Thursday March 28, 2024
THURSDAY OF HOLY WEEK/MAUNDY THURSDAY
CHRISM MASS
Office: Proper
Mass prop., Gloria. Preface of Priesthood
Vestment: White
Today’s Rosary: The Luminous Mysteries
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
EVENING MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER READING BELOW CHRISM MASS READINGS.
The mass of Chrism is properly concelebrated by the Bishop with his clergy. It is a sign of the Unity and communion of the priests with their bishop. If it takes place on Thursday morning, the concelebrants may also concelebrate the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Mass of Chrism may also be transferred to another day, but near to Easter.
Lent ends before the Evening Prayer is celebrated. The Easter Triduum begin with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, ending with the conclusion of Vespers on Easter Sunday. Evening Prayer today is celebrated only by those not participating in the evening mass. On this day all Masses without the people is forbidden.
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Jesus Christ has made us into a kingdom, and priests for his God and Father. To him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gloria
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. 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.
Collect
O God, who anointed your Only Begotten Son with the Holy Spirit and made him Christ and Lord, graciously grant that, being made sharers in his consecration, we may bear witness to your Redemption in the world. Through our Lord.
FIRST READING
The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to give them the oil of gladness.
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 61: 1-3abcd.6a.8b-9)
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion — to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. But you shall be called the priests of the Lord, men shall speak of you as the ministers of our God. I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendents shall be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
The Word of the Lord.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Wednesday, March 27th, 2024
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 89:21-22.25 and 27 (R. 2a)
R/. I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord.
“I have found my servant David,
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him,
and my arm shall make him strong.” R/.
“My mercy and my faithfulness shall be with him;
by my name his might shall be exalted.
He will call out to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the rock of my salvation. ”’ R/.
SECOND READING
“He made us a kingdom of priests to his God and Father.”
A reading from the Book of Revelation (Rev.1:5-8)
[Grace to you and peace] from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
The Word of the Lord.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Luke 4:18
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has sent me to preach Good News to the poor. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
GOSPEL
“The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 4: 16-21)
At that time: Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as was his custom, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
After the reading of the Gospel, the Bishop preaches the Homily in which, taking his starting point from the text of the readings proclaimed in the Liturgy of the Word, he speaks to the people and to his Priests about priestly anointing, urging the Priests to be faithful in their office and calling on them to renew publicly their priestly promises.
RENEWAL OF PRIESTLY PROMISES
After the Homily, the Bishop speaks with the Priests in these or similar words.
Beloved sons, on the anniversary of that day when Christ our Lord conferred his priesthood on his Apostles and on us, are you resolved to renew, in the presence of your Bishop and God’s holy people, the promises you once made?
The Priests, all together, respond: I am.
Are you resolved to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to him, denying yourselves and confirming those promises about sacred duties towards Christ’s Church which, prompted by love of him, you willingly and joyfully pledged on the day of your priestly ordination?
Priests: I am.
Are you resolved to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist and the other liturgical rites and to discharge faithfully the sacred office of teaching, following Christ the Head and Shepherd, not seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal for souls?
Priests: I am.
Then, turned towards the people, the Bishop continues:
As for you, dearest sons and daughters, pray for your Priests, that the Lord may pour out his gifts abundantly upon them, and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, the High Priest, so that they may lead you to him, who is the source of salvation.
People: Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
And pray also for me, that I may be faithful to the apostolic office entrusted to me in my lowliness and that in your midst I may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the Priest, the Good Shepherd, the Teacher and the Servant of all.
People: Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
May the Lord keep us all in his charity and lead all of us, shepherds and flock, to eternal life.
All: Amen.
THE CREED IS NOT SAID
THURSDAY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
Proper Gloria. (Bells); Washing of feet
Preface of Holy Eucharist I
Roman Canon (Inserts); Transfer of Holy Eucharist
in Eucharistic Prayer I: Proper inserts should be used
AT THE EVENING MASS
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated in the evening, at a convenient time, with the full participation of the whole local community and with all the Priests and ministers exercising their office. All Priests may concelebrate even if they have already concelebrated the Chrism Mass on this day, or if they have to celebrate another Mass for the good of the Christian faithful.
The altar may be decorated with flowers with a moderation that accords with the character of this day. The tabernacle should be entirely empty; but a sufficient amount of hosts should be consecrated in this Mass for the Communion of the clergy and the people on this and the following day.
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Cf. Gal 6:14
We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered.
GLORIA (LATIN) (Bells)
Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus. Rex caelestis, Deus Pater Omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite Iesu Christe, Domine Deus. Agnus Dei Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationmen nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
COLLECT
O God, who have called us to participate in this most sacred Supper, in which your Only Begotten Son, when about to hand himself over to death, entrusted to the Church a sacrifice new for all eternity, the banquet of his love, grant, we pray, that we may draw from so great a mystery, the fullness of charity and of life. Through our Lord . . .
FIRST READING
The law for the Passover meal.
A reading from the Book of Exodus (Exodus 12:1-8. 11-14)
In those days: The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household; and if the household is too small for a lamb, then a man and his neighbour next to his house shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats; and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening. Then they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. “In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever.”
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm116: 12- 13. 15 and 16bc.I 7- 18 (R. cf. I Cor 10:16)
R/. The cup of blessing is a participation in the blood of Christ.
How can I repay the Lord
or all his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the name of the Lord. R/.
How precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
Your servant am I, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosened my bonds. R/.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the name of the Lord.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people. R/.
SECOND READING
“As often as you eat this bread and drink the chalice, you proclaim the Lord’s death.”
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
Brethren: I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the chalice, after supper, saying, “This chalice 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 chalice, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
The word of the Lord.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION John 13:34
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another even as I have loved you. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
GOSPEL
“He loved them to the end.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 13: 1-15)
Before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter; and Peter said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “You are not all clean.” When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
After the proclamation of the Gospel, the Priest gives a homily in which light is shed on the principal mysteries that are commemorated in this Mass, namely, the institution of the Holy Eucharist and of the priestly Order, and the commandment of the Lord concerning fraternal charity.
THE WASHING OF FEET
After the Homily, where a pastoral reason suggests it, the Washing of Feet follows. The men who have been chosen are led by the ministers to seats prepared in a suitable place. Then the Priest (removing his chasuble if necessary) goes to each one, and, with the help of the ministers, pours water over each one’s feet and then dries them. Meanwhile some of the following antiphons or other appropriate chants are sung.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Celebrant:
At the Last supper, our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us to love and serve one another. Let us pray to him to give us the spirit of humility and the grace to love one another just as he loves us.
FOR THE ORDAINED MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH: that, in their ministry, they may follow the footsteps of Christ who gave himself up in selfless service to his disciples and the entire humanity. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR CIVIL LEADERS: that, inspired by the humility of Christ who washed the feet of his disciples, they may realize that they are called to serve the people, especially the poor and the less privileged in society. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS LIFE: that more young persons all over the world may hear the call of Christ and follow him in the priest hood and religious life. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR OUR WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY: that we may truly love one another and recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who loves us and accompanies us in our daily life. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR OTHER INTENTIONS: (the sick, church projects or other activities).
FOR THE DEAD: especially those of our parish community and family members: that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.
We pray in silence for our private intentions.
Celebrant:
God, our loving Father, in this evening’s celebration, your Son left us the Eucharist as a memorial of himself and taught us the demands of charity. Help us to be charitable to one another and grant that our prayers may find favour in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
On the eve of his passion and death, Jesus did two things that he had hinted at earlier in his ministry. Just before the last supper that he was to have with his disciples, he did the unthinkable. He washed their feet. That was a task that was reserved for slaves. That explains Peter’s initial resistance. Jesus went on to say that he had given them an example of humble service, and they were to copy it. During the Supper itself, he gave his disciples something he had promised earlier in his ministry. He gave his body as food and his blood as drink. In that way he instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood, which makes the Eucharist possible. The message is that those who partake of the Body and Blood of Christ must be prepared always to render humble service to one another. None of them should fell too big to go down on her/his kneed to wash the feet of others.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR LENT
We are in a journey in this life. The journey to follow Jesus is one that will require greater resilience and perseverance to always keep pushing even if the going gets tough. Our aim will be to make it to the finish line and to get the reward.
Do not depend on your power alone, but put your whole trust in God. Apart from Him we can do nothing, but with Him we are more than conquerors.
Today, do not look at your weakness, but on Christ who is our strength. No matter what comes your way, stay calm and hold unto Him.
By His death and resurrection, He has won us victory. Therefore, rise and become victorious over that which has held you bound for a long time.
Let Us Pray,
Most Holy Trinity, I know how much you love me, I resolve to count on your strength and not my weakness. Help me to stay connected to you so that I will get to my destination, Amen
