Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 30: 7-8

As for me, I trust in the Lord. Let me be glad and rejoice in your mercy, for you have seen my affliction.

Collect

O God, who renew the world through mysteries beyond all telling, grant, we pray, that your Church may be guided by your eternal design and not be deprived of your help in this present age. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Isaiah 65:17-21

Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness.’ I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people. No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her; in her, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days. To die at the age of a hundred will be dying young; not to live to be a hundred will be the sign of a curse. They will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Psalm 29 (30):2, 4-6, 11-13

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

1.      I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

2.      Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his holy name. His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life. At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

3.      The Lord listened and had pity. The Lord came to my help. For me you have changed my mourning into dancing: O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

Gospel Acclamation : cf. Ps 129:5, 7

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word, because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel : John 4:43-54

Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. He himself had declared that there is no respect for a prophet in his own country, but on his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended. He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a court official there whose son was ill at Capernaum and, hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death. Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official, ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus, ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. ‘The fever left him yesterday,’ they said, ‘at the seventh hour.’ The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed. This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee.

Prayer over the Offerings

May we receive O Lord, we pray, the effects of this offering dedicated to you, so that we may be cleansed from old earthly ways and be renewed by growth in heavenly life. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Ez 36: 27

I will place my spirit within you and make you walk according to my laws; and my judgements you shall keep and observe, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

May your holy gifts, O Lord, we pray, give us life by making us new, and, by sanctifying us, lead us to things eternal. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

Renew your people within and without, O Lord, and, since it is your will that they be unhindered by bodily delights, give them, we pray, perseverance in their spiritual intent. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

It took the official some little faith to get to Jesus to ask for a favour for his sick son. He may not have believed entirely in Jesus before that moment, but because of the predicament he had, he had no choice but to ask Jesus to help. When his son was finally healed, he believed. It was not just him; every other person around gained from that. We, too, are in similar situations every day. We do trial and error, but in the end God blesses our little faith and others come to believe more through us.

Entrance Antiphon:  Ps. 102: 2-3

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits; it is he who forgives all your sins.

Collect

Rejoicing in this annual celebration of our Lenten observance, we pray, O Lord, that, with our hearts set on the paschal mysteries, we may be gladdened by their full effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading: Hosea 5:15-6:6

The Lord says this: They will search for me in their misery. ‘Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds; after a day or two he will bring us back to life, on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence. Let us set ourselves to know the Lord; that he will come is as certain as the dawn his judgement will rise like the light, he will come to us as showers come, like spring rains watering the earth.’ What am I to do with you, Ephraim? What am I to do with you, Judah? This love of yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears. This is why I have torn them to pieces by the prophets, why I slaughtered them with the words from my mouth, since what I want is love, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts.

Psalm 50 (51):3-4, 18-21

R/     What I want is love, not sacrifice.

1.      Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

2.      For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice, a contrite spirit. A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

3.      In your goodness, show favour to Zion: rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, burnt offerings wholly consumed.

Gospel Acclamation: Ps 94:8

Glory and praise to you, O Christ! Harden not your hearts today, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Prayer over the Offerings

O God, by whose grace it comes to pass that we may approach your mysteries with minds made pure, grant, we pray, that, in reverently handing them on, we may offer you fitting homage. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Lk. 18: 13

The tax collector stood at a distance, beating his breast and saying: O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Prayer after Communion

May we truly revere, O merciful God, these holy gifts, by which you ceaselessly nourish us, and may we always partake of them with abundant faith in our heart. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

Hold out to your faithful people, Lord, the right hand of heavenly assistance, that they may seek you with all their heart and merit the granting of what they ask. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

The gospel shows us two attitudes. one we must guard against, the other we must imbibe. First, we see that following the rituals of our religion without being transformed by them makes us proud, and self-righteous and think we are better than others. The second attitude we see is one of humility and repentance. This makes us right with God. We must go beyond just avoiding to do evil by doing something good and being humble not to look at others as though they do not merit God’s blessings simply because they may not be as dedicated as we are.

Entrance Antiphon: Ps. 85: 8, 10

Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, for you are great and do marvellous deeds; you alone are God.

Collect

Pour your grace into our hearts, we pray, O Lord, that we may be constantly drawn away from unruly desires and obey by your own gift the heavenly teaching you give us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Hosea 14:2-10

The Lord says this: Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourself with words and come back to the Lord. Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise. Assyria cannot save us, we will not ride horses any more, or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands have made, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.’ – I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned from them. I will fall like dew on Israel. He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out roots like the poplar, his shoots will spread far; he will have the beauty of the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon. They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they will cultivate vines as renowned as the wine of Helbon. What has Ephraim to do with idols any more when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him? I am like a cypress ever green, all your fruitfulness comes from me. Let the wise man understand these words. Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners stumble.

Psalm 80 (81):6, 8-11, 14, 17

R/     I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.

1.      A voice I did not know said to me: ‘I freed your shoulder from the burden; your hands were freed from the load. You called in distress and I saved you.

2.      ‘I answered, concealed in the storm cloud; at the waters of Meribah I tested you. Listen, my people, to my warning. O Israel, if only you would heed!

3.      ‘Let there be no foreign god among you. no worship of an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt.

4.   ‘O that my people would heed me, that Israel would walk in my ways! But Israel I would feed with finest wheat and fill them with honey from the rock.’

Gospel Acclamation:

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower; whoever finds this seed will remain for ever Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel : Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

Prayer over the Offerings

Look with favour, we pray, Lord, on the offerings we dedicate, that they may be pleasing in your sight and always be salutary for us. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mk 12: 33

To love God with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourself, is worth more than any sacrifice.

Prayer after Communion

May your strength be at work in us, O Lord, pervading our minds and bodies, that what we have received  by participating in this Sacrament may bring us the fullness of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

Look graciously, O Lord, upon the faithful who implore your mercy, that, trusting in your kindness, they may spread far and wide the gifts your charity has bestowed. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

The Jews stopped at nothing to tease Jesus. He put before them the law of love. In other words, he summed up all the laws into one: LOVE, and then he splits it into two: love God with all our heart and soul, and love your neighbours as yourself. Do you love God enough? Do you love your neighbour as yourself? If you do not love your neighbour, how then can you claim to love God when Jesus is present among us in the person of your neighbours?

Entrance Antiphon

I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord.  Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.

Collect

We implore your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as the feast of our salvation draws ever closer, so we may press forward all the more eagerly towards the worthy celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading : Jeremiah 7:23-28

These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper. But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me. From the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets. But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors. You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell them this, “Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”

Psalm 94(95):1-2, 6-9

R/     O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

1.      Come, ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him, giving thanks, with songs let us hail the Lord.

2.      Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us: for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand.

3.      That today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.’

Gospel Acclamation : Ezk 18:31

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks – and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Gospel : Luke 11:14-23

Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil. He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’

Prayer over the Offerings

Cleanse your people, Lord, we pray, from every taint of wickedness, that their gifts may be pleasing to you; and do not let them cling to false joys, for you promise them the rewards of your truth. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon : Ps. 118: 4-5

You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept; may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

Prayer after Communion

Graciously raise up, O Lord, those you renew with this Sacrament, that we may come to possess your salvation both in mystery and in the manner of our life. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

We call on your loving kindness  and trust in your mercy, O Lord, that, since we have from you all that we are,  through your grace we may seek what is right  and have strength to do the good we desire. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

Jesus refers to Satan as the ‘strong’ man who has continued to ensnare us all. We must realise that Jesus is far stronger than the devil. If we do not recognise Jesus’ supremacy over the devil, we will remain under Satan’s spell until we can no longer renounce him and his works like: anger, jealousy, murder, adultery and fornication, which we sometimes allow to get the better of us. Let us strive to always do what is right; if not, we will remain in the clutches of the devil forever, thereby missing the Kingdom of God.

Entrance Antiphon:  Cf. Ps 118: 133

Let my steps be guided by your promise; may evil never rule me.

Collect

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, schooled through Lenten observance and nourished by your word, through holy restraint we may be devoted to you with all our heart and be ever united in prayer. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading: Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9

Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. See, as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today? ‘But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’

Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

R/     O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

1.      praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates he has blessed the children within you.

2. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command. He showers down snow white as wool, he scatters hoar-frost like ashes.

3. ‘He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees.

Gospel Acclamation : Jn 8:12

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’

Prayer over the Offerings

Accept, O Lord, we pray, the prayers of your people along with these sacrificial offerings, and defend those who celebrate your mysteries from every kind of danger. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps. 15: 11

You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, O Lord.

Prayer after Communion

May the heavenly banquet, at which we have been fed, sanctify us, O Lord, and, cleansing us of all errors, make us worthy of your promises from on high. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

Give to your people, our God, a resolve that is pleasing to you, for, by conforming them to your teachings, you bestow on them every favour. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meditation

Jesus states that the fulfilment of the law is done either by following the law as it is or by completing what is missing. He chose to complete the law, since he is the law itself. Laws are meant for a purpose and not for the fun of it; their purpose is for man to be united to God. Jesus summed up all laws into one; love (of God and of neighbour). Our proof of the love for God is loving our neighbour, since God is love. And when we do that, we would be fulfilling the law.