Readings at Mass
(The following psalms and readings are selected from the many options for this day.)
First reading |
Wisdom 3:1-9 © |
The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,
no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die,
their going looked like a disaster,
their leaving us, like annihilation;
but they are in peace.
If they experienced punishment as men see it,
their hope was rich with immortality;
slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.
God has put them to the test
and proved them worthy to be with him;
he has tested them like gold in a furnace,
and accepted them as a holocaust.
When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out;
as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
They shall judge nations, rule over peoples,
and the Lord will be their king for ever.
They who trust in him will understand the truth,
those who are faithful will live with him in love;
for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
First reading |
Isaiah 25:6-9 © |
On this mountain,
the Lord of Hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.
On this mountain he will remove
the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord will wipe away
the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his peoples shame
everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lords own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
Psalm |
Psalm 26:1,4,7,8-9,13-14 © |
The Lord is my light and my help.
or
I believe that I shall see the Lords goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
The Lord is my light and my help.
or
I believe that I shall see the Lords goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
The Lord is my light and my help.
or
I believe that I shall see the Lords goodness in the land of the living.
O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer.
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not your face.
The Lord is my light and my help.
or
I believe that I shall see the Lords goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lords goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
The Lord is my light and my help.
or
I believe that I shall see the Lords goodness in the land of the living.
Second reading |
Romans 5:5-11 © |
Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from Gods anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
Gospel Acclamation |
Jn6:39 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is my Fathers will, says the Lord,
that I should lose nothing of all he has given to me,
and that I should raise it up on the last day.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Mark 15:33-39,16:1-6 © |
When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why have you deserted me? When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, Listen, he is calling on Elijah. Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink saying; Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down. But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, In truth this man was a son of God.
When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising.
They had been saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? But when they looked they could see that the stone which was very big had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him.