Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle B
Sunday Church at Home
during lockdown in the Coronavirus Pandemic
Jesus Gives Up His Life.
The lay leader makes the sign of the cross, saying:
Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All reply: Amen
Leader: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
All reply: Blessed be God for ever
Leader: Today we begin our Holy Week, in which we recall the last days of Jesus before his passion and death on the cross. This is the central mystery of our salvation, and we ask God that we may celebrate it so devoutly that our hearts and minds are touched by the love of him who gave himself so generously for us. May we live in our world with that same loving kindness and self-sacrifice.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7
Introduction to the reading: Chapters 40-55 of the book of Isaiah contain the message of a prophet who spoke to God’s people during their exile in Babylon. Several times the prophet speaks about a Servant who will one day deliver God’s people. Because the Servant is portrayed as suffering, Christians have traditionally identified Jesus with him.
A reading from the Book of Isaiah
The Lord God has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him that is weary.
Morning by morning he wakens,
he wakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I hid not my face
from shame and spitting.
For the Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been confounded;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:8-9.17-18a.19-20.23-24 (R. 2a)
Let us now pray the Responsorial Psalm.
R/. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
All who see me deride me;
they curl their lips, they toss their heads:
“He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;
let him release him, for in him he delights.”
For dogs have surrounded me;
a band of the wicked besets me.
They tear holes in my hands and my feet;
I can count every one of my bones.
They divide my clothing among them,
they cast lots for my robe.
But you O Lord, do not stay afar off;
my strength, make haste to help me!
I will tell of your name to my kin,
and praise you in the midst of the assembly;
“You who fear the Lord, give him praise;
all descendants of Jacob, give him glory;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel.
R/. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Introduction to the reading: In the years following Christ’s death and resurrection, Christians began to develop the prayers and hymns that would become part of their rituals. In today’s passage from the letter to the Philippians, Paul appears to be quoting an early Christian hymn celebrating the dying and rising of Christ.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
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.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Christ became obedient for us unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him: and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Leader:
Before the reading of the Passion, please choose a character:
- The woman with the jar of perfumed oil
- Judas Iscariot
- Simon Peter
- A disciple
- Pontius Pilate
- Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry Jesus’ cross
- Mary
- Mary Magdalene
During the reading, journey with Jesus through his passion and death.
- Imagine being there, in the scene.
- After the reading, you are encouraged to share on these questions:
- How did your character experience the presence of Jesus?
- What is there about Jesus that draws me to him and keeps me as his follower?
If possible, choose 3 people to read the Passion:
- N – the narrator
- S – speakers other than Christ
- – Christ
Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:47
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
| N. | It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, |
| S. | “Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people.”
|
| N. | And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the jar and poured it over his head. But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, |
| S. | “Why was the ointment thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” |
| N. | And they reproached her. But Jesus said,
|
| ✝ | “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burying. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” |
| N. | Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him,
|
| S. | “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
|
| N. | And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them,
|
| ✝ | “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the householder, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” |
| N. | And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were at table eating, Jesus said, |
| ✝ | “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” |
| N. | They began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one after another, |
| S. | “Is it I?”
|
| N. | He said to them,
|
| ✝ | “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread in the same dish with me. For the Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” |
| N. | And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, |
| ✝ | “Take; this is my body.”
|
| N. | And he took a chalice, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, |
| ✝ | “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
|
| N. | And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, |
| ✝ | “You will all fall away; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
|
| N. | Peter said to him,
|
| S. | “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”
|
| N. | And Jesus said to him,
|
| ✝ | “Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
|
| N. | But he said vehemently,
|
| S. | “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.”
|
| N. | And they all said the same.
And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane;
|
| ✝ | “Sit here, while I pray.”
|
| N. | And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, |
| ✝ | “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch.” |
| N. | And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, |
| ✝ | “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; remove this chalice from me; yet not what I will, but what you will.” |
| N. | And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter,
|
| ✝ | “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” |
| N. | And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time, and said to them, |
| ✝ | “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
|
| N. | And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, |
| S. | “The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away safely.” |
| N. | And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said,
|
| S. | “Master!”
|
| N. | And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, |
| ✝ | “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” |
| N. | And they all deserted him and fled.
And a young man followed him, And they led Jesus to the high priest;
|
| S. | “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” |
| N. | Yet not even so did their testimony agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, |
| S. | “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” |
| N. | But he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, |
| S. | “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
|
| N. | And Jesus said,
|
| ✝ | “I am; and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
|
| N. | And the high priest tore his clothes, and said,
|
| S. | “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” |
| N. | And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to strike him, saying to him, |
| S. | “Prophesy!”
|
| N. | And the guards received him with blows. And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came; and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, |
| S. | “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
|
| N. | But he denied it, saying,
|
| S. | “I neither know nor understand what you mean.”
|
| N. | And he went out into the gateway. And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, |
| S. | “This man is one of them.”
|
| N. | But again he denied it. And after a little while again the bystanders said to Peter, |
| S. | “Certainly, you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” |
| N. | But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear,
|
| S. | “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”
|
| N. | And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.And as soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him,
|
| S. | “Are you the King of the Jews?”
|
| N. | And he answered him,
|
| ✝ | “You have said so.”
|
| N. | And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, |
| S. | “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” |
| N. | But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered.Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he always did for them. And he answered them,
|
| S. | “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”
|
| N. | For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, |
| S. | “Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?”
|
| N. | And they cried out again,
|
| S. | “Crucify him.”
|
| N. | And Pilate said to them,
|
| S. | “Why, what evil has he done?”
|
| N. | But they shouted all the more,
|
| S. | “Crucify him.”
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| N. | So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the praetorium); and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. And they began to salute him, |
| S. | “Hail, King of the Jews!”
|
| N. | And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads, and saying,
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| S. | “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” |
| N. | So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying,
|
| S. | “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.” |
| N. | Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
And when the sixth hour had come,
|
| ✝ | “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”
|
| N. | which means,
|
| ✝ | “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
|
| N. | And some of the bystanders hearing it said,
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| S. | “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”
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| N. | And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, |
| S. | “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” |
| N. | And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
|
| All kneel and pause for a moment
|
|
| N. | And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said, |
| S. | “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
|
| N. | There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome, who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered to him; and also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. |
Spend a moment recalling your journey with Jesus through his passion and death.
You are encouraged to share on these questions:
- How did your character experience the presence of Jesus?
- What is there about Jesus that draws me to him and keeps me as his follower?
Prayer of the Faithful
Leader: We turn to God in prayer, asking for the gift of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in our lives.
Reader:
We pray for the Church: (pause) that we may always be a haven of peace and welcome for all who are in need.
LORD HEAR US
We pray for our world: (pause) that those who are undervalued and even despised may find true recognition and respect.
LORD HEAR US
We pray for those entering the Church at this time: (pause) that they may be enlivened by the Holy Spirit so that they are able to spend their lives in loving imitation of their Lord.
LORD HEAR US
We pray for all our parishioners and members of our local community who are in any sort of need: (pause) that we may go to their help and support with understanding and care.
LORD HEAR US
We pray for successful administration of the Coronavirus vaccine: (pause) that God will guide the distribution and administration of the vaccine and protect all the human family from the virus
LORD HEAR US
We pray for deceased members of our families and friends whose anniversaries occur about this time.
LORD HEAR US
Leader: Let us pray for South Africa:
Gracious God,
We praise you for all who work for your kingdom to come.
We thank you for seeing South Africa through many milestones in the past.
We are sorry for failing the vision of justice, peace and mercy.
Send your Holy Spirit to us in our present need.
Be with those who will govern us.
May they work selflessly and diligently
so that our country may flourish in truth and in justice;
in love and in freedom.
Grant us a listening heart
and the courage to act justly and peacefully,
to love tenderly and walk humbly with You our God.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Spiritual Communion
We can unite ourselves to the Eucharist through making a spiritual Communion.
By making an Act of Spiritual Communion, we express our faith in Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist and ask him to unite himself with us.
My Jesus, I believe you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to receive you.
But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I receive you. Amen.
CONCLUDING RITE
Leader: Let us pray to the Father in the words Jesus our Saviour gave us:
All say: 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. Amen.
Leader: O God of eternal glory,
you anointed Jesus, your servant,
to bear our sins,
to encourage the weary,
to raise up and restore the fallen.
Keep before our eyes
the splendour of the paschal mystery of Christ,
and, by our sharing in the passion and resurrection,
seal our lives with the victorious sign
of his obedience and exaltation.
We ask this through Christ, our liberator from sin,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
holy and mighty God for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Blessing
A leader who is a layperson, using no gesture, says:
Leader: May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
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