Mass Readings

At the Procession with Palms – Gospel – Lk 19:28-40

Jesus proceeded on His journey up to Jerusalem. As He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples. He said, “Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone should ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you will answer, ‘The Master has need of it.’” So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying this colt?” They answered, “The Master has need of it.” So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. As He rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; and now as He was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of His disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest.” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” He said in reply, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!”

First Reading – Is 50:4-7

The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning He opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

Responsorial Psalm – Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (R. 2a)

R. My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?

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.” R.

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. R.

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. R.

I will proclaim Your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise You:
“You who fear the LORD, praise Him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to Him;
revere Him, all you descendants of Israel!” R.

Second Reading – Phil 2:6-11

Christ Jesus, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled Himself, becoming 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, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel – Mt 26:14—27:66

The elders of the people, chief priests and scribes, arose and brought Jesus before Pilate. They brought charges against Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.” Pilate asked Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, “I find this man not guilty.” But they were adamant and said, “He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here.” On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that He was under Herod’s jurisdiction, He sent Him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; He had been wanting to see Him for a long time, for He had heard about Him and had been hoping to see Him perform some sign. He questioned Him at length, but He gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing Him harshly. Herod and his soldiers treated Him contemptuously and mocked Him, and after clothing Him in resplendent garb, he sent Him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, “You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against Him, nor did Herod, for he sent Him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by Him. Therefore I shall have Him flogged and then release Him.” But all together they shouted out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us.” — Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder. — Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I found Him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have Him flogged and then release Him.” With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for His crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted. So He released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished. As they led Him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?” Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Him and the criminals there, one on His right, the other on His left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They divided His garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at Him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at Him. As they approached to offer Him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above Him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit”; and when He had said this He breathed His last. [Here all kneel and pause for a short time.] The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all His acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee and saw these events.

Or Mt 27:11-54

Jesus stood before the governor, Pontius Pilate, who questioned Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But He did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed Him over. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of Him.” The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about Him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat upon Him and took the reed and kept striking Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the cloak, dressed him in His own clothes, and led Him off to crucify Him. As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha — which means Place of the Skull —, they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when He had tasted it, He refused to drink. After they had crucified Him, they divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over Him there. And they placed over His head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries were crucified with Him, one on his right and the other on his left. Those passing by reviled Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked Him and said, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. So He is the king of Israel! Let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if he wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” The revolutionaries who were crucified with Him also kept abusing him in the same way. From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, ‘Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. [Here all kneel and pause for a short time.] And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

Featured Saints

St. Francis of Paola, confessor (†1507). Founder of the Order of the Minims, in Calabria, Italy, he was celebrated for his miracles and his prophecies concerning the future of the Church, as well as for his profound humility and austerity.

St. Abundius, bishop (†468). Born in Como, Italy, he was sent by Pope St. Leo the Great to Constantinople, where he firmly defended the true Faith.

St. Dominic Tuoc, priest and martyr (†1839). Dominican religious who died in Xuong Dien, Vietnam.

St. Francisco Coll y Guitart, priest (†1875). Dominican priest and popular preacher, who founded the Congregation of the Dominicans of the Annunciation in Vic, Spain.

St. Peter Calungsod, catechist and martyr (†1672). Born in the Philippines, he went with Jesuit missionaries to evangelize the Mariana Islands in Oceania. He was martyred by native pagans on the Island of Guam.

St. Appian, martyr (†306). Killed during the persecution of Maximian for attempting to prevent public sacrifice to idols, ordered by the emperor for the population of Caesarea, in Palestine.

St. Theodora, virgin and martyr (†307). At 18 years of age she was imprisoned, tortured and thrown into the sea for supporting and venerating Christians brought to the tribunal in Caesarea, Palestine.

Blessed Leopold of Gaiche, priest (†1815). Franciscan religious called the “Apostle of Umbria,” for his missionary work in that region.

Blessed Mary of St. Joseph Alvarado, virgin (†1967). She founded the Congregation of the Augustinian Recollects of the Sacred Heart in Maracay, Venezuela.

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