Responsorial Psalm

℟. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

All who see me scoff at me;
   they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
   let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

℟. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Indeed, many dogs surround me,
   a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
   I can count all my bones.

℟. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

They divide my garments among them,
   and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
   O my help, hasten to aid me.

℟. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
   in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
   all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
   revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”

2nd Reading

Phil 2:6-11

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   coming in human likeness;
   and found human in appearance,
   he humbled himself,
   becoming obedient to the point of death,
   even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
   and bestowed on him the name
   which is above every name,
  that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
  of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
   and every tongue confess that
   Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

The word of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to You,
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God.

Christ became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.

Glory to You,
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God.

Gospel

Mk 14:1-15:47 or 15:1-39

21. The narrative of the Lord’s Passion is read without candles and without incense, with no greeting or signing of the book. It is read by a Deacon, or if there is no Deacon, by a Priest, It may also be read by readers, with the part of Christ, if possible, reserved to a Priest.

Deacons, but not others, ask for the blessing of the Priest before singing the Passion, as at other times before the Gospel.

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ acccording to Mark

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
   were to take place in two days’ time.
So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way
   to arrest him by treachery and put him to death.
They said, “Not during the festival,
   for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”

When he was in Bethany reclining at table
   in the house of Simon the leper,
   a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil,
   costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.
There were some who were indignant.
“Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil?
It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages
   and the money given to the poor.”
They were infuriated with her.
Jesus said, “Let her alone.
Why do you make trouble for her?
She has done a good thing for me.
The poor you will always have with you,
   and whenever you wish you can do good to them,
   but you will not always have me.
She has done what she could.
She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.
Amen, I say to you,
   wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,
   what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,
   went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them.
When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money.
Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
   when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
   his disciples said to him,
   “Where do you want us to go
   and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
   “Go into the city and a man will meet you,
   carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
   ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room
   where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there.”
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
   and found it just as he had told them;
   and they prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, he came with the Twelve.
And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said,
   “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me,
   one who is eating with me.”They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one,
   “Surely it is not I?”
He said to them,
   “One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish.
For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
   but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”

While they were eating,
   he took bread, said the blessing,
   broke it, and gave it to them, and said,
   “Take it; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
   and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
   “This is my blood of the covenant,
   which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
   I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
   until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Then, after singing a hymn,
   they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them,
   “All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written:
      I will strike the shepherd,
         and the sheep will be dispersed.
But after I have been raised up,
   I shall go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him,
   “Even though all should have their faith shaken,
   mine will not be.”
Then Jesus said to him,
   “Amen, I say to you,
   this very night before the cock crows twice
   you will deny me three times.”
But he vehemently replied,
   “Even though I should have to die with you,
   I will not deny you.”
And they all spoke similarly.

Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,
   and he said to his disciples,
   “Sit here while I pray.”
He took with him Peter, James, and John,
   and began to be troubled and distressed.
Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch.”
He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed
   that if it were possible the hour might pass by him;
   he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you.
Take this cup away from me,
   but not what I will but what you will.”
When he returned he found them asleep.
He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep?
Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.
   Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
   for they could not keep their eyes open
   and did not know what to answer him.
He returned a third time and said to them,
   “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
It is enough. The hour has come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
See, my betrayer is at hand.”

Then, while he was still speaking,
   Judas, one of the Twelve,
   arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs
   who had come from the chief priests,
   the scribes, and the elders.
His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying,
   “The man I shall kiss is the one;
   arrest him and lead him away securely.”
He came and immediately went over to him and said,
   “Rabbi.” And he kissed him.
At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
One of the bystanders drew his sword,
   struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.
Jesus said to them in reply,
   “Have you come out as against a robber,
   with swords and clubs, to seize me?
Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area,
   yet you did not arrest me;
   but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.”
And they all left him and fled.
Now a young man followed him
   wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.
They seized him,
   but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.

They led Jesus away to the high priest,
   and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest’s courtyard
   and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
   kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus
   in order to put him to death, but they found none.
Many gave false witness against him,
   but their testimony did not agree.
Some took the stand and testified falsely against him,
   alleging, “We heard him say,
   ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands
   and within three days I will build another
   not made with hands.’”
Even so their testimony did not agree.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus,
   saying, “Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?”
But he was silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked him and said to him,
   “Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?”
Then Jesus answered, “I am;
      and ‘you will see the Son of Man
         seated at the right hand of the Power
         and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
At that the high priest tore his garments and said,
   “What further need have we of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?”
They all condemned him as deserving to die.
Some began to spit on him.
They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!”
And the guards greeted him with blows.

While Peter was below in the courtyard,
   one of the high priest’s maids came along.
Seeing Peter warming himself,
   she looked intently at him and said,
   “You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
But he denied it saying,
   “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.”
So he went out into the outer court.
Then the cock crowed.
The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders,
   “This man is one of them.”
Once again he denied it.
A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more,
   “Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean.”
He began to curse and to swear,
   “I do not know this man about whom you are talking.”
And immediately a cock crowed a second time.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him,
   “Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.”
He broke down and wept.

As soon as morning came,
   the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
   that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
   “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
   “Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
   one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
   along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
   to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
   “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
   that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
   to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
   “Then what do you want me to do
   with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
   released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
   handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
   that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
   weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
   and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
   they stripped him of the purple cloak,
   dressed him in his own clothes,
   and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
   a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
   the father of Alexander and Rufus,
   to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place of Golgotha
   —which is translated Place of the Skull—,
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
   but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
   by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
   “The King of the Jews.”
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
   one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
   shaking their heads and saying,
   “Aha! You who would destroy the temple
   and rebuild it in three days,
   save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
   mocked him among themselves and said,
   “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
   come down now from the cross
   that we may see and believe.”
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land
   until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
  “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
   which is translated,
   “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
   “Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
   and gave it to him to drink saying,
   “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
   saw how he breathed his last he said,
   “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
There were also women looking on from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene,
   Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed him when he was in Galilee
   and ministered to him.
There were also many other women
   who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

When it was already evening,
   since it was the day of preparation,
   the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea,
   a distinguished member of the council,
   who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God,
   came and courageously went to Pilate
   and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.
He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died.
And when he learned of it from the centurion,
   he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,
   wrapped him in the linen cloth,
   and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses
   watched where he was laid.

Or:

As soon as morning came,
   the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
   that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
   “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
   “Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
   one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
   along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
   to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
   “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
   that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
   to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
   “Then what do you want me to do
   with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
   released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
   handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
   that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
   weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
   and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
   they stripped him of the purple cloak,
   dressed him in his own clothes,
   and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
   a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
   the father of Alexander and Rufus,
   to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place of Golgotha
   —which is translated Place of the Skull—,
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
   but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
   by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
   “The King of the Jews.”
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
   one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
   shaking their heads and saying,
   “Aha! You who would destroy the temple
   and rebuild it in three days,
   save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
   mocked him among themselves and said,
   “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
   come down now from the cross
   that we may see and believe.”
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land
   until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
   “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
   which is translated,
   “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
   “Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
   and gave it to him to drink saying,
   “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
   saw how he breathed his last he said,
   “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of
the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the
Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to
the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.

On the third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Gospel Canticle

Ant. With palms let us welcome the Lord as he comes, with songs and hymns let us run to meet him, as we offer him our joyful worship and sing: Blessed be the Lord!

Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
  that he would save us from our enemies, *
  from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
   all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.


Ant. With palms let us welcome the Lord as he comes, with songs and hymns let us run to meet him, as we offer him our joyful worship and sing: Blessed be the Lord!