Third Sunday of Easter

Reading 1

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41

When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders, did we not,
to stop teaching in that name?
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles
to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

Responsorial Psalm

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Rev 5:11-14

Reading 2

I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels
who surrounded the throne
and the living creatures and the elders.
They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and blessing.”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and in the sea,
everything in the universe, cry out:
“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever.”
The four living creatures answered, “Amen, “
and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Jn 21:1-19 or 21:1-14

Gospel

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

or

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “ am going fishing.”
They said to him, “e also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

Wishing You A Joyful Easter, Alleluia!

The Easter Vigil mass in Tanjung Malim was celebrated at the dawn, around 7.oopm on Holy Saturday. The mass considered as an Easter mass too because on Easter Sunday there was be no mass for people in Tanjung Malim as Father celebrated Easter Sunday mass at Rawang.

It was still bright when the faithful went out at the church entrance to witness the Service of Light. The mass start with the blessing of the fire, made in a vase. Then Father lightened up the Easter candle from the blessed fire to symbolized the Christ as the Light of the world. Then Father marked the Easter Candle. The procession of the light led by Father entered the church followed by the congregation.

Soon the mass continued with five readings; each separated by the beautiful hymns of psalms. Before the reading from the New Testament, people sung Gloria, followed by the ringing of the bells. The great Alleluia sung before the Gospel reading. The whole solemnity was so beautiful with the incense and the Holy Water sprinkled. People also renewed their baptismal promise and responded to the Litany of The Saints.

After the mass, a pot luck fellowship was held at the church hall at the back of the church. People enjoyed themselves with a variety of food and drink that were brought by the church members. After all, everybody enjoyed and rejoiced because Christ is risen from the dead. Sing Alleluia, The Lord is risen!

The Resurrection of the Lord At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter

Reading 1

Gn 1:1—2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a

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.

or

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,

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 found it very good.

Ps 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35

Responsorial Psalm

R. (30) 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.

or

Ps 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20 and 22

R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Upright is the word of the LORD,

and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;

by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;

in cellars he confines the deep.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down;

he sees all mankind.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

who have put our hope in you.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Gn 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Reading 2

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, AOn 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 blessingC

all this because you obeyed my command.”

or

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.”

When they came to the place of which God had told him,

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

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.

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 blessingC

all this because you obeyed my command.”

Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

Responsorial Psalm 2

R. (1) 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.

Ex 14:15—15:1

Reading 3

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, AStretch 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.

Ex 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18

Responsorial Psalm 3

R. (1b) 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 inheritanceC

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.

Is 54:5-14

Reading 4

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.

Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

Responsorial Psalm 4

R. (2a) 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.

Is 55:1-11

Reading 5

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.

Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

Responsorial Psalm 5

R. (3) 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.

R. 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.

R. 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!

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

Bar 3:9-15, 32C4:4

Reading 6

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 knowledgeC

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!

Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11

Responsorial Psalm 6

R. (John 6:68c) 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.

R. 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.

R. 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.

R. 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.

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

Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28

Reading 7

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.

Ps 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4

Responsorial Psalm 7a

When baptism is celebrated.

R. (42:2) Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

I went with the throng

and led them in procession to the house of God,

Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,

with the multitude keeping festival.

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Send forth your light and your fidelity;

they shall lead me on

And bring me to your holy mountain,

to your dwelling-place.

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Then will I go in to the altar of God,

the God of my gladness and joy;

then will I give you thanks upon the harp,

O God, my God!

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6When baptism is not celebrated.

R. (3) 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.

R. 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!

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

Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

Responsorial Psalm 7b

When baptism is not celebrated

R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners shall return to you.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;

should I offer a holocaust, you would not accept it.

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;

a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Rom 6:3-11

Epistle

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.

Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

Responsorial Psalm 8

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.

Lk 24:1-12

Gospel

At daybreak on the first day of the week

the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus

took the spices they had prepared

and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;

but when they entered,

they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were puzzling over this, behold,

two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.

They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.

They said to them,

“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?

He is not here, but he has been raised.

Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,

that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners

and be crucified, and rise on the third day.”

And they remembered his words.

Then they returned from the tomb

and announced all these things to the eleven

and to all the others.

The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;

the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,

but their story seemed like nonsense

and they did not believe them.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,

bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone;

then he went home amazed at what had happened.