SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Maundy Thursday - April 01, 2021

Maundy Thursday - April 01, 2021

TODAY'S READINGS

 

April 01 2021 - Lord's Supper

 

Holy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Lectionary: 39

Reading 1EX 12:1-8, 11-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
“This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

“This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.

“This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”

Responsorial PsalmPS 116:12-13, 15-16BC, 17-18.

R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16)  Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
 in the presence of all his people.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Reading 21 COR 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Verse Before The GospelJN 13:34

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.

GospelJN 13:1-15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him,
“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Simon Peter said to him,
“Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him,
“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
     for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all.”
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’  and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

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                         Finding Jesus in Dirty Feet

Why did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples? Not because they were too lazy to handle their own hygiene and as their servant he wanted to make life easy for them! Rather, he gave them (and us) a model to imitate.

Naturally, we want Jesus to make our lives easier. Isn't that the purpose behind many of our prayers? Well, surprise! We do get what we ask for, but not the way we had imagined. When we imitate Jesus, it's the way we cope with the difficulties of life that becomes easier.

Have you washed anyone's feet lately? Maybe you haven't literally soaped up a friend's smelly feet as a sign of your unconditional love, but I'm sure you have given of yourself in a foot-washing way.

To wash the feet of others is to love them even when they don't deserve your love.

To wash the feet of others is to do good to them even if they don't return the favor.

To wash the feet of others is to consider their needs as important as your own.

To wash the feet of others is to forgive them even if they don't say, "I'm sorry."

To wash the feet of others is to serve them even when the task is unpleasant.

To wash the feet of others is to let them know you care when they feel downtrodden or burdened.

To wash the feet of others is to be generous with what you have.

To wash the feet of others is to turn the cheek instead of retaliating when you're treated unfairly.

To wash the feet of others is to make adjustments in your plans so you can serve their needs.

To wash the feet of others is to serve them with humility and not with any hope of reward.

Notice the posture of Jesus. He knelt. Imagine Jesus kneeling in front of you now, lowering himself to the level of your feet and tenderly ministering to your needs. He is in fact doing this, right now, today. And he will do it again and again, as often as you need him to care about you!

He is asking you to go and do likewise: Be the hands of Jesus that wash the feet of the people around you. You are the answer to their prayers!

By serving others, we gain understanding of what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago -- and we become more observant of how he's ministering to us. We meet Jesus in the dirty feet that we lower ourselves to clean.

Today's Prayer

Beloved Lord: Heal me from pride and the greed of power. Grant me a humble heart, able to give love wherever You tell me. Amen.

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God Bless You.....



Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Wednesday - March 31, 2021

Wednesday - March 31, 2021

TODAY'S READINGS

March 31, 2021

Wednesday of Holy Week
Lectionary: 259

 

Reading I                                          Is 50:4-9a

 

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.

He is near who upholds my right;

    if anyone wishes to oppose me,

    let us appear together.

Who disputes my right?

    Let him confront me.

See, the Lord GOD is my help;

    who will prove me wrong?

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              69:8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34

 

R.    (14c)  Lord, in your great love, answer me.

 

For your sake I bear insult,

    and shame covers my face.

I have become an outcast to my brothers,

    a stranger to my mother’s sons,

because zeal for your house consumes me,

    and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

R.    Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,

    I looked for sympathy, but there was none;

    for consolers, not one could I find.

Rather they put gall in my food,

    and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

R.    Lord, in your great love, answer me.

I will praise the name of God in song,

    and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;

    you who seek God, may your hearts revive!

For the LORD hears the poor,

    and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”

R.    Lord, in your great love, answer me.

 

Verse before the Gospel                                      Ez 18:31

Hail to you, our King;

you alone are compassionate with our errors.

 

OR:

Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;

you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 26:14-25

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,

went to the chief priests and said,

“What are you willing to give me

if I hand him over to you?”

They paid him thirty pieces of silver,

and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

 

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

the disciples approached Jesus and said,

“Where do you want us to prepare

for you to eat the Passover?”

He said,

“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,

‘The teacher says, My appointed time draws near;

in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”‘“

The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,

and prepared the Passover.

 

When it was evening,

he reclined at table with the Twelve.

And while they were eating, he said,

“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

Deeply distressed at this,

they began to say to him one after another,

“Surely it is not I, Lord?”

He said in reply,

“He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me

is the one who will betray me.

The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,

but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”

Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,

“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”

He answered, “You have said so.”

 

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Take Your Need for Forgiveness to the Cross

How do we betray Christ? By our selfishness.

 

Let's look at the motives of Judas in today's Gospel passage. Why did he betray Jesus despite experiencing his unconditional love for three years?

 

We know that Judas was selfish, because we know that he had embezzled donations (see John 12:6). Intent on finding "what's in it for me?" he wanted Jesus to become a messiah who would deliver him from Roman oppression. Jesus turned out to be quite an uncontrollable disappointment. Judas was so blinded by his own strategies that he could not fathom the possibility that God might have a better idea.

 

Self-centered people like Judas don't like to sit idly by and accept disappointment. When he decided to take control by turning Jesus over to the Jewish authorities, he asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" Until they promised a reward, handing Jesus over was still an if.

 

No wonder Judas committed suicide! He was unable to recognize the forgiveness that Jesus made available to him, because at the heart of every self-centered person is the belief that they are unworthy of being loved. Selfishness comes from the notion that if I don't take care of myself, no one else will (not even God!) because I don't really deserve it.

 

Are you ever disappointed that Jesus is not what you want him to be for you? We all fall into this "what's in it for me" trap whenever we're upset that God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want him to, or when we give our problems to Jesus and life doesn't get easier, or when he asks us to do something that's difficult and unrewarding.

 

We fall into the "what's in it for me" trap whenever we search for our own solutions after trusting in God and not getting the results we want. We succumb to it by listening to our self-protective fears. Selfishness tells us to protect our wishes, our happiness, our comfort zone, our possessions and our lifestyle. It blinds us to the possibility that God might have a better idea.

 

Like Judas, in our selfishness we betray Jesus. We profess to trust him as the Lord of our lives, and yet our self-serving decisions prove otherwise. We believe in him only when it suits our purposes. We adore him only when it's easy.

 

The question is not "Have I betrayed Jesus?" but "How quickly do I seek his forgiveness after I betray him?" Peter betrayed Jesus, too, but he loved Jesus so much that his selfishness lasted only a little while.

 

Imagine that you're sitting with the disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus has just dipped his matzah into the spice dish, and he hands it to you. He's looking you in the eye. He knows your heart. He loves you despite all your betrayals. What will you say to him? Admit your betrayal; receive his smile. He will now take your sins to the cross with him. Remember to do this at every Mass, because the liturgy transcends time to connect us to the real Last Supper.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Jesus, Lord, You know my weaknesses; You know how and when I can fail You. Give me the courage to overcome all temptation that separates me from You and distances me from my neighbors. Amen.

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God Bless You.....



Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - March 30, 2021

Tuesday - March 30, 2021

TODAY'S READINGS

March 30, 2021

Tuesday of Holy Week
Lectionary: 258

 

Reading I                                          Is 49:1-6

 

Hear me, O islands,

    listen, O distant peoples.

The LORD called me from birth,

    from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.

He made of me a sharp-edged sword

    and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.

He made me a polished arrow,

    in his quiver he hid me.

You are my servant, he said to me,

    Israel, through whom I show my glory.

 

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,

    and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,

Yet my reward is with the LORD,

    my recompense is with my God.

For now the LORD has spoken

    who formed me as his servant from the womb,

That Jacob may be brought back to him

    and Israel gathered to him;

And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,

    and my God is now my strength!

It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,

    to raise up the tribes of Jacob,

    and restore the survivors of Israel;

I will make you a light to the nations,

    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17

 

R.    (see 15ab)  I will sing of your salvation.

 

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

    let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;

    incline your ear to me, and save me.

R.    I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,

    a stronghold to give me safety,

    for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

R.    I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O LORD;

    my trust, O God, from my youth.

On you I depend from birth;

    from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

R.    I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,

    day by day your salvation.

O God, you have taught me from my youth,

    and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R.    I will sing of your salvation.

 

Verse before the Gospel                                      Ez 18:31

Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;

you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 13:21-33, 36-38

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,

“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.

One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,

was reclining at Jesus’ side.

So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.

He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,

“Master, who is it?”

Jesus answered,

“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”

So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,

son of Simon the Iscariot.

After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.

So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.

Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,

“Buy what we need for the feast,”

or to give something to the poor.

So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

 

When he had left, Jesus said,

“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,

and he will glorify him at once.

My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.

You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,

‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”

 

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”

Jesus answered him,

“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,

though you will follow later.”

Peter said to him,

“Master, why can I not follow you now?

I will lay down my life for you.”

Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?

Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow

before you deny me three times.”

 

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Finding Comfort and Healing After Betrayal

In today's first reading, which lines of scripture bring you comfort?

 

If you ever felt unwanted, undervalued, or rejected as a child, God's comforting embrace is in the words: "From my mother's womb, the Lord gave me my name."

 

If your plans, dreams and hard work have been crushed or overlooked or rejected, you will find encouragement and affirmation in the words: "Though it seems I have toiled in vain and uselessly spent my strength, nonetheless my reward is with the Lord."

 

If you have been treated unjustly or your gifts and talents and insights have been blocked or considered worthless by others, you will find your value in the words: "I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God is now my strength!"

 

In all of these situations, we have experienced betrayal.

 

God puts certain people into our lives to nurture us and uplift us, but all have betrayed us in one way or another, at one time or another.

 

Some are major betrayals from which there is no recovery on this side of heaven. We should always pray for healing and reconciliation and do whatever we can to bring God's love into that relationship, but if we want to be true followers of Christ, we need to also accept these betrayals in the same way that Jesus did in today's Gospel reading.

 

Jesus knew today's hymn from Isaiah. Undoubtedly, he recalled it to gain comfort and strength as he faced his betrayers.

 

The only way to find rest in the loving, soothing, comforting embrace of our Father is by looking at Jesus instead of focusing on what our betrayers should and should not have done. He knows how we feel. He is experiencing the betrayal with us!

 

In his concern for us, we find deep healing and renewed peace.

 

Accept your betrayals as an intimate connection to Jesus. Let go of them by nailing them to his cross. Then turn away from their ugliness by making the decision to forgive your betrayers.

 

Thank Jesus for taking your pain upon himself. Kiss his wounds the next time you receive him in the Eucharist by kissing the Host. This will become your own personal resurrection!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Praised be to You, my Lord Jesus! You have borne all our evil deeds, so when we fall into them we discover salvation in You alone. Amen.

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God Bless You.....



Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”