See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights. As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.
Short Responsory
Christ humbled himself for us and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Over his head was placed the charge against him: ‘This is Jesus, the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Over his head was placed the charge against him: ‘This is Jesus, the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to our Redeemer, who suffered for us, was buried, and rose from the dead.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord and master, for us you became obedient even to death;
keep us faithful to God’s will in the darkness of our lives.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our life, by dying on the cross you destroyed hell and death;
grant that we may die with you and rise with you in glory.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, our king, you were the scorn of the people, a worm not a man;
teach us to tread your path of humility.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our Saviour, you laid down your life for your friends;
let us love one another as you have loved us.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our hope, you stretched out your hands on the cross to embrace all ages of men;
gather all God’s scattered children into the kingdom of salvation.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Be mindful, Lord, of this your family,
for whose sake our Lord Jesus Christ, when betrayed,
did not hesitate to yield himself into his enemies’ hands
and undergo the agony of the cross.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 31 March
Highlights of Easter week. “Drunk on the Spirit”. Coming to terms with un-bereavement. Salvation history as drama. Reasons for avoiding the Liturgy. “At Easter there can be no fear”. The earliest Patristic passages. Alleluia!!! (15 minutes) Episode notes.