ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts

 

OPENING PRAYER

Father of peace, we are joyful in your Word, your Son Jesus Christ, who reconciles us to you.  Let us hasten towards Easter with the eagerness of faith and love.

 

FIRST READING

A reading from the first book of Samuel   16: 1, 6-7, 10-13

Theme: David is anointed king of Israel.

The Lord said to Samuel: “Fill your horn with oil and go, I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.”

When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him”, but the Lord said to Samuel, “Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”  He then answered, “Are these all the sons you have?”   He answered, “There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.”   Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.   Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing.  The Lord said, “Come, anoint him, for this is the one.”  At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.

This is the Word of the Lord.

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM               Ps.22 Rv.1

Response:  The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

1.         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 dropping spirit.  R.

2.         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. R.

3.         You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.  My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.  R.

4.         Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life in the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.  R

SECOND READING

A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians: 5: 8-14

Theme: Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.

You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth.  Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast.  The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light.  That is why it is said: Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

This is the Word of the Lord

 

ACCLAMATION   John 8: 12.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows Me will have the light of life.

 

GOSPEL

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John: 9:1-41.

Theme:  The blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?”  “Neither he nor his parents sinned;” Jesus answered “he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. “As long as the day lasts I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam (a name that means “sent”).  So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored. His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”  Some said, “Yes, it is the same one.”  Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”  The man himself said, “I am the man.”  So they said to him, “Then how do your eyes come to be opened?”  “The man called Jesus” he answered “made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, ‘Go and wash at Siloam’; so I went, and when I washed I could see.”  They asked, “Where is he?”  “I don’t know” he answered. They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees.  It had been a Sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, “He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.”  Then some of the Pharisees said, “This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath.”  Others said, how could a sinner produce sign like this?”  And there was disagreement among them.  So they spoke to the blind man again, “what have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?  “He is a prophet” replied the man.

However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, “Is this man really your son who was born blind?  If so, how is it that he is now able to see?  His parents answered, “We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes.  He is old enough: let him speak for himself.”  His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ.  This was why his parents said, “He is old enough; ask him”. So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, “Give glory to God!  For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.”  The man answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.”  They said to him, “what did he do to you?  How did he open your eyes?”  He replied, “I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen.  Why do you want to hear it all again?  Do you want to become his disciples too?”  At this they hurled abuse at him:  “You can be his disciple,’ they said “we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”  The man replied, “Now here is an astonishing thing!  He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from!  We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will.  Ever since the world  began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.”  “Are you trying to teach us,” they replied “and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!”  And they drove him away. Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  “Sir,” the man replied “tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.”  Jesus said, “You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.”  The man said, “Lord, I believe,” and worshipped him. Jesus said:  “It is for judgment that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind.”  Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, “We are not blind, surely?”  Jesus replied: “Blind? If you were, you would not be guilty, but since you say, ‘we see’, your guilt remains.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

 

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS

Lord, we offer you these gifts which bring us peace and joy.  Increase our reverence by this Eucharist, and bring salvation to the world.

 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

The Lord rubbed my eyes: I went away and washed; then I could see, and I believed in God.

 

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Father, you enlighten all who come into the world.  Fill our hearts with the light of your gospel, that our thoughts may please you, and our love be sincere

 

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