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Ribbon Placement:
Office of Readings for Passion Sunday in the Holy Week
God, come to my assistance.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
HYMN
Sing with all the sons of glory,
O what glory, far exceeding
Life eternal! heav'n rejoices:
Life eternal! O what wonders
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe.
Psalm 104
I
Bless the Lord, my soul!
You stretch out the heavens like a tent.
You founded the earth on its base,
At your threat they took to flight;
You make springs gush forth in the valleys:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe.
Ant. 2 The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts.
II
From your dwelling you water the hills;
that he may bring forth bread from the earth
The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
You made the moon to mark the months;
At the rising of the sun they steal away
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts.
Ant. 3 The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good.
III
How many are your works, O Lord!
There is the sea, vast and wide,
All of these look to you
You hide your face, they are dismayed;
May the glory of the Lord last forever!
I will sing to the Lord all my life,
Bless the Lord, my soul.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Psalm-prayer
Father, as you made springs in valleys to form streams between mountains, so you made living streams of grace flow from the Apostles that their teaching may bring salvation to all the nations. May we have a practical knowledge of their doctrine, be obedient to their commands, obtain remission of our sins through their prayers, and finally receive the reward of eternal happiness.
Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good.
Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.
When I am lifted up from the earth.
READINGS
First reading
Since the law had only a shadow of the good things to come, and no real image of them, it was never able to perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices offered continually year after year. Were matters otherwise, the priests would have stopped offering them, for the worshipers, once cleansed, would have had no sin on their conscience. But through those sacrifices there came only a yearly recalling of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take sins away. Wherefore, on coming into the world, Jesus said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
First he says,
In other words, he takes away the first covenant to establish the second.
“This is the covenant I will make with them
“Their sins and their transgressions
RESPONSORY Hebrews 10:5, 6, 7, 4 (Psalm 40:7-8)
Sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me. Burnt offerings for sin could not please you. So I said:
The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. When Christ came into the world he said:
Second reading
Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of his own free will to make his journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and he will make his entry in simplicity.
Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.
In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens—the proof, surely, of his power and godhead—his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.
So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.
RESPONSORY John 12:12, 13; Matthew 21:8, 9
When the people heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem, they went out to meet him. Many spread their cloaks before him, while others took branches from the trees, as they cried aloud:
The crowd that went ahead of him, and the crowd that followed after cried out:
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Almighty ever-living God,
ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)
Let us praise the Lord.
Ribbon Placement:
Office of Readings for Passion Sunday in the Holy Week
God, come to my assistance.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
HYMN
Sing with all the sons of glory,
O what glory, far exceeding
Life eternal! heav'n rejoices:
Life eternal! O what wonders
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe.
Psalm 104
I
Bless the Lord, my soul!
You stretch out the heavens like a tent.
You founded the earth on its base,
At your threat they took to flight;
You make springs gush forth in the valleys:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe.
Ant. 2 The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts.
II
From your dwelling you water the hills;
that he may bring forth bread from the earth
The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
You made the moon to mark the months;
At the rising of the sun they steal away
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts.
Ant. 3 The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good.
III
How many are your works, O Lord!
There is the sea, vast and wide,
All of these look to you
You hide your face, they are dismayed;
May the glory of the Lord last forever!
I will sing to the Lord all my life,
Bless the Lord, my soul.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Psalm-prayer
Father, as you made springs in valleys to form streams between mountains, so you made living streams of grace flow from the Apostles that their teaching may bring salvation to all the nations. May we have a practical knowledge of their doctrine, be obedient to their commands, obtain remission of our sins through their prayers, and finally receive the reward of eternal happiness.
Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good.
Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.
When I am lifted up from the earth.
READINGS
First reading
Since the law had only a shadow of the good things to come, and no real image of them, it was never able to perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices offered continually year after year. Were matters otherwise, the priests would have stopped offering them, for the worshipers, once cleansed, would have had no sin on their conscience. But through those sacrifices there came only a yearly recalling of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take sins away. Wherefore, on coming into the world, Jesus said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
First he says,
In other words, he takes away the first covenant to establish the second.
“This is the covenant I will make with them
“Their sins and their transgressions
RESPONSORY Hebrews 10:5, 6, 7, 4 (Psalm 40:7-8)
Sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me. Burnt offerings for sin could not please you. So I said:
The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. When Christ came into the world he said:
Second reading
Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of his own free will to make his journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and he will make his entry in simplicity.
Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.
In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens—the proof, surely, of his power and godhead—his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.
So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.
RESPONSORY John 12:12, 13; Matthew 21:8, 9
When the people heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem, they went out to meet him. Many spread their cloaks before him, while others took branches from the trees, as they cried aloud:
The crowd that went ahead of him, and the crowd that followed after cried out:
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Almighty ever-living God,
ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)
Let us praise the Lord.