Acts 3:13–15, 17–19
You killed the prince of life: God, however, raised him from the dead.
Psalm 4:2, 4, 7, 9
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
1 John 2:1–5
Jesus Christ is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and the world’s.
cf. Luke 24:32
Lord Jesus, make your word plain to us: make our hearts burn with love when you speak.
Luke 24:35–48
It is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.
By reason of the sign, it is required that the material for the Eucharistic Celebration truly have the appearance of food. Therefore, it is desirable that the Eucharistic Bread, even though unleavened and made in the traditional form, be fashioned in such a way that the Priest at Mass with the people is truly able to break it into parts and distribute these to at least some of the faithful.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §321
Because we regularly use signs in our celebration, we occasionally need to review the way in which we us them so that they do what is expected of them. The Church reminds us that the bread we use at Mass needs to have the appearance of food and needs to be actually broken and shared with the assembly. In this way, we are inviting the community to recognise their Lord in the breaking of bread so that they may be united in the gift of being the Body of Christ.
‘Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise, alleluia’
—entrance antiphon
Acts 4:32–35
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul.
Psalm 117(118):2–4, 15–18, 22–24
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love is everlasting.
1 John 5:1–6
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has already overcome the world.
John 20:29
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me; happy are those who have not seen me, but still believe!
John 20:19–31
Eight days later, Jesus came again and stood among them.
A common bodily posture, to be observed by all those taking part, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered together for the Sacred Liturgy, for it expresses the intentions and spiritual attitude of the participants and also fosters them.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §42
The integrity of our eucharistic celebration is built upon the willingness of all the assembly to enter into the gift that is entrusted to us, union with Christ. We stand united as the one Body of Christ. We express this unity as we sing with one voice, attentive to our God, who speaks to us, and process to the table of Eucharist to be again formed as the one Body of Christ. By our common bodily postures, we both express what is in our heart and sustain others in our celebration.
‘Like newborn infants, you must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in him you may grow to salvation, alleluia’ —entrance antiphon
Acts 10:34, 37–43
‘We have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection.’
Psalm 117(118):1–2, 16–17, 22–23
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
Colossians 3:1–4
Look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is.
1 Corinthians 5:7–8
Christ has become our paschal sacrifice; let us feast with joy in the Lord.
John 20:1-9
He must rise from the dead.
The fundamental importance of Sunday has been recognized through two thousand years of history and was emphatically restated by the Second Vatican Council: ‘Every seven days, the Church celebrates the Easter mystery. This is a tradition going back to the Apostles, taking its origin from the actual day of Christ’s Resurrection—a day thus appropriately designated ‘the Lord’s Day’.’
—Dies Domini, §3
In his encyclical on keeping Sunday holy, St John Paul II reminded us that the importance of Sunday is based upon today’s great feast of Easter. The actual celebration of Easter as a special feast day did not come to Rome until the middle of the second century. Previously, every Sunday was the sacrament of the resurrection with the celebration of the Mass. From their encounter with the resurrected Christ, the community sings Alleluia and draws life for the coming week.
‘I have risen, and I am with you still, alleluia. You have laid your hand upon me, alleluia. Too wonderful for me, this knowledge, alleluia, alleluia’
—entrance antiphon
Isaiah 52:13–53:12
The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice.
Psalm 30(31):2, 6, 12–13, 15–17, 25
R. Father, I put my life in your hands.
Hebrews 4:14–16, 5:7–9
The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us.
Philippians 2:8–9
Christ became obedient for us even to death, dying on the cross. Therefore God raised him on high and gave him a name above all other names.
John 18:1–19:42
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
For veneration of the cross, let a cross be used that is of appropriate size and beauty, and let one or other of the forms for this rite be carried out with the splendour worthy of the mystery of our salvation. Both the invitation pronounced at the unveiling of the cross and the people’s response should be made in song, and a period of respectful silence is to be observed after each act of veneration, with the celebrant standing and holding the raised cross.
—Paschale Solemnitatis, n. 68
It is significant that the rubrics refer to the Adoration of the Holy Cross. The liturgy of Good Friday found its genesis in the church after the finding of the relic of the Holy Cross. So developed the sung antiphon that we continue to use today: ‘Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the salivation of the world.’ Originally the veneration would have been of the actual relic that had been found, rather than the later development of the crucifix: the stark reality of the bare timber recalled the reality of Christ’s crucifixion.
‘We adore your Cross, O Lord, we praise and glorify your holy Resurrection, for behold, because of the wood of a tree joy has come to the whole world.’ —adoration chant
Mark 11:1–10
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord.
Isaiah 50:4–7
I did not cover my face against insult: I know I shall not be shamed.
Psalm 21(22):8–9, 17–20, 23–24
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Philippians 2:6–11
Christ humbled himself but God raised him high.
Philippians 2:8–9
Christ became obedient for us even to death, dying on the cross. Therefore God raised him on high and gave him a name above all other names.
Mark 14:1–15:47
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
At the Last Supper, Our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood, by which the Sacrifice of his Cross is perpetuated until he comes again; and till then he entrusts the memorial of his Death and Resurrection to his beloved spouse, the Church.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §2
At the Mass, we do not re-enact the historical events of Calvary, for they have passed into time. We do, however, celebrate the presence of the one who died and has risen. We have been entrusted with this sacred memory. During the eucharistic prayer, we acclaim, ‘When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.’ So our focus on Palm Sunday is not directly upon the historical events of the day, but upon the mystery of the one who gave his life so that we may live.
‘The children of the Hebrews, carrying olive branches, went to meet the Lord, crying out and saying: Hosanna in the highest’
—antiphon
Jeremiah 31:31–34
I will write my Law in their hearts.
Psalm 50(51):3–4, 12–15
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Hebrews 5:7–9
He learned to obey and he became the source of eternal salvation.
John 12:26
If you serve me, follow me, says the Lord; and where I am, my servant will also be.
John 12:20–33
If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest.
If Communion of the Blood of Christ is carried out by communicants’ drinking from the chalice, each communicant, after receiving the Body of Christ, moves to the minister of the chalice and stands facing him. The minister says, The Blood of Christ, the communicant replies, Amen, and the minister hands over the chalice, which the communicant raises to his or her mouth.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §286
Fortunately, in our times, Communion from the chalice has been restored to the priestly people of God. At our Sunday Mass, we are gifted with the sacrifice of Christ and are made sharers in the New Covenant foreseen by Jeremiah in today’s First reading. We are invited to acknowledge our commitment to share in the cross of Christ by the life we live in his name.
‘Give me justice, O God, and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless. From the deceitful and cunning rescue me, for you, O God, are my strength’
—entrance antiphon
2 Chronicles 36:14–16, 19–23
God’s wrath and mercy are revealed in the exile and release of his people.
Psalm 136(137):1–6
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
Ephesians 2:4–10
You were dead through your sins; you have been saved through grace.
John 3:16
God loved the world so much, he gave us his only Son, that all who believe in him might have eternal life.
John 3:14–21
God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved.
In the celebration of Mass the faithful form a holy people, a people of God’s own possession and a royal priesthood, so that they may give thanks to God and offer the unblemished sacrificial Victim not only by means of the hands of the Priest but also together with him and so that they may learn to offer their very selves. They should, moreover, take care to show this by their deep religious sense and their charity toward brothers and sisters who participate with them in the same celebration.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §95
Our God has formed us to be his work of art. In the waters of baptism and the anointing of confirmation, we are called and formed to be his holy people, enjoying a share in the royal priesthood of his Son. Having been created in his likeness, we must respond to God by giving thanks and offering the sacrifice of his Son. Our role at Mass is never to be silent spectators of the actions of others but to help form the celebration by the sacrifice of our lives taken to the altar during the procession of gifts.
‘Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast’
—entrance antiphon
Exodus 20:1–17
The Law given at Sinai.
Psalm 18(19):8–11
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
1 Corinthians 1:22–25
The crucified Christ, the power and wisdom of God.
Isaiah 61:1 (Luke 4:18)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he sent me to bring Good News to the poor.
John 3:16
God loved the world so much, he gave us his only Son, that all who believe in him might have eternal life.
Moreover, they are to form one body, whether in hearing the Word of God, or in taking part in the prayers and in the singing, or above all by the common offering of the Sacrifice and by participating together at the Lord’s table. This unity is beautifully apparent from the gestures and bodily postures observed together by the faithful.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §96
Clearly the holy people of God come to Sunday Mass with a high expectation of being served by many ministries. However, all ministers can be consumed by their own importance and lose sight of their call to service of others. The moneychangers of today’s Gospel had a specific liturgical role to play in the temple, but their greed and avarice prevented them from fulfilling their liturgical role and so were condemned. We too need to ensure that we are constantly working selflessly to build the one Body of Christ.
‘My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues my feet from the snare. Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor’ —entrance antiphon
Genesis 22:1–2, 9–13, 15–18
The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith
Psalm 115(116):10, 15–19
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Romans 8:31–34
God did not spare his own Son.
Matthew 17:5
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: this is my beloved Son, hear him.
Mark 9:2–10
This is my Son, the Beloved.
The Second Vatican Council, which recommended ‘that more perfect form of participation in the Mass by which the faithful, after the Priest’s Communion, receive the Lord’s Body from the same Sacrifice,’ called for another desire of the Fathers of Trent to be put into effect, namely, that for the sake of a fuller participation in the Holy Eucharist ‘at each Mass the faithful present should communicate not only by spiritual desire but also by sacramental reception of the Eucharist.’
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §13
The theme of sacrifice is very central to the Catholic understanding of the Mass. However, it is important that the assembly is made aware of their central role in offering this one sacrifice of Christ. The priestly people of God are not spectators but are active in offering this sacrifice under the leadership of the ordained priest. To be able to share in this offering of the sacrifice, they must communicate with the Host consecrated at that celebration and not from the tabernacle. Only in this way do they share in the ‘more perfect form of participation in the Mass’.
‘Of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face from me’
—entrance antiphon
Genesis 9:8–15
‘There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’
Psalm 24(25):4–6, 7b–9
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
1 Peter 3:18–22
The water on which the Ark floated is a type of the baptism which saves you now.
Matthew 4:4
No one lives on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Mark 1:12–15
Jesus was tempted by Satan, and the angels looked after him.
Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it takes place under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clearer expression is given to the divine will by which the new and eternal Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the connection between the Eucharistic banquet and the eschatological banquet in the Kingdom of the Father.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §281
The theme of being people of the New Covenant is not strong among Catholics. This is particularly evident in our reserve with regard to sharing in the cup of the New Covenant. At the Last Supper, Christ gave to his disciples the cup of the New Covenant so that they could share for all generations in the blood of that covenant, which he shed for us. As we drink from the one cup at Mass, we affirm our willingness to be people of the New Covenant and live accordingly. Hopefully, in the near future, we may return again to this practice.
‘When he calls on me, I will answer him; I will deliver him and give him glory, I will grant him length of days’
—entrance antiphon