Prayers

5. Votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist

The Votive Mass of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest may also be used, or the Mass of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.


ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Ps 78 (77): 23-25

The Lord opened the gates of heaven,
and rained down manna upon them to eat,
and gave them bread from heaven: man ate the bread of angels.

COLLECT

O God, who have accomplished the work of human redemption
through the Paschal Mystery of your Only Begotten Son,
graciously grant that we, who confidently proclaim,
under sacramental signs, the Death and Resurrection of Christ,
may experience continued increase of your saving grace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

READING I

During the Easter Season

Reading From the Old Testament

Genesis 14
Exodus 12
Exodus 16
Exodus 24
Deuteronomy 8
1 Kings 19
Proverbs 9

Gn 14:18–20

Melchizedek brought out bread and wine.

A reading from the Book of Genesis

In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine,
   and being a priest of God Most High,
   he blessed Abram with these words:
   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
      the creator of heaven and earth;
   and blessed be God Most High,
      who delivered your foes into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ex 12:21-27

Seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door.

A reading from the Book of Exodus

Moses called all the elders of the children of Israel and said to them,
“Go and procure lambs for your families,
   and slaughter them as Passover victims.
Then take a bunch of hyssop,
   and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin,
   sprinkle the lintel and the two doorposts with this blood.
But none of you shall go outdoors until morning.
For the LORD will go by, striking down the Egyptians.
Seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts,
   the LORD will pass over that door
   and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.

“You shall observe this as a perpetual ordinance
   for yourselves and your descendants.
Thus, you must also observe this rite
   when you have entered the land which the LORD will give you as he promised.
When your children ask you,
   ‘What does this rite of yours mean?’ you shall reply,
   ‘This is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD,
   who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt;
   when he struck down the Egyptians, he spared our houses.’”
Then the people bowed down in worship.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ex 16:2-4, 12-15

I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.

A reading from the Book of Exodus

The whole congregation of the children of Israel
   grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The children of Israel said to them,
   “Would that we had died at the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt,
   as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
   to make the whole community die of famine!”

Then the LORD said to Moses,
   “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
   thus will I test them,
   to see whether they follow my instructions or not.

“I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
   and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
   so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
   and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
   were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, “What is this?”
   for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
   “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ex 24:3-8

This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.

A reading from the Book of Exodus

When Moses came to the people
   and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,
    they all answered with one voice,
   “We will do everything that the LORD has told us.”
Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,
   rising early the next day,
   he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
   and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites
   to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls
   as peace offerings to the LORD,
   Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
   the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
   who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.”
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
   “This is the blood of the covenant
   which the LORD has made with you
   in accordance with all these words of his.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a

He fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers.

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

Moses said to the people:
   “Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,
   has directed all your journeying in the desert,
   so as to test you by affliction
   and find out whether or not it was your intention
   to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
   and then fed you with manna,
   a food unknown to you and your fathers,
   in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
   but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.

“Do not forget the LORD, your God,
   who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
   that place of slavery;
   who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
   with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
   its parched and waterless ground;
   who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
   and fed you in the desert with manna,
   a food unknown to your fathers.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Kg 19:4-8

He walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God.

A reading from the First Book of Kings

Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
   until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death:
   “This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
   but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
   and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
   but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
   touched him, and ordered,
   “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
   then strengthened by that food,
   he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Prv 9:1-6

Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed.

A reading from the Book of Proverbs

Wisdom has built her house,
   she has set up her seven columns;
she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine,
   yes, she has spread her table.
She has sent out her maidens; she calls
   from the heights out over the city:
“Let whoever is simple turn in here;
   to the one who lacks understanding, she says,
Come, eat of my food,
   and drink of the wine I have mixed!
Forsake foolishness that you may live;
   advance in the way of understanding.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

First Reading During the Easter Season

Acts 2
Acts 10
Revelation 1
Revelation 7

Acts 2:42-47

All who believed were together and had all things in common.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

They devoted themselves
   to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
   to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
   and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
   they would sell their property and possessions
   and divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves
   to meeting together in the temple area
  and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
   praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Acts 10:34a, 37-43

To us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Peter proceeded to speak and said:
“You know what has happened all over Judea,
   beginning in Galilee after the baptism
   that John preached,
   how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
   with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
   and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
   for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
   both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
   not to all the people, but to us,
   the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
   who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
   and testify that he is the one appointed by God
   as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
   that everyone who believes in him
   will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Rv 1:5-8

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his Blood.

A reading from the Book of Revelation

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
   the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
   who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
   to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

   Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
      and every eye will see him,
      even those who pierced him.
   All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
      Yes. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
   “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Rev 7:9-14

They have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.

A reading from the Book of Revelation

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
   which no one could count,
   from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
   wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

   “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
      and from the Lamb.”

All the angels stood around the throne
   and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
   worshiped God, and exclaimed:

   “Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
      honor, power, and might
      be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
   “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
   “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
   they have washed their robes
   and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.

   “For this reason they stand before God’s throne
      and worship him day and night in his temple.
      The One who sits on the throne will shelter them.
   They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
      nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
   For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them
      and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
      and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 23
Psalm 34
Psalm 40
Psalm 78
Psalm 110
Psalm 116
Psalm 145
Psalm 147

Ps 23:1-3, 4, 5, 6

℟. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
   he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

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

Even though I walk in the dark valley
   I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
   that give me courage.

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

You spread the table before me
   in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.

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

Only goodness and kindness follow me
   all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
   for years to come.

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

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 17-18, 19 and 23

℟. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
   his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
   the lowly will hear me and be glad.

℟. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

Glorify the LORD with me,
   let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
   and delivered me from all my fears.

℟. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
   and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
   and from all his distress he saved him.

℟. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

The angel of the LORD encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how God the LORD is;
   blessed the one who takes refuge in him.

℟. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

Fear the Lord you holy ones;
   for nought is lacking to those who fear him;
The great grow poor and hungry
   but those who seek the LORD want for no good.

℟. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 40:2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

℟. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD,
   and he stooped toward me.
And he put a new song in my mouth,
   a hymn to our God.

℟. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
   but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
   then said I, “Behold I come.”

℟. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me
   To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
   and your law is within my heart!”

℟. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
   I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

℟. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 78:3 and 4a and 7ab, 23-24, 25 and 54

℟. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

What we have heard and know,
   and what our fathers have declared to us,
We will not hide from their sons;
   that they should put their hope in God,
And not forget the deeds of God.

℟. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Yet he commanded the skies above;
   the doors of heaven he opened.
He rained manna upon them for food;
   and gave them heavenly bread.

℟. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels,
   food he sent them in abundance.
And he brought them to his holy land,
   to the mountains his right hand had won.

℟. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

℟. Christ the Lord, a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek, offered bread and wine.
  or:
℟. (4b)
You are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
   till I make your enemies your footstool.”

℟. Christ the Lord, a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek, offered bread and wine.
  or:
℟.
You are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek.

The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Zion:
   “Rule in the midst of your enemies.”

℟. Christ the Lord, a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek, offered bread and wine.
  or:
℟.
You are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek.

“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
   before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”

℟. Christ the Lord, a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek, offered bread and wine.
  or:
℟.
You are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
  “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

℟. Christ the Lord, a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek, offered bread and wine.
  or:
℟.
You are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek.

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 116:12-13, 1-16bc, 17-18

℟. (see 1 Corinthians 10:16) Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
   for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
   and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

℟. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD
   is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
   you have loosed my bonds.

℟. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
   and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
   in the presence of all his people.

℟. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18

℟. (see 16) You open your hand to feed us Lord; you answer all our needs.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
   and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
   and speak of your might.

℟. You open your hand to feed us Lord; you answer all our needs.

The eyes of all look hopefully to you;
   and you give them their food in due season;
You open your hand
   and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

℟. You open your hand to feed us Lord; you answer all our needs.

The LORD is just in all his ways
   and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
   to all who call upon him in truth.

℟. You open your hand to feed us Lord; you answer all our needs.

Reading II
Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

℟. (John 6:58c) Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
   praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
   he has blessed your children within you.

℟. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

He has granted peace in your borders;
   with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
   swiftly runs his word!

℟. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
   his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
   his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

℟. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
  or:
℟.
Alleluia.

Verse Before the Gospel

READING II

1 Corinthians 10
1 Corinthians 11
Hebrews 9
Hebrews 12
1 Peter 1
1 John 5

1 Cor 10:16-17

The bread is one, and we, though many, are one body.

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
   is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
   is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
   we, though many, are one body,
   for we all partake of the one loaf.

The word of the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel

1 Cor 11:23-26

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord.

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
   that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
   took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
   broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
   “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
   you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

The word of the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel

Heb 9:11-15

The blood of Christ will cleanse our consciences.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
   of the good things that have come to be,
   passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
   not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
   he entered once for all into the sanctuary,
   not with the blood of goats and calves
   but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
   and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes
   can sanctify those who are defiled
   so that their flesh is cleansed,
   how much more will the blood of Christ,
   who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
   cleanse our consciences from dead works
   to worship the living God.
For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
   since a death has taken place for deliverance
   from transgressions under the first covenant,
   those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

The word of the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel

Heb 12:18-19, 22-24

You have approached the sprinkled Blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
   and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
   and storm and a trumpet blast
   and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
   begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
   and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
   and countless angels in festal gathering,
   and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
   and God the judge of all,
   and the spirits of the just made perfect,
   and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
   and the sprinkled Blood that speaks more eloquently
   than that of Abel.

The word of the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel

1 Pt 1:17-21

You were ransomed with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter

Beloved:
If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially
   according to each one’s works,
   conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
   realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
   handed on by your ancestors,
   not with perishable things like silver or gold
   but with the precious Blood of Christ
   as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.
He was known before the foundation of the world
   but revealed in the final time for you,
   who through him believe in God
   who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
   so that your faith and hope are in God.

The word of the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel

1 Jn 5:4-8

A reading from the First Letter of Saint John

So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood.

A reading from the first Letter of Saint John

Beloved:
Whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
   but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
   not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one that testifies,
   and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three that testify,
   the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
   and the three are of one accord.

The word of the Lord.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL

1. John 6:51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven,
says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.

2. John 6:56

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me, and I in him, says the Lord.

3. John 6:57

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

4. See Revelation 1:5ab

Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.

5. Revelation 5:9

Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals,
for you were slain and have redeemed us with your Blood.

GOSPEL

Mark 14
Mark 15
Luke 9
Luke 22
Luke 24
John 6:1-15
John 6:24-35
John 6:41-51
John 6:51-58
John 19
John 21

Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

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.

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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Mk 15:16-20

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Lk 9:11b–17

They all ate and were satisfied.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
   and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
   the Twelve approached him and said,
“Dismiss the crowd
   so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
   and find lodging and provisions;
   for we are in a deserted place here.
He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”
They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
   unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.”
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
   “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.”
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
   and looking up to heaven,
   he said the blessing over them, broke them,
   and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
   they filled twelve wicker baskets.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Lk 22:39-44

His sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Jesus went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives,
   and the disciples followed him.
When he arrived at the place he said to them,
   “Pray that you may not undergo the test.”
After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling,
   he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing,
   take this cup away from me;
   still, not my will but yours be done.”
And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him.
He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently
   that his sweat became like drops of blood
   falling on the ground.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Lk 24:13-35

They recognized him in the breaking of bread.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

That very day, the first day of the week,
   two of Jesus’ disciples were going
   to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
   and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
   Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
   but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
   “What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
   “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
   who does not know of the things
   that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
   “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
   who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
   before God and all the people,
   how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
   to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
   and besides all this,
   it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
   they were at the tomb early in the morning
   and did not find his body;
   they came back and reported
   that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
   who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
   and found things just as the women had described,
   but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
   and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
   he interpreted to them what referred to him
   in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
   he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
   for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
   he took bread, said the blessing,
   broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
   but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
   “Were not our hearts burning within us
   while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
   where they found gathered together
   the eleven and those with them who were saying,
   “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
   what had taken place on the way
   and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

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

The Gospel of the Lord.

or:

Short Form
24:13-16, 28-35

They recognized him in the breaking of bread.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

That very day, the first day of the week,
   two of Jesus’ disciples were going
   to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
   and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
   Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
   but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
   he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
   for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
   he took bread, said the blessing,
   broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
   but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
   “Were not our hearts burning within us
   while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
   where they found gathered together
   the eleven and those with them who were saying,
   “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
   what had taken place on the way
   and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

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

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Jn 6:1-15

He distributed to those who were reclining as much as they wanted.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
   because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
   and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes
   and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
   he said to Philip,
   “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him,
   because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
   “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
   for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples,
   Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
   “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
   but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
   and distributed them to those who were reclining,
   and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
   “Gather the fragments left over,
   so that nothing will be wasted.”
So they collected them,
   and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
   from the five barley loaves
   that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
   “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
   to make him king,
   he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Jn 6:24-35

Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
   they themselves got into boats
   and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
   “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
   “Amen, amen, I say to you,
   you are looking for me not because you saw signs
   but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
   but for the food that endures for eternal life,
   which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
   “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
   “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
So they said to him,
   “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
   He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
   “Amen, amen, I say to you,
   it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
   my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
   and gives life to the world.”
So they said to him,
   “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them,
   “I am the bread of life;
   whoever comes to me will never hunger,
   and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Jn 6:41-51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
   “I am the bread that came down from heaven,”
   and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
   ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
   “Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
   and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
      They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
   except the one who is from God;
   he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
   whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
   this is the bread that comes down from heaven
   so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
   whoever eats this bread will live forever;
   and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Jn 6:51-58

My Flesh is true food and my Blood is true drink.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Jesus said to the crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
   whoever eats this bread will live forever;
   and the bread that I will give
   is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
   “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
   “Amen, amen, I say to you,
   unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
   you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
   has eternal life,
   and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
   and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
   remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
   and I have life because of the Father,
   so also the one who feeds on me
   will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
   whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Jn 19:31-37

One soldier thrust his lance into his side and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Since it was preparation day,
   in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
   for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
   the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
   and that they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
   and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
   they did not break his legs,
   but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
   and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
   he knows that he is speaking the truth,
   so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
   Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
   They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

Prayer Over the Offerings

Jn 21:1-14

Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them.

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
   Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons,
   and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
   but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
   but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
   and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
   because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
   he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
   and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
   for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
   dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
   they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
   full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
   because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
   and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
   after being raised from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS

Celebrating the memorial of our salvation,
we humbly beseech your mercy, O Lord,
that this Sacrament of your loving kindness
may be for us the sign of unity nd the bond of charity.
Through Christ our Lord.

Preface I-II of the Most Holy Eucharist.

PREFACE

℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with your spirit.
℣. Lift up your hearts.
℟. We lift them up to the Lord.
℣. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
℟. It is right and just.

Preface I of the Most Holy Eucharist
The Sacrifice and the Sacrament of Christ.


It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For he is the true and eternal Priest,
who instituted the pattern of an everlasting sacrifice
and was the first to offer himself as the saving Victim,
commanding us to make this offering as his memorial.

As we eat his flesh that was sacrificed for us,
we are made strong,
and, as we drink his Blood that was poured out for us,
we are washed clean.

And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

Preface II of the Most Holy Eucharist
The fruits of the Most Holy Eucharist.


It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For at the Last Supper with his Apostles,
establishing for the ages to come the saving memorial of the Cross,
he offered himself to you as the unblemished Lamb,
the acceptable gift of perfect praise.

Nourishing your faithful by this sacred mystery,
you make them holy, so that the human race,
bounded by one world,
may be enlightened by one faith
and united by one bond of charity.

And so, we approach the table of this wondrous Sacrament,
so that, bathed in the sweetness of your grace,
we may pass over to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed.

Therefore, all creatures of heaven and earth
sing a new song in adoration,
and we, with all the host of Angels,
cry out, and without end we acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.


COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Jn 6: 51-52

I am the living bread,
that came down from heaven, says the Lord.
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever,
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

May sharing at the heavenly table
sanctify us, Lord, we pray,
so that through the Body and Blood of Christ
the whole family of believers may be bound together.
Through Christ our Lord.

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