High Priest put a second question to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” Then Jesus answered, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Most Powerful, and coming with the clouds of heaven around Him.”

Then the High Priest, tearing his garments to show his horror, said, “What more evidence do we need? You have just heard His blasphemous words. What is your decision?” They all condemned Jesus, saying, “He must die.” Some of them began to spit on Jesus; and, blindfolding Him, they struck Him and said, “Play the prophet!” And the guards set upon Him with blows.

While Peter was below, in the courtyard, a servant girl of the High Priest came by. Noticing Peter beside the fire, she looked straight at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the Nazarene.” But he denied it, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out through the gateway, and a cock crowed.

The servant girl saw him there and told the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But Peter denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said to Peter, “Of course you are one of them; you are a Galilean, are you not?” And Peter began to justify himself with curses and oaths, “I do not know the Man you are talking about.”

Just then a cock crowed a second time, and Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Early in the morning, the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the Law (that is, the whole Council or Sanhedrin) had their plan ready. They put Jesus in chains, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate. Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You say so.” As the chief priests accused Jesus of many things, Pilate asked Him again, “Have You no answer at all? See how many charges they bring against You.”

But Jesus gave no further answers, much to Pilate’s surprise. At every Passover festival, Pilate used to free any prisoner the people asked for. Now there was a man called Barabbas, jailed with the rioters who had committed murder in the uprising. When the crowd went up to ask Pilate the usual favour, he said to them, “Do you want me to set free the King of the Jews?” for he realised that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him out of envy.

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask, instead, for the release of Barabbas. Pilate replied, “And what shall I do with the Man you call King of the Jews?” The crowd shouted back, “Crucify Him!” Pilate asked, “What evil has He done?” But they shouted the louder, “Crucify Him!”

As Pilate wanted to please the people, He freed Barabbas, and, having had Jesus flogged, Pilate handed Him over to be crucified. The soldiers took Him inside the courtyard, known as the Praetorium, and called the rest of their companions. They clothed Him in a purple cloak, and twisting a crown of thorns, they forced it onto His head. Then they began saluting Him, “Long life to the King of the Jews!” With a stick they gave Him blows on the head and spat on Him; then they knelt down, pretending to worship Him.

When they had finished mocking Him, they pulled off the purple cloak and put His own clothes on Him. The soldiers led Him out of the city to crucify Him. On the way, they met Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country; and forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. When they had led Him to the place called Golgotha, which means the Skull, they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He would not take it.

Then they nailed Him to the cross, and divided His clothes among themselves, casting lots to decide what every man should take. It was about nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Him. The statements of His offence was displayed above His head, and it read, “The King of the Jews.” They also crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says : ‘And with lawless ones He was numbered.’

People passing by laughed at Him, shook their heads and jeered, “Aha! So, You are able to tear down the Temple and build it up in three days? Save Yourself now, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law mocked Him, saying to one another, “The Man Who saved others cannot save Himself. Let us see the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from His cross, and then we will believe in Him.” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus insulted Him.

When noon came, darkness fell over the whole land and lasted until three o’clock; and at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?” As soon as they heard these words, some of the bystanders said, “Listen! He is calling for Elijah.” And one of them went quickly to fill a sponge with bitter wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Now let us see whether Elijah comes to take Him down.”

But Jesus uttered a loud cry and gave up His Spirit. And immediately, the curtain that enclosed the Temple Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom. The captain, who was standing in front of Him, saw how Jesus died and heard the cry He gave; and he said, “Truly, this Man was the Son of God.”

There were also some women watching from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome, who had followed Jesus when He was in Galilee and saw to His needs. There were also others who had come up with Him to Jerusalem.

It was now evening, and, as it was Preparation Day, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea boldly went to Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus. Joseph was a respected member of the Council, who was, himself, waiting for the kingdom of God. Pilate was surprised that Jesus should have died so soon; so he summoned the captain and inquired if Jesus was already dead. After hearing the captain, he let Joseph have the Body.

Joseph took it down and wrapped it in the linen sheet he had brought. He laid the Body in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock, and rolled a stone across the entrance to the tomb. Now Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses took note of where the Body had been laid.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Mark 15 : 1-39

Early in the morning, the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the Law (that is, the whole Council or Sanhedrin) had their plan ready. They put Jesus in chains, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate. Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You say so.” As the chief priests accused Jesus of many things, Pilate asked Him again, “Have You no answer at all? See how many charges they bring against You.”

But Jesus gave no further answers, much to Pilate’s surprise. At every Passover festival, Pilate used to free any prisoner the people asked for. Now there was a man called Barabbas, jailed with the rioters who had committed murder in the uprising. When the crowd went up to ask Pilate the usual favour, he said to them, “Do you want me to set free the King of the Jews?” for he realised that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him out of envy.

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask, instead, for the release of Barabbas. Pilate replied, “And what shall I do with the Man you call King of the Jews?” The crowd shouted back, “Crucify Him!” Pilate asked, “What evil has He done?” But they shouted the louder, “Crucify Him!”

As Pilate wanted to please the people, He freed Barabbas, and, having had Jesus flogged, Pilate handed Him over to be crucified. The soldiers took Him inside the courtyard, known as the Praetorium, and called the rest of their companions. They clothed Him in a purple cloak, and twisting a crown of thorns, they forced it onto His head. Then they began saluting Him, “Long life to the King of the Jews!” With a stick they gave Him blows on the head and spat on Him; then they knelt down, pretending to worship Him.

When they had finished mocking Him, they pulled off the purple cloak and put His own clothes on Him. The soldiers led Him out of the city to crucify Him. On the way, they met Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country; and forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. When they had led Him to the place called Golgotha, which means the Skull, they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He would not take it.

Then they nailed Him to the cross, and divided His clothes among themselves, casting lots to decide what every man should take. It was about nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Him. The statements of His offence was displayed above His head, and it read, “The King of the Jews.” They also crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says : ‘And with lawless ones He was numbered.’

People passing by laughed at Him, shook their heads and jeered, “Aha! So, You are able to tear down the Temple and build it up in three days? Save Yourself now, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law mocked Him, saying to one another, “The Man Who saved others cannot save Himself. Let us see the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from His cross, and then we will believe in Him.” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus insulted Him.

When noon came, darkness fell over the whole land and lasted until three o’clock; and at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?” As soon as they heard these words, some of the bystanders said, “Listen! He is calling for Elijah.” And one of them went quickly to fill a sponge with bitter wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Now let us see whether Elijah comes to take Him down.”

But Jesus uttered a loud cry and gave up His Spirit. And immediately, the curtain that enclosed the Temple Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom. The captain, who was standing in front of Him, saw how Jesus died and heard the cry He gave; and he said, “Truly, this Man was the Son of God.”

by

Sunday, 24 March 2024 : Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Philippians 2 : 6-11

Though He was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and in His appearance found as a Man.

He humbled Himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted Him and gave Him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.