Sunday Readings: PASSION SUNDAY (PALM SUNDAY)

LET US PRAY Almighty God, we pray you bless + these branches and make them holy.  Today we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King.  May we reach one day the happiness of the new and everlasting Jerusalem by faithfully following him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.   GOSPEL A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 21: 1-11. Theme: Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord! When they were near Jerusalem and had come in sight of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village facing you, and you will immediately find a tethered donkey and a…

Sunday Readings: FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT READINGS YR A

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Give me justice, O God, and defend my cause against the wicked; rescue me from deceitful and unjust men. You, O God, are my refuge.   OPENING PRAYER Father, help us to be like Christ your Son, who loved the world and died for our salvation. Inspire us by his love, guide us by his example, who lives and reigns.   FIRST READING A reading from the Prophet Ezekiel 37:12-14 Theme: I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live. The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel….

Sunday Readings: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YR. ‘A’ 30/03/2014

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…

Sunday Readings: 3rd Sunday of lent – March 23, 2014

First reading : Exodus 17:3-7 Tormented by thirst, the people complained against Moses. ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt?’ they said. ‘Was it so that I should die of thirst, my children too, and my cattle?’ Moses appealed to the Lord. ‘How am I to deal with this people?” he said. ‘A little more and they will stone me!’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take with you some of the elders of Israel and move on to the forefront of the people; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the river, and go. I shall be standing before you there on the rock, at Horeb. You must strike the rock,…

Sunday Readings: SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON                        Ps. 24:6, 3, 22 Remember your mercies, Lord, your tenderness from ages past. Do not let our enemies triumph over us; O God, deliver Israel from all her distress.   OPENING PRAYER God our Father, help us to hear your Son. Enlighten us with your word, that we may find the way to your glory.   FIRST READING A reading from the Book of Genesis                                    12:-4a The call of Abraham, the father of God’s people The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous…

Sunday Readings: FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT “A” (9/3/2014)

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON When he calls to me, I will answer; I will rescue him and give him honour. Long life and contentment will be his.   OPENING PRAYER Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection, and teach us to reflect it in our lives.   FIRST READING A reading from the book of Genesis 2, 7-9, 3, 1-7 Theme: The creation and fall of our first parents. The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is…

Sunday Readings: 8th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR “A” (2/3/2014)

OPENING PRAYER Lord, guide the course of world events and give your Church the joy and peace of serving you in freedom.   FIRST READING A reading from the prophet Isaiah 49:14-15 Theme: I will never forget you. Zion was saying, “The Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you. This is the word of the Lord.   RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 61:2-3. 6-9. R.v.6 R. In God alone is my soul at rest. 1.  In God alone is my soul at rest; my help comes from…

Sunday Readings: 7th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR “A” (23/2/2014)

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON PS 12.6 Lord, your mercy is my hope, my heart rejoices in your saving power. I will sing to the Lord for his goodness to me.   OPENING PRAYER Father, keep before us the wisdom and love you have revealed in your  Son. Help us to be like him in word and deed, for he lives and reigns…   FIRST READING A reading from the book of Leviticus                      19:1-2, 17-18 You must love your neighbour as yourself The Lord spoke to Moses, he said: “Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. “You must not bear hatred…

Sunday Readings: SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR “A” (9/2/2014)

ENTRANCE  ANTIPHON Lord, be my rock of safety, the stronghold that save me. For the honour of your name, lead me and guide me.   OPENING PRAYER God our Father, you have promised to remain for ever with those who do what is just and right.  Help us to live in your presence.   FIRST READING A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus   15: 15-20 Theme: He never commanded anyone to be godless. If you wish, you can keep the commandments; to behave faithfully is within your power.  He has set fire and water before you; put out your hand to which ever you prefer.  Man has life and death before him; whichever a man…

Sunday Readings: FIFTH SUNDAY OF YEAR A. (9/2/2014)

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Come, let us worship the Lord. Let us bow down in the presence of our maker, for he is the Lord our God.   OPENING PRAYER Father, watch over your family and keep us safe in your care, for all our hope is in you.   FIRST READING A reading from the prophet Isaiah 58:7-10 Theme:  Then will your light shine like the dawn. Thus says the Lord: Share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, clothe the man you see to be naked and turn not from your own kin. Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Your integrity will go…

Sunday Readings: PRESENTATION OF THE LORD YR A (2/2/2014)

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Within your temple, we ponder your loving kindness, O God. As your name, so also your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with justice.   OPENING PRAYER All powerful Father, Christ your Son became man for us and was presented in the temple. May He free our hearts from sin and bring us into your presence.   FIRST READING A reading from the Prophet Malachi                    3:1-4 The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter His temple The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter His Temple;…

Sunday Readings: THIRD SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (26/1/2014)

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendour, strength and honour in his holy place.   OPENING PRAYER Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. 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 A reading from the Prophet Isaiah 8:23, 9:3 In Galilee of the nations the people has seen a great light In days past the Lord humbled the land…

Sunday Readings: SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR “A” 19/1/2014

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON All the earth shall bow down before you. O God, and shall sing to you, shall sing to your name, O Most High!   OPENING PRAYER Almighty ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of your people and bestow your peace on our times. 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 A reading from the Prophet Isaiah                 49:3,5-5 I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. The Lord said…

SUNDAY READINGS: BAPTISM OF THE LORD (A) 12/1/2014

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON             Cf. Mt 3:16-17 After the Lord was baptised, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased   OPENING PRAYER Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan, and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever…

SUNDAY READINGS: THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD YR. (A) 5/1/2014

Entrance Antiphon Behold, the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power and dominion.   Opening Prayer O God, who on this day revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy, that we, who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory. 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 A reading from the Prophet Isaiah  60:1-6 Theme: Above you the glory of the Lord appears Arise, shine out, for…

SUNDAY READINGS: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY YEAR A 29/12/2013

OPENING PRAYER Father, help us to live as the holy family, united in respect and love.  Bring us to the joy and peace of your eternal home.   FIRST READING A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6. 12-14 Theme: He who fears the Lord respects his parents.   The Lord honours the father in his children, and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons.  Whoever respects his father is atoning for his sins; he who honours his mother is like someone amassing a fortune.   Whoever respects his father will be happy with children of his own; he shall be heard on the day when he prays.  Long life comes to him…

SUNDAY READINGS: FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A 22/12/2013

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.   OPENING PRAYER Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   FIRST READING A reading from the prophet Isaiah  7, 10-14 Theme: The maiden is with child Once again the…

SUNDAY READINGS: THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT A 15/12/2013

OPENING PRAYER Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving.   FIRST READING A reading from the Prophet Isaiah 35, 1-6a. 10 Theme: Look, your God is coming, he is coming to save you. Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom, let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.  Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling…

SUNDAY READINGS: SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A 8/12/2013

OPENING PRAYER God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome.  Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns….   FIRST READING A reading from the prophet Isaiah   11:1-10 Theme: He judges the wretched with integrity A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrust from his roots: on him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.  (The fear of the Lord is his breath.) …

SUNDAY READINGS: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A 1/12/2013 ENTRANCE ANTIPHON PSALM 24: 1-3

To you, my God, I lift up my soul, I trust in you; let me never come to shame. Do not let my enemies laugh at me. No one who waits for you is ever put to shame.   OPENING PRAYER All Powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns.   FIRST READING A reading from the prophet Isaiah    2, 1-5 Theme: The Lord will gather all nations together into the eternal peace to form the kingdom of God. The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning…