There is an Advent tradition of celebrating an early morning Mass by candlelight in honor of Our Lady. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.

Join us as we welcome the Light of Christ into the World, into our Homes, and Into our Hearts! The Mass will be sung by the Mirandola Ensemble!

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a painful time of separation that necessitated, for a short while, suspension of public Masses and the dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass. Nonetheless, since May 2020, Minnesota’s bishops have made available the public celebration of Mass to those who wished to attend. Parishes have done an amazing job creating safe spaces for worship and the sacraments during the past year.

Now, as the pandemic subsides, and public gathering restrictions and safety protocols are lifted, it is time to gather as the Body of Christ once again. Therefore, the bishops and diocesan administrators of the Minnesota Catholic Conference have decided to reinstate the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation beginning the weekend of July 3-4, 2021.

Why is attending Mass in-person so important?

St. John Chrysostom reminds us, “You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests” (CCC 2179).

Attending the in-person celebration of Sunday Mass and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist are vital to our lives as Catholic Christians. We were created for Communion. Whether you are returning to your home parish, or seeking a local parish on vacation, your participation in the Mass unites you with the Church — the Body of Christ. This communion transforms us as persons and enables us to make manifest the Kingdom of God in our world. The celebration of the Eucharist truly is the source and summit of our faith.

Pope Francis, in his homily on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2018, said, “Jesus prepares a place for us here below, because the Eucharist is the beating heart of the Church. It gives her birth and rebirth; it gathers her together and gives her strength. But the Eucharist also prepares for us a place on high, in eternity, for it is the Bread of heaven.”

Does this mean there will no longer be any dispensation from the Sunday and Holy Day obligations?

Although the general dispensation will no longer be available, the Church has always recognized that certain circumstances can excuse a person from the requirement to observe the obligation. Persons are excused from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays or Holy Days under the following circumstances:

1. You have reason to believe your health would be significantly compromised if you were to contract a communicable illness (i.e., you have underlying conditions or are in a high-risk category).

2. You exhibit flu-like symptoms.

3. You have good reason to think you might be asymptomatic of a contagious illness (e.g., you were in recent contact with someone who tested positive for a contagious illness such as COVID or influenza).

4. You care for the sick, homebound, or infirmed.

5. You are pregnant or you are 65 years of age or older (per the CDC’s recommendation for high-risk individuals).

6. You cannot attend Mass through no fault of your own (e.g., no Mass is offered; you are infirm; or, while wanting to go, you are prevented for some reason you cannot control, such as your ride did not show up).

7. You have significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.

If situations 1 through 3 apply to you, prudent concern for your neighbor should lead you to stay home.  If you fall within situations 4-7, please exercise good judgment, consider the common good, and know you would not be held to the obligation of attending Mass.  For further questions about the application of any of these situations, please contact your pastor.  These categories will be reviewed in due course and revised as needed.

Those within the categories enumerated above must still observe the Lord’s Day and are encouraged to spend time in prayer on Sunday, meditating on the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection; an excellent way to do this is by praying the Liturgy of the Hours and participating in a broadcast/livestream of the Sunday Mass.

More information, answers to frequently asked questions, and a portal to each diocese’s protocols can be found at the website backtomassmn.org.

The return of our faith family to Mass is a joyous occasion. With that in mind, we also encourage the faithful to post on social media about their return-to-Mass worship experiences using the hashtag #backtomassmn. Wherever you may be, welcome home!

Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Most Rev. Andrew H. Cozzens, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Most Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of Winona-Rochester

Most Rev. Donald J. Kettler, Bishop of St. Cloud

Most Rev. Daniel J. Felton, Bishop of Duluth

Most Rev. Richard E. Pates, Apostolic Administrator of Crookston

Very Rev. Douglas L. Grams, Diocesan Administrator of New Ulm

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We are excited to welcome Archbishop Hebda to our parish this coming Sunday, June 2, 2021 at 2:00 pm to confirm 27 of our kids! Since we have so many families, this is a closed event so that they have the Church to themselves and their families, however you can join in by watching online via our live stream link below.

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On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control stated, “Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws.” Consequently, on May 14, the Governor issued Order 21-23, curtailing the earlier mask mandate; but it did not change social distance guidelines.

Face masks.
Effective immediately at Saint John the Baptist, those fully vaccinated are not at significant risk for contracting or spreading the coronavirus and need no longer wear face masks.  Those not vaccinated are safer if they continue to wear face masks, but Governor Walz indicates it would have been untenable to retain the mask mandate for unvaccinated people, which would have created a vaccine passport situation. Even so, individuals who are more comfortable wearing a face mask may continue doing so.

We know the CDC & Governor Walz's decision comes with emotions in our community and so to try and accommodate those who may feel apprehensive about coming back to Mass where people will be unmasked, we will be making the balcony open only to those who would like to sit apart from other who may or may not be wearing a mask in Church.  In the coming weeks, as things warm up, we will be able to have the windows open to bring in more fresh air as well, which will help with increased ventilation.

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Original Memo

The following guidelines are taken directly from the Archdiocese memo dated 5/12/2021 to All Parishes on "Updated Liturgical Guidelines in Light of “Safely Sunsetting”

On May 6, 2021, Governor Walz issued Executive Order 21-21, subtitled “Safely Sunsetting COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions.” As the pandemic winds down (hence the subtitle), the State is transitioning to a new normal that begins to approximate life before the pandemic. The Order relaxes social distance restrictions in three phases: before May 28; between May 28 and July 1; and after July 1, 2021.

Obligation to Attend Mass
The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation continues to be suspended. The bishops of Minnesota will in due time reinstate the obligation, and will communicate this to all the faithful. Accommodations for those with fragile health, as well as those caring for them, will also be articulated. The Office of Communications is preparing materials to assist parishes to catechize the faithful on the importance of attending Mass in person and welcoming everyone back to church.

Ongoing General Safety Protocols
If you are sick, stay at home. Please take care of yourself, and do your part to protect others from becoming infected.
Vulnerable persons and those caring for them should stay safe. Attend nonobligatory gatherings only to the extent that you (and those you care for) judge the risk of infection to be low.
Sanitization is effective. Regularly washing hands with soap and water and using hand sanitizer helps avoid both contracting and spreading infection.

Social Distance for Faith Services/Ceremonies, Receptions, or Gatherings
Before May 28: Indoors - Six feet of separation is required between households. Up to 10 persons may be seated at one table/in one pew.
After May 28: Indoors - There is no requirement to keep social distance.
(We will be removing the every-other-pew signs and people will be able to sit where they want)

Size of Gatherings
After May 28: Indoors - No limit.

Wearing Facemasks at Faith Services/Ceremonies and Non-worship Gatherings
Before May 28: Indoors - Required.
Between May 28 – July 1: Indoors - Required
After July 1 (sooner, if 70% of Minnesotans are vaccinated) - No longer required anywhere.

Funeral Visitations and Luncheons, Wedding Receptions, Coffee and Donuts
After May 28, parishes may allow these events without restricting how many, how closely, or how long people interact. Even so, until July 1, facemasks are still required by the Governor’s Order.

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This year we will be celebrating the extended Pentecost Vigil at Saint John the Baptist, on Saturday, May 22 starting at 5:00pm. This will include additional readings and psalms and will be a longer Mass than usual.

Little-Known Pentecost Vigil Mass Is a Hidden Gem of the Catholic Liturgy

The Pentecost vigil includes an extended number of readings and texts that reflect on, in particular, the Resurrection, Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit — and on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

That the celebration of even one Mass has infinite value is a keystone teaching of the Church regarding its liturgy.

For Father Dennis Gill, the rector and pastor of the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, the director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and a professor of sacred liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, there is one Mass in particular that also holds infinite value for him — the extended form of the vigil of Pentecost. He hopes that others in the Church will also discover the richness of this Mass.

As things stand now, though, Father Gill is one of only a relative handful of priests in the United States celebrating this form. He has been celebrating this little-known-but-powerful liturgy since 2016. This year he will be celebrating it the evening of June 8 at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

With a history that stretches back to the early Church, this more elaborate form of the Pentecost vigil Mass celebrates the same mystery of the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles to institute the Church that the simple form of the vigil and the Mass for Pentecost Sunday celebrate. As part of the concluding celebration of Easter, it also harks back to the first Mass of the Easter season — the Easter vigil Mass.

Like this “mother of all vigils,” as St. Augustine referred to Easter vigil, the Pentecost vigil includes an extended number of readings and texts that reflect a particular aspect of the Paschal mystery (the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit) — in this case, focusing on the last of these and more generally on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

Unlike the Easter vigil, which typically also celebrates baptism and confirmation, the Pentecost vigil places no special emphasis on the sacraments other than the Eucharist. But Father Gill noted that the Pentecost vigil would be a fitting opportunity to celebrate confirmation “because this sacrament has, as one of its unique gifts, the outpouring of the Spirit.”

Also unlike the Easter vigil, which is to be celebrated only between the hours after sunset and before sunrise, the Pentecost vigil Mass can be celebrated any time during the day — although it is preferably celebrated in the evening, much like, yet distinct from, a typical Saturday Mass of anticipation.

But if the extended form of the Pentecost vigil Mass hasn’t quite met with universal acclaim, it’s not from a lack of trying on the part of the Church in the United States.

For their part, the U.S. bishops have promoted the Mass, including taking steps to facilitate its celebration, and Father Gill encourages anyone and everyone in the Church to participate in this unique celebration of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.

Cathedral Celebration

Father Gill first began to celebrate the extended form of the Pentecost vigil when he was appointed rector of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in 2016 “because the cathedral is the mother church of the archdiocese and should set the example for each parish in the archdiocese.”

Beginning with that first celebration four years ago, “several hundred” faithful have attended each year, Father Gill reported, “and we also invite the charismatic community in the archdiocese to be present. It is a beautiful, reverent, joyful celebration of Pentecost.”

For the faithful who have been attending the Pentecost vigil at the cathedral, Father Gill told the Register, the celebration is an opportunity to see the fullness of the Easter season with its completion.

“For those who come to it, there is a more profound understanding of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with Pentecost,” he said. “Part of that has to do with the preaching — I try to give an effective homily based on the text and the mystery. We also celebrate the Mass bilingually, in English and Spanish, and I think that also gives a sense of the mission of the Church and the unity of the Church.”

Father Gill acknowledged that the Pentecost vigil is not widely known, and therefore not widely celebrated, in the United States. In his capacity as the director of the Office of Divine Worship for the archdiocese, Father Gill sends out a letter every year before Pentecost, encouraging parishes to celebrate this seemingly hidden treasure of the Church’s liturgy.

“But it hasn’t really taken off yet,” he admitted.

More here: https://www.ncregister.com/features/little-known-pentecost-vigil-mass-is-a-hidden-gem-of-the-catholic-liturgy

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9:30 AM Mass will be with our school children so public seating will be limited to just about a dozen pews. We would suggest you choose an alternate Mass time so that you are not inconvienced.

12:00 PM Mass

7:00 PM Mass

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SIGN-UP BELOW

JOIN US tonight for the vigil at 6:15pm, or tomorrow morning at 9:30am for the Solemnity of the Birthday of Saint John the Baptist - our Patron Saint!

St. Augustine explains the reason for the observance of this important Solemnity:

"Apart from the most holy solemnity commemorating our Savior's birth, the Church keeps the birthday of no other person except that of John the Baptist. (The feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin had not yet been introduced.) In the case of other saints or of God's chosen ones, the Church, as you know, solemnizes the day on which they were reborn to everlasting beatitude after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world.

"For all these the final day of their lives, the day on which they completed their earthly service is honored. But for John the day of his birth, the day on which he began this mortal life is likewise sacred. The reason for this is, of course, that the Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist, lest if He appeared suddenly, they would fail to recognize Him. John represented the Old Covenant and the Law. Therefore he preceded the Redeemer, even as the Law preceded and heralded the new dispensation of grace."

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We are excited to announce the hiring of Brian Carson as our new Director of Sacred Music and School Music Teacher.  Brian has tremendous experience in developing a music program at a parish, and we are thrilled he is with us - we are very lucky!  Not only will Brian be directing our choirs and cantors, he will also be teaching our kids in our school!  Brian and his wife Cathy have two children, one who just completed college and another just entering.  Brian has worked for the past 18 years at Saint Louis King of France parish in downtown St Paul. Brian begins with us on June 15, 2020

We again want to express our public thanks to Maggie and Anna for their years of leadership and work with our cantors and choir.  These young women stepped in at a pivotal time, during a big transition, and did a stellar job.  We thank them for their graciousness and adaptability, and for their commitment to serving Christ with their voices and talent.

STREAMING ONLINE

Starting tomorrow, Friday March 20, 2020, we will begin LIVE streaming Daily and Weekend Masses on YouTube. To view parish's YouTube channel, click the button below. There you will see a list of upcoming LIVE streams for Mass. These can be streamed on any device that has access to YouTube - Computer, Laptop, iPad, Smart Phone, and Smart TV.

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FM RADIO

We have configured a device to broadcast the Mass directly from the Sanctuary on an FM station into the two parking lots. Come to either of the two parking lots, sit in your car and tuned to 87.9 FM on your radio, and listen to the Mass.

The idea of distributing communion from car-to-car in the Church parking lot has come up at a number of Archdiocesan parishes in these last few days.  To that end, the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council is going to be taking up the idea during its March 31st Meeting to discuss the various risks surrounding the idea.

I've deemed that it would be a good idea for me to put this idea on PAUSE for now, until I hear otherwise from the council and Archbishop.  

So, I will be suspending distribution of Holy Communion to the public, and will not be distributing communion to those in the parking lot.  You are still welcome to come and listen to the Mass in the parking lot on the FM radio station 87.9.  

I highly encourage you to make a Spiritual Communion, and follow along with the prayers and readings for Mass, which can be found on our website.

I apologize for any confusion this has caused and ask for your patience. I take full responsibility for the reversal of this decision.

May God continue to bless and guide us during this difficult time,

Father Neil Bakker

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GUIDE TO MASS
SECOND SUNDAY IN EASTER: DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020
10:00 AM

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GLORIA

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

MASS READINGS

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2:42–47)

They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their property and possessions
and divide them among all according to each one’s need.

Every day they devoted themselves
to meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.

They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.

And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 118:2–4, 13–15, 22–24

R/ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love is everlasting.

Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

R/ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love is everlasting.

I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
My strength and my courage is the Lord,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:

R/ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love is everlasting.

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the Lord has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.

R/ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love is everlasting.

SECOND READING

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter (1:3–9)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.

In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (20:19–31)

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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NICENE CREED

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
At the words that follow, up to and including and became man, all bow.
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

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Text GIVE to 952-222-9195

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Take,O Lord, and receive
my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me:
I surrender it all to Thee
to be disposed of 
according to Thy will.

Give me only Thy Love
and Thy Grace;
with these I will be rich enough
and will desire nothing more.
Amen.

GUIDE TO MASS
THE EASTER VIGIL IN THE NIGHT

SATUDAY, APRIL 11, 2020
8:30 PM

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THE EASTER PROCLAMATION (EXSULTET)

Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.
         
Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle’s perfect praises.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.

Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.

These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.

This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel’s children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.

This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.

This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.

This is the night,
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.

Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!

This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.

The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.

On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.

But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God’s honor,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.

O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.

Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.

May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death’s domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R. Amen.

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MASS READINGS

FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of Genesis (1:1–2:2)

  In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
    the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
    while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

  Then God said,
    “Let there be light,” and there was light.
  God saw how good the light was.
  God then separated the light from the darkness.
  God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”
  Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.

  Then God said,
    “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
    to separate one body of water from the other.”
  And so it happened:
    God made the dome,
    and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
  God called the dome “the sky.”
  Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.

  Then God said,
    “Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
    so that the dry land may appear.”
  And so it happened:
    the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
    and the dry land appeared.
  God called the dry land “the earth,”
    and the basin of the water he called “the sea.”
  God saw how good it was.
  Then God said,
    “Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
    every kind of plant that bears seed
    and every kind of fruit tree on earth
    that bears fruit with its seed in it.”
  And so it happened:
    the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
    and every kind of fruit tree on earth
    that bears fruit with its seed in it.
  God saw how good it was.
  Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.

  Then God said:
    “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
    to separate day from night.
  Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
    and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
    to shed light upon the earth.”
  And so it happened:
    God made the two great lights,
    the greater one to govern the day,
    and the lesser one to govern the night;
    and he made the stars.
  God set them in the dome of the sky,
    to shed light upon the earth,
    to govern the day and the night,
    and to separate the light from the darkness.
  God saw how good it was.
  Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

  Then God said,
    “Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
    and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”
  And so it happened:
    God created the great sea monsters
    and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
    and all kinds of winged birds.
  God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
    “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
    and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
  Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.

  Then God said,
    “Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
    cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”
  And so it happened:
    God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
    and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
  God saw how good it was.
  Then God said:
    “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
  Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
    the birds of the air, and the cattle,
    and over all the wild animals
    and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
  God created man in his image;
      in the image of God he created him;
      male and female he created them.
  God blessed them, saying:
    “Be fertile and multiply;
    fill the earth and subdue it.
  Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
    and all the living things that move on the earth.”
  God also said:
    “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
    and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
    and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
    and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
    I give all the green plants for food.”
  And so it happened.
  God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
  Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.

  Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
  Since on the seventh day God was finished
    with the work he had been doing,
    he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ps 104:1–2, 5–6, 10, 12, 13–14, 24, 35)

R/ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

  Bless the LORD, O my soul!
    O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
  You are clothed with majesty and glory,
    robed in light as with a cloak.

R/ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

  You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
    not to be moved forever;
  with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
    above the mountains the waters stood.

R/ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

  You send forth springs into the watercourses
    that wind among the mountains.
  Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
    from among the branches they send forth their song.

R/ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

  You water the mountains from your palace;
    the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.
  You raise grass for the cattle,
    and vegetation for man’s use,
  producing bread from the earth.

R/ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

  How manifold are your works, O LORD!
    In wisdom you have wrought them all—
  the earth is full of your creatures.
    Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.

R/ Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

SECOND READING

A reading from the Book of Genesis (22:1–18)

  God put Abraham to the test.
  He called to him, “Abraham!”
  “Here I am, “he replied.
  Then God said:
    “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
    and go to the land of Moriah.
  There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
    on a height that I will point out to you.”
  Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
    took with him his son Isaac and two of his servants as well,
    and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust,
    set out for the place of which God had told him.

  On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
  Then he said to his servants:
    “Both of you stay here with the donkey,
    while the boy and I go on over yonder.
  We will worship and then come back to you.”
  Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust
    and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,
    while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
  As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
    “Father!” Isaac said.
  “Yes, son, “he replied.
  Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,
    but where is the sheep for the holocaust?”
  “Son,” Abraham answered,
    “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.”
  Then the two continued going forward.

  When they came to the place of which God had told him,
    Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
  Next he tied up his son Isaac,
    and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
  Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
  But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
    “Abraham, Abraham!”
  “Here I am!” he answered.
  “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
  “Do not do the least thing to him.
  I know now how devoted you are to God,
    since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
  As Abraham looked about,
    he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
  So he went and took the ram
    and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
  Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
    hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”

  Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
    “I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
    that because you acted as you did
    in not withholding from me your beloved son,
    I will bless you abundantly
    and make your descendants as countless
    as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
    your descendants shall take possession
    of the gates of their enemies,
    and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—
    all this because you obeyed my command.”

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (16:5, 8, 9–10, 11)

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

  O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
    you it is who hold fast my lot.
  I set the LORD ever before me;
    with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

  Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
    my body, too, abides in confidence;
  because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
    nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

  You will show me the path to life,
    fullness of joys in your presence,
    the delights at your right hand forever.

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

THIRD READING

A reading from the Book of Exodus (14:15–15:1)

  The LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?
  Tell the Israelites to go forward.
  And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
    split the sea in two,
    that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land.
  But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
    that they will go in after them.
  Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
    his chariots and charioteers.
  The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
    when I receive glory through Pharaoh
    and his chariots and charioteers.”

  The angel of God, who had been leading Israel’s camp,
    now moved and went around behind them.
  The column of cloud also, leaving the front,
    took up its place behind them,
    so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians
    and that of Israel.
  But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed
    without the rival camps coming any closer together
      all night long.
  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
    and the LORD swept the sea
    with a strong east wind throughout the night
    and so turned it into dry land.
  When the water was thus divided,
    the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land,
    with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

  The Egyptians followed in pursuit;
    all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them
    right into the midst of the sea.
  In the night watch just before dawn
    the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud
    upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;
    and he so clogged their chariot wheels
    that they could hardly drive.
  With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,
    because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians.

  Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea,
    that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians,
    upon their chariots and their charioteers.”
  So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
    and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.
  The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea,
    when the LORD hurled them into its midst.
  As the water flowed back,
    it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army
    which had followed the Israelites into the sea.
  Not a single one of them escaped.
  But the Israelites had marched on dry land
    through the midst of the sea,
    with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
  Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day
    from the power of the Egyptians.
  When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore
    and beheld the great power that the LORD
    had shown against the Egyptians,
    they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

  Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
    I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
    horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

    The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ex 15:1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 17–18)

R/ Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

  I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
    horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
  My strength and my courage is the LORD,
    and he has been my savior.
  He is my God, I praise him;
    the God of my father, I extol him.

R/ Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

  The LORD is a warrior,
    LORD is his name!
  Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
    the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.

R/ Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

  The flood waters covered them,
    they sank into the depths like a stone.
  Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
    your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.

R/ Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

  You brought in the people you redeemed
    and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance—
  the place where you made your seat, O LORD,
    the sanctuary, LORD, which your hands established.
  The LORD shall reign forever and ever.

R/ Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

FOURTH READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (54:5–14)

  The One who has become your husband is your Maker;
    his name is the LORD of hosts;
  your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
    called God of all the earth.
  The LORD calls you back,
    like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
    a wife married in youth and then cast off,
    says your God.
  For a brief moment I abandoned you,
    but with great tenderness I will take you back.
  In an outburst of wrath, for a moment
    I hid my face from you;
  but with enduring love I take pity on you,
    says the LORD, your redeemer.
  This is for me like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah
    should never again deluge the earth;
  so I have sworn not to be angry with you,
    or to rebuke you.
  Though the mountains leave their place
    and the hills be shaken,
  my love shall never leave you
    nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
    says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
  O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled,
    I lay your pavements in carnelians,
    and your foundations in sapphires;
  I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates of carbuncles,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
  All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
    and great shall be the peace of your children.
  In justice shall you be established,
    far from the fear of oppression,
    where destruction cannot come near you.

    The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ps 30:2, 4, 5–6, 11–12, 13)

R/ I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

  I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
    and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
  O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
    you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

R/ I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

  Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
  For his anger lasts but a moment;
    a lifetime, his good will.
  At nightfall, weeping enters in,
    but with the dawn, rejoicing.

R/ I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

  Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
    O LORD, be my helper.
  You changed my mourning into dancing;
    O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

R/ I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

FIFTH READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (55:1–11)

  Thus says the LORD:
  All you who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
  You who have no money,
    come, receive grain and eat;
  come, without paying and without cost,
    drink wine and milk!
  Why spend your money for what is not bread,
    your wages for what fails to satisfy?
  Heed me, and you shall eat well,
    you shall delight in rich fare.
  Come to me heedfully,
    listen, that you may have life.
  I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
    the benefits assured to David.
  As I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander of nations,
  so shall you summon a nation you knew not,
    and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
  because of the LORD, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

  Seek the LORD while he may be found,
    call him while he is near.
  Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
    and the wicked man his thoughts;
  let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
    to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
  For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
  As high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so high are my ways above your ways
    and my thoughts above your thoughts.

  For just as from the heavens
    the rain and snow come down
  and do not return there
    till they have watered the earth,
    making it fertile and fruitful,
  giving seed to the one who sows
    and bread to the one who eats,
  so shall my word be
    that goes forth from my mouth;
  my word shall not return to me void,
    but shall do my will,
    achieving the end for which I sent it.

  The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSALM (Is 12:2–3, 4, 5–6)

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

  God indeed is my savior;
    I am confident and unafraid.
  My strength and my courage is the LORD,
    and he has been my savior.
  With joy you will draw water
    at the fountain of salvation.

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

  Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
    among the nations make known his deeds,
    proclaim how exalted is his name.

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

  Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
    let this be known throughout all the earth.
  Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
    for great in your midst
    is the Holy One of Israel!

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

SIXTH READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Baruch (3:9–15, 32–4:4)

  Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life:
    listen, and know prudence!
  How is it, Israel,
    that you are in the land of your foes,
    grown old in a foreign land,
  defiled with the dead,
    accounted with those destined for the netherworld?
  You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!
    Had you walked in the way of God,
    you would have dwelt in enduring peace.
  Learn where prudence is,
    where strength, where understanding;
  that you may know also
    where are length of days, and life,
    where light of the eyes, and peace.
  Who has found the place of wisdom,
    who has entered into her treasuries?

  The One who knows all things knows her;
    he has probed her by his knowledge—
  the One who established the earth for all time,
    and filled it with four-footed beasts;
  he who dismisses the light, and it departs,
    calls it, and it obeys him trembling;
  before whom the stars at their posts
    shine and rejoice;
  when he calls them, they answer, “Here we are!”
    shining with joy for their Maker.
  Such is our God;
    no other is to be compared to him:
  he has traced out the whole way of understanding,
    and has given her to Jacob, his servant,
    to Israel, his beloved son.

  Since then she has appeared on earth,
    and moved among people.
  She is the book of the precepts of God,
    the law that endures forever;
  all who cling to her will live,
    but those will die who forsake her.
  Turn, O Jacob, and receive her:
    walk by her light toward splendor.
  Give not your glory to another,
    your privileges to an alien race.
  Blessed are we, O Israel;
    for what pleases God is known to us!

    The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSALM (Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11)

℟. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

  The law of the LORD is perfect,
    refreshing the soul;
  the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
    giving wisdom to the simple.

℟. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

  The precepts of the LORD are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
  the command of the LORD is clear,
    enlightening the eye.

℟. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

  The fear of the LORD is pure,
    enduring forever;
  the ordinances of the LORD are true,
    all of them just.

℟. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

  They are more precious than gold,
    than a heap of purest gold;
  sweeter also than syrup
    or honey from the comb.

℟. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

SEVENTH READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (36:16–17a, 18–28)

  The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
    Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their land,
    they defiled it by their conduct and deeds.
  Therefore I poured out my fury upon them
    because of the blood that they poured out on the ground,
    and because they defiled it with idols.
  I scattered them among the nations,
    dispersing them over foreign lands;
    according to their conduct and deeds I judged them.
  But when they came among the nations wherever they came,
    they served to profane my holy name,
    because it was said of them: “These are the people of the LORD,
    yet they had to leave their land.”
  So I have relented because of my holy name
    which the house of Israel profaned
    among the nations where they came.
  Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD:
    Not for your sakes do I act, house of Israel,
    but for the sake of my holy name,
    which you profaned among the nations to which you came.
  I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations,
    in whose midst you have profaned it.
  Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,
    when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
  For I will take you away from among the nations,
    gather you from all the foreign lands,
    and bring you back to your own land.
  I will sprinkle clean water upon you
    to cleanse you from all your impurities,
    and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
  I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
    taking from your bodies your stony hearts
    and giving you natural hearts.
  I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
    careful to observe my decrees.
  You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
    you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

    The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Isaiah 12:2–3, 4bcd, 5–6

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

  God indeed is my savior;
    I am confident and unafraid.
  My strength and my courage is the LORD,
    and he has been my savior.
  With joy you will draw water
    at the fountain of salvation.

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

  Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
    among the nations make known his deeds,
    proclaim how exalted is his name.

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

  Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
    let this be known throughout all the earth.
  Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
    for great in your midst
    is the Holy One of Israel!

℟. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

GLORIA

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

EPISTLE

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (6:3–11)

  Brothers and sisters:
  Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
    were baptized into his death?
  We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
    so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
    by the glory of the Father,
    we too might live in newness of life.

  For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
    we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
  We know that our old self was crucified with him,
    so that our sinful body might be done away with,
    that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
  For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
  If, then, we have died with Christ,
    we believe that we shall also live with him.
  We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
    death no longer has power over him.
  As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
    as to his life, he lives for God.
  Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin
    and living for God in Christ Jesus.

    The word of the Lord.

THE GREAT ALLELUIA

After the Epistle has been read, all rise, then the Priest solemnly intones the Alleluia three times, raising his voice by a step each time, with all repeating it.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ps 118:1–2, 16–17, 22–23)

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
    for his mercy endures forever.
  Let the house of Israel say,
    “His mercy endures forever.”

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

  The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
    the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
  I shall not die, but live,
    and declare the works of the LORD.

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

  The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.
  By the LORD has this been done;
    it is wonderful in our eyes.

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (28:1–10)

  After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
    Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
  And behold, there was a great earthquake;
    for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
    approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
  His appearance was like lightning
    and his clothing was white as snow.
  The guards were shaken with fear of him
    and became like dead men.
  Then the angel said to the women in reply,
    “Do not be afraid!
  I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
  He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.
  Come and see the place where he lay.
  Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
    ‘He has been raised from the dead,
    and he is going before you to Galilee;
    there you will see him.’
    Behold, I have told you.”
  Then they went away quickly from the tomb,
    fearful yet overjoyed,
    and ran to announce this to his disciples.
  And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
  They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
  Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
    and there they will see me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

---

RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL PROMISES 

Dear brethren, through the Paschal Mystery
we have been buried with Christ in Baptism,
so that we may walk with him in newness of life.

And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded,
let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism,
by which we once renounced Satan and his works
and promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church.

And so I ask you:
Priest: Do you renounce Satan?
All: I do.
Priest: And all his works?
All: I do.
Priest: And all his empty show?
All: I do.
Priest: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
All: I do.
Priest: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father?
All: I do.
Priest: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
All: I do.

And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit
and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins,
keep us by his grace,
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
for eternal life.

All: Amen.

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Take,O Lord, and receive
my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me:
I surrender it all to Thee
to be disposed of 
according to Thy will.

Give me only Thy Love
and Thy Grace;
with these I will be rich enough
and will desire nothing more.
Amen.

GUIDE TO SERVICE
GOOD FRIDAY

FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020
7:00 PM

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MASS READINGS

FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (52:13–53:12)

  See, my servant shall prosper,
    he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.
  Even as many were amazed at him—
    so marred was his look beyond human semblance
    and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man—
  so shall he startle many nations,
    because of him kings shall stand speechless;
  for those who have not been told shall see,
    those who have not heard shall ponder it.

  Who would believe what we have heard?
    To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
  He grew up like a sapling before him,
    like a shoot from the parched earth;
  there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
    nor appearance that would attract us to him.
  He was spurned and avoided by people,
    a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
  one of those from whom people hide their faces,
    spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

  Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
    our sufferings that he endured,
  while we thought of him as stricken,
    as one smitten by God and afflicted.
  But he was pierced for our offenses,
    crushed for our sins;
  upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
    by his stripes we were healed.
  We had all gone astray like sheep,
    each following his own way;
  but the LORD laid upon him
    the guilt of us all.

  Though he was harshly treated, he submitted
    and opened not his mouth;
  like a lamb led to the slaughter
    or a sheep before the shearers,
    he was silent and opened not his mouth.
  Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,
    and who would have thought any more of his destiny?
  When he was cut off from the land of the living,
    and smitten for the sin of his people,
  a grave was assigned him among the wicked
    and a burial place with evildoers,
  though he had done no wrong
    nor spoken any falsehood.
  But the LORD was pleased
    to crush him in infirmity.

  If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
    he shall see his descendants in a long life,
    and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

  Because of his affliction
    he shall see the light in fullness of days;
  through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
    and their guilt he shall bear.
  Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
    and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
  because he surrendered himself to death
    and was counted among the wicked;
  and he shall take away the sins of many,
    and win pardon for their offenses.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ps 31:2, 6, 12–13, 15–16, 17, 25)

R/ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

  In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.
  In your justice rescue me.
  Into your hands I commend my spirit;
    you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

R/ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

  For all my foes I am an object of reproach,
    a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;
    they who see me abroad flee from me.
  I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;
    I am like a dish that is broken.

R/ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

  But my trust is in you, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my God.
  In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
    from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”

R/ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

  Let your face shine upon your servant;
    save me in your kindness.
  Take courage and be stouthearted,
    all you who hope in the LORD.

R/ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

SECOND READING

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (4:14–16; 5:7–9)

  Brothers and sisters:
  Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
    Jesus, the Son of God,
    let us hold fast to our confession.
  For we do not have a high priest
    who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
    but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
    yet without sin.
  So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
    to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

  In the days when Christ was in the flesh,
    he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
    to the one who was able to save him from death,
    and he was heard because of his reverence.
  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
    and when he was made perfect,
    he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

      Christ became 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 other name.

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

GOSPEL

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (18:1–19:42)

  Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
    to where there was a garden,
    into which he and his disciples entered.
  Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
    because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
  So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards
    from the chief priests and the Pharisees
    and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
  Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
    went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”
  They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
  He said to them, “I AM.”
  Judas his betrayer was also with them.
  When he said to them, “I AM,”
    they turned away and fell to the ground.
  So he again asked them,
    “Whom are you looking for?”
  They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
  Jesus answered,
    “I told you that I AM.
  So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
  This was to fulfill what he had said,
    “I have not lost any of those you gave me.”
  Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
    struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.
  The slave’s name was Malchus.
  Jesus said to Peter,
    “Put your sword into its scabbard.
  Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

  So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
    bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
  He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
    who was high priest that year.
  It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
    that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.

  Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
  Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
    and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
  But Peter stood at the gate outside.
  So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
    went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
  Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
    “You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
  He said, “I am not.”
  Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire
    that they had made, because it was cold,
    and were warming themselves.
  Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

  The high priest questioned Jesus
    about his disciples and about his doctrine.
  Jesus answered him,
    “I have spoken publicly to the world.
  I have always taught in a synagogue
    or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,
    and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
  Ask those who heard me what I said to them.
  They know what I said.”
  When he had said this,
    one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
    “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
  Jesus answered him,
    “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;
    but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”
  Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

  Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
  And they said to him,
    “You are not one of his disciples, are you?”
  He denied it and said,
    “I am not.”
  One of the slaves of the high priest,
    a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
    “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
  Again Peter denied it.
  And immediately the cock crowed.

  Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.
  It was morning.
  And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
    in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
  So Pilate came out to them and said,
    “What charge do you bring against this man?”
  They answered and said to him,
    “If he were not a criminal,
    we would not have handed him over to you.”
  At this, Pilate said to them,
    “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”
  The Jews answered him,
    “We do not have the right to execute anyone,”
    in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
    that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
  So Pilate went back into the praetorium
    and summoned Jesus and said to him,
    “Are you the King of the Jews?”
  Jesus answered,
    “Do you say this on your own
    or have others told you about me?”
  Pilate answered,
    “I am not a Jew, am I?
  Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
  What have you done?”
  Jesus answered,
    “My kingdom does not belong to this world.
  If my kingdom did belong to this world,
    my attendants would be fighting
    to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
  But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
  So Pilate said to him,
    “Then you are a king?”
  Jesus answered,
    “You say I am a king.
  For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
    to testify to the truth.
  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
  Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

  When he had said this,
    he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
    “I find no guilt in him.
  But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.
  Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
  They cried out again,
    “Not this one but Barabbas!”
  Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

  Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
  And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,
    and clothed him in a purple cloak,
    and they came to him and said,
    “Hail, King of the Jews!”
  And they struck him repeatedly.
  Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
    “Look, I am bringing him out to you,
    so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
  So Jesus came out,
    wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.
  And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”
  When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
    “Crucify him, crucify him!”
  Pilate said to them,
    “Take him yourselves and crucify him.
  I find no guilt in him.”
  The Jews answered,
    “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
    because he made himself the Son of God.”
  Now when Pilate heard this statement,
    he became even more afraid,
    and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
    “Where are you from?”
  Jesus did not answer him.
  So Pilate said to him,
    “Do you not speak to me?
  Do you not know that I have power to release you
    and I have power to crucify you?”
  Jesus answered him,
    “You would have no power over me
    if it had not been given to you from above.
  For this reason the one who handed me over to you
    has the greater sin.”
  Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
    “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
  Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

  When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out
    and seated him on the judge’s bench
    in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
  It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
  And he said to the Jews,
    “Behold, your king!”
  They cried out,
    “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
  Pilate said to them,
    “Shall I crucify your king?”
  The chief priests answered,
    “We have no king but Caesar.”
  Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

  So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
    he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
    in Hebrew, Golgotha.
  There they crucified him, and with him two others,
    one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
  Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
  It read,
    “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”
  Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
    because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;
    and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
  So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
    “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’
    but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
  Pilate answered,
    “What I have written, I have written.”

  When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
    they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
    a share for each soldier.
  They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
    woven in one piece from the top down.
  So they said to one another,
    “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,”
    in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:
      They divided my garments among them,
         and for my vesture they cast lots.
  This is what the soldiers did.
  Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
    and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
    and Mary of Magdala.
  When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
    he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
  Then he said to the disciple,
    “Behold, your mother.”
  And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

  After this, aware that everything was now finished,
    in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
    Jesus said, “I thirst.”
  There was a vessel filled with common wine.
  So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
    and put it up to his mouth.
  When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
    “It is finished.”
  And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
  Now since it was preparation day,
    in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
    for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
    the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
    and that they be taken down.
  So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
    and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
    they did not break his legs,
    but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
    and immediately blood and water flowed out.
  An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
    he knows that he is speaking the truth,
    so that you also may come to believe.
  For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
    Not a bone of it will be broken.
  And again another passage says:
    They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

  After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
    secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
    asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
  And Pilate permitted it.
  So he came and took his body.
  Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
    also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
    weighing about one hundred pounds.
  They took the body of Jesus
    and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
    according to the Jewish burial custom.
  Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
    and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
  So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
    for the tomb was close by.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Take,O Lord, and receive
my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me:
I surrender it all to Thee
to be disposed of 
according to Thy will.

Give me only Thy Love
and Thy Grace;
with these I will be rich enough
and will desire nothing more.
Amen.

GUIDE TO MASS
HOLY THURSDAY

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020
7:00 PM

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A PRAYER BEFORE MASS
by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come to the Sacrament of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: I come as one infirm to the physician of life, as one unclean to the fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of everlasting brightness, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

Therefore I implore the abundance of Thy measureless bounty that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal my infirmity, wash my uncleanness, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty and clothe my nakedness, that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility, with such sorrow and devotion, with such purity and faith, with such purpose and intention as may be profitable to my soul's salvation. Grant unto me, I pray, the grace of receiving not only the Sacrament of our Lord's Body and Blood, but also the grace and power of the Sacrament.

O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which He took from the Virgin Mary, as to merit to be incorporated into His mystical Body, and to be numbered amongst His members.

O most loving Father, give me grace to behold forever Thy beloved Son with His face at last unveiled, whom I now purpose to receive under the sacramental veil here below.
Amen.

MASS READINGS

FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of Exodus (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.”

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ps 116:12–13, 15–16bc, 17–18.)

R/ 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.

SECOND READING

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (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.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

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

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

GOSPEL

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

NICENE CREED

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
At the words that follow, up to and including and became man, all bow.
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Take,O Lord, and receive
my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me:
I surrender it all to Thee
to be disposed of 
according to Thy will.

Give me only Thy Love
and Thy Grace;
with these I will be rich enough
and will desire nothing more.
Amen.

---

A PRAYER AFTER MASS
by Saint Thomas Aquinas

I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, most holy, Father almighty, eternal God, that Thou hast vouchsafed, for no merit of mine own, but out of Thy pure mercy, to appease the hunger of my soul with the precious body and blood of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Humbly I implore Thee, let not this holy communion be to me an increase of guilt unto my punishment, but an availing plea unto pardon and salvation. Let it be to me the armour of faith and the shield of good will.

May it root out from my heart all vice; may it utterly subdue my evil passions and all my unruly desires. May it perfect me in charity and patience; in humility and obedience; and in all other virtues. May it be my sure defence against the snares laid for me by my enemies, visible and invisible. May it restrain and quiet all my evil impulses, and make me ever cleave to Thee Who art the one true God.

May I owe to it a happy ending of my life. And do Thou, O heavenly Father, vouchsafe one day to call me, a sinner, to that ineffable banquet, where Thou, together with Thy Son and the Holy Ghost, art to Thy saints true and unfailing light, fullness of content, joy for evermore, gladness without alloy, consummate and everlasting happiness.
Through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GUIDE TO MASS
PALM SUNDAY

SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020
10:00AM

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A PRAYER BEFORE MASS
by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come to the Sacrament of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: I come as one infirm to the physician of life, as one unclean to the fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of everlasting brightness, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

Therefore I implore the abundance of Thy measureless bounty that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal my infirmity, wash my uncleanness, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty and clothe my nakedness, that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility, with such sorrow and devotion, with such purity and faith, with such purpose and intention as may be profitable to my soul's salvation. Grant unto me, I pray, the grace of receiving not only the Sacrament of our Lord's Body and Blood, but also the grace and power of the Sacrament.

O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which He took from the Virgin Mary, as to merit to be incorporated into His mystical Body, and to be numbered amongst His members.

O most loving Father, give me grace to behold forever Thy beloved Son with His face at last unveiled, whom I now purpose to receive under the sacramental veil here below.
Amen.

MASS READINGS

FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (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.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm (Ps 22:8–9, 17–18, 19–20, 23–24.)

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/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

  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/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

  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/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

  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/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

SECOND READING

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (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.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

      Christ became 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.

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

GOSPEL

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (26:14–27:66)

  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.”

  While they were eating,
    Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
    broke it, and giving it to his disciples said,
    “Take and eat; this is my body.”
  Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
    “Drink from it, all of you,
    for this is my blood of the covenant,
    which will be shed on behalf of many
    for the forgiveness of sins.
  I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine
    until the day when I drink it with you new
    in the kingdom of my Father.”
  Then, after singing a hymn,
    they went out to the Mount of Olives.

  Then Jesus said to them,
    “This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken,
    for it is written:
      I will strike the shepherd,
         and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed;
    but after I have been raised up,
    I shall go before you to Galilee.”
  Peter said to him in reply,
    “Though all may have their faith in you shaken,
    mine will never be.”
  Jesus said to him,
    “Amen, I say to you,
    this very night before the cock crows,
    you will deny me three times.”
  Peter said to him,
    “Even though I should have to die with you,
    I will not deny you.”
  And all the disciples spoke likewise.

  Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,
    and he said to his disciples,
    “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
  He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
    and began to feel sorrow and distress.
  Then he said to them,
    “My soul is sorrowful even to death.
  Remain here and keep watch with me.”
  He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying,
    “My Father, if it is possible,
    let this cup pass from me;
    yet, not as I will, but as you will.”
  When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep.
  He said to Peter,
    “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?
  Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
  Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again,
    “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass
    without my drinking it, your will be done!”
  Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
    for they could not keep their eyes open.
  He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time,
    saying the same thing again.
  Then he returned to his disciples and said to them,
    “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
  Behold, the hour is at hand
    when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
  Get up, let us go.
  Look, my betrayer is at hand.”

  While he was still speaking,
    Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
    accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs,
    who had come from the chief priests and the elders
      of the people.
  His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying,
    “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him.”
  Immediately he went over to Jesus and said,
    “Hail, Rabbi!” and he kissed him.
  Jesus answered him,
    “Friend, do what you have come for.”
  Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
  And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus
    put his hand to his sword, drew it,
    and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear.
  Then Jesus said to him,
    “Put your sword back into its sheath,
    for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
  Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father
    and he will not provide me at this moment
    with more than twelve legions of angels?
  But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled
    which say that it must come to pass in this way?”
  At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,
    “Have you come out as against a robber,
    with swords and clubs to seize me?
  Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area,
    yet you did not arrest me.
  But all this has come to pass
    that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled.”
  Then all the disciples left him and fled.

  Those who had arrested Jesus led him away
    to Caiaphas the high priest,
    where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
  Peter was following him at a distance
    as far as the high priest’s courtyard,
    and going inside he sat down with the servants
      to see the outcome.
  The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
    kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus
    in order to put him to death,
    but they found none,
    though many false witnesses came forward.
  Finally two came forward who stated,
    “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God
    and within three days rebuild it.’ ”
  The high priest rose and addressed him,
    “Have you no answer?
  What are these men testifying against you?”
  But Jesus was silent.
  Then the high priest said to him,
    “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God
    whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
  Jesus said to him in reply,
    “You have said so.
    But I tell you:
      From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man
         seated at the right hand of the Power’
         and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’ ”
  Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
    “He has blasphemed!
  What further need have we of witnesses?
  You have now heard the blasphemy;
    what is your opinion?”
  They said in reply,
    “He deserves to die!”
  Then they spat in his face and struck him,
    while some slapped him, saying,
    “Prophesy for us, Christ: who is it that struck you?”
  Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.
  One of the maids came over to him and said,
    “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”
  But he denied it in front of everyone, saying,
    “I do not know what you are talking about!”
  As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him
    and said to those who were there,
    “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.”
  Again he denied it with an oath,
    “I do not know the man!”
  A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter,
    “Surely you too are one of them;
    even your speech gives you away.”
  At that he began to curse and to swear,
    “I do not know the man.”
  And immediately a cock crowed.
  Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken:
    “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.”
  He went out and began to weep bitterly.

  When it was morning,
    all the chief priests and the elders of the people
    took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
  They bound him, led him away,
    and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

  Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned,
    deeply regretted what he had done.
  He returned the thirty pieces of silver
    to the chief priests and elders, saying,
    “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.”
  They said,
    “What is that to us?
    Look to it yourself.”
  Flinging the money into the temple,
    he departed and went off and hanged himself.
  The chief priests gathered up the money, but said,
    “It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury,
    for it is the price of blood.”
  After consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field
    as a burial place for foreigners.
  That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood.
  Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah
      the prophet,
    And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
    the value of a man with a price on his head,
    a price set by some of the Israelites,
    and they paid it out for the potter’s field
    just as the Lord had commanded me.

  Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he 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!”
  There were many women there, looking on from a distance,
    who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
  Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
    and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

  When it was evening,
    there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph,
    who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
  He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
    then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.
  Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen
    and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock.
  Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb
      and departed.
  But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
    remained sitting there, facing the tomb.

  The next day, the one following the day of preparation,
    the chief priests and the Pharisees
    gathered before Pilate and said,
    “Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said,
    ‘After three days I will be raised up.’
  Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day,
    lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people,
    ‘He has been raised from the dead.’
  This last imposture would be worse than the first.”
  Pilate said to them,
    “The guard is yours;
    go, secure it as best you can.”
  So they went and secured the tomb
    by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.

The Gospel of the Lord.

NICENE CREED

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
At the words that follow, up to and including and became man, all bow.
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

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Text GIVE to 952-222-9195

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Take,O Lord, and receive
my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me:
I surrender it all to Thee
to be disposed of 
according to Thy will.

Give me only Thy Love
and Thy Grace;
with these I will be rich enough
and will desire nothing more.
Amen.

---

A PRAYER AFTER MASS
by Saint Thomas Aquinas

I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, most holy, Father almighty, eternal God, that Thou hast vouchsafed, for no merit of mine own, but out of Thy pure mercy, to appease the hunger of my soul with the precious body and blood of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Humbly I implore Thee, let not this holy communion be to me an increase of guilt unto my punishment, but an availing plea unto pardon and salvation. Let it be to me the armour of faith and the shield of good will.

May it root out from my heart all vice; may it utterly subdue my evil passions and all my unruly desires. May it perfect me in charity and patience; in humility and obedience; and in all other virtues. May it be my sure defence against the snares laid for me by my enemies, visible and invisible. May it restrain and quiet all my evil impulses, and make me ever cleave to Thee Who art the one true God.

May I owe to it a happy ending of my life. And do Thou, O heavenly Father, vouchsafe one day to call me, a sinner, to that ineffable banquet, where Thou, together with Thy Son and the Holy Ghost, art to Thy saints true and unfailing light, fullness of content, joy for evermore, gladness without alloy, consummate and everlasting happiness.
Through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dear Brethren,

I've made some adjustments to our weekly liturgical schedule to accommodate some additional devotional time for us to stream online. 
Here is our upcoming schedule for the next week:

TUESDAY - Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Lent
Confessions in the parking lot 5:00-6:00pm
Streaming Mass - 6:15pm
Streaming Adoration begins right after Mass - 6:45pm
Streaming Benediction - 7:45pm

WEDNESDAY - Solemnity of the Annunication of the LORD
Streaming Mass - 9:30am
Streaming Adoration begins right after Mass - 10:00am
Streaming Benediction - 11:00am
Confessions in the parking lot - 5:00-6:00pm

THURSDAY - Wednesday of the Fouth Week in Lent
Streaming Mass - 9:30am
Streaming Adoration begins right after Mass - 10:00am
Streaming Benediction - 11:00am
Confessions in the parking lot - 5:00-6:00pm

FRIDAY - Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent
Streaming Chuck Jandl Funeral - 11:00am
Confessions in the parking lot 4:00-5:00pm
Streaming Adoration - 6:00pm
Streaming Stations of the Cross - 6:30pm
     - Booklets can be found on our website under Mass Prayers
Streaming Benediction - 7:00pm

SATURDAY - Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent
Confessions in the parking lot 4:00-5:00pm

SUNDAY - Fifth Sunday in Lent
Streaming Mass - 10:00am

Note that we will not be streaming all the weekend Masses, only the 10:00am Mass on Sunday.  I will say the other two Masses privately.  I've been asking volunteers who were already scheduled to come in and assist with the necessary elements of the Sunday Mass (such as Lector, Cantor, Accompanist, operate the streaming software).  They have/will be contacted individually by me.

If anything else comes up in the meantime, I will pass it along right away.

May God continue to bless us all,

Father Neil - Pastor

GUIDE TO MASS
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2020
10:00AM

Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

As we remain unable to be together at the Altar of God, I continue to think about you all and pray for you daily.  This time apart has been difficult for me.  It's certainly not been a vacation, as I've been working hard to find creative ways for us to stay connected, both in the school and in the parish.  And, I miss you.

I wanted to offer some suggestions for this coming Sunday.  While the lay faithful are not obligated to attend Mass at this time, I would still suggest you make a concerted effort to watch the Mass on our streaming YouTube channel, and participate as best you can from the comfort of your home.  Here are some thoughts on how you could do that:

• Continue to observe the 1 hour fast before Mass, even though you are unable to receive our LORD physically present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, you can still make this meritorious and valiant sacrifice for Jesus.

• Get dressed up as you would normally on a Sunday to go to Church.  My grandpa used to get up every Sunday morning and put on a suit and tie for Church - and he was a mechanic and janitor his entire life!

• If you are a family watching, sit together for the Mass.

• Stand when we stand. Sit when we sit. Kneel when we kneel.  Sing when we sing.  Respond as you would normally if you were in the pew.

• Receive our Lord in a Spiritual way during communion.

• Continue to give to the Church as you normally have.  We are trying to find creative ways to cover the over 50% drop in collections, but things are going to be getting bad very soon.  You can drop off your envelop at the parish office in the new mail slot.  You can give on our website.  You can text GIVE to 952-222-9195 for an easy way to give.

• Pray the prayer after communion with us.  It can be found on the website under Mass Prayers, and in the bottom of this email.

• Stay connected with us and with the parish at large.  Like our Facebook page and comment on the posts.

This Sunday marks the first day of Passiontide - the last two weeks of Lent.  We've again covered the statues in the Church this year to mark this change in time.  It's an intensification of our focus on the coming days of Holy Week, Triduum, and Easter.  It is very important for us to live these days out.  They mark our souls, change our minds, and conform us evermore to our LORD.  More information will be coming on how we will be marking these most important days of the year for the Church.  I'm excited that you will be able to participate LIVE with us on our YouTube channel!

While you cannot be here at the Altar of the LORD, continue to offer spiritual sacrifices on the altar of your heart.  There is much to sacrifice this year.  I saw a post on Facebook that said, "this is the lentist lent I've ever lented."  :-)
 

If you need anything, I ask you to please reach out.  Again, my cell phone number is 651-964-8834.

May God continue to bless you in this time of healing.

Father Neil
Pastor

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MASS GUIDE FOR FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

A PRAYER BEFORE MASS
by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come to the Sacrament of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: I come as one infirm to the physician of life, as one unclean to the fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of everlasting brightness, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

Therefore I implore the abundance of Thy measureless bounty that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal my infirmity, wash my uncleanness, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty and clothe my nakedness, that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility, with such sorrow and devotion, with such purity and faith, with such purpose and intention as may be profitable to my soul's salvation. Grant unto me, I pray, the grace of receiving not only the Sacrament of our Lord's Body and Blood, but also the grace and power of the Sacrament.

O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which He took from the Virgin Mary, as to merit to be incorporated into His mystical Body, and to be numbered amongst His members.

O most loving Father, give me grace to behold forever Thy beloved Son with His face at last unveiled, whom I now purpose to receive under the sacramental veil here below.
Amen.

MASS READINGS

FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 37:12-14 

Thus says the Lord God:
O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,

O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the Lord.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 130 

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

If you, O Lord, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the Lord.

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

For with the Lord is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
and he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

SECOND READING

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 8:8-11 

Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.

The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.

Praise to you LORD Jesus Christ,
King of endless Glory.

GOSPEL

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 11:1-45 

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So] the sisters (of Lazarus) sent word to Jesus saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone Magnificat you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.”

So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him.

So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”

And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

NICENE CREED

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
At the words that follow, up to and including and became man, all bow.
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

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Text GIVE to 952-222-9195

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Take,O Lord, and receive
my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my whole will.

All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me:
I surrender it all to Thee
to be disposed of 
according to Thy will.

Give me only Thy Love
and Thy Grace;
with these I will be rich enough
and will desire nothing more.
Amen.

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A PRAYER AFTER MASS
by Saint Thomas Aquinas

I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, most holy, Father almighty, eternal God, that Thou hast vouchsafed, for no merit of mine own, but out of Thy pure mercy, to appease the hunger of my soul with the precious body and blood of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Humbly I implore Thee, let not this holy communion be to me an increase of guilt unto my punishment, but an availing plea unto pardon and salvation. Let it be to me the armour of faith and the shield of good will.

May it root out from my heart all vice; may it utterly subdue my evil passions and all my unruly desires. May it perfect me in charity and patience; in humility and obedience; and in all other virtues. May it be my sure defence against the snares laid for me by my enemies, visible and invisible. May it restrain and quiet all my evil impulses, and make me ever cleave to Thee Who art the one true God.

May I owe to it a happy ending of my life. And do Thou, O heavenly Father, vouchsafe one day to call me, a sinner, to that ineffable banquet, where Thou, together with Thy Son and the Holy Ghost, art to Thy saints true and unfailing light, fullness of content, joy for evermore, gladness without alloy, consummate and everlasting happiness.
Through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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