March 25, 2013

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Monday of Holy Week
Lectionary: 257

Reading 1 Is 42:1-7

Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,

God gives Isaiah a vision of the Messiah.

Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

He shall be meek and gentle.  When all people have heard His Teaching, justice shall reign on earth.

Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:

This is what God says, He who made the heaven and earth and everything in it.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

I, God, have given you the mission to establish justice.  A body I have given you and made you a sign to the people, to set them free from their bonds and give light to the darkness. 

Responsorial Psalm PS 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

God is a lamp for my feet and my Savior.  Of whom should I be afraid?  God is my protector.  Should I be afraid of anyone?

When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

When the wicked oppress me, they trip and falter.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Even if a garrison would face me, I would not be afraid.  Though everyone fight me, I will have faith in God.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I have faith that I will see the promised land where all are alive.  I hope in the salvation of my God with all my heart.  I look towards the coming of my God.  For He is a lamp to my feet and my Savior. 

Gospel Jn 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

Six days before the Pasch, Jesus came to Bethany, the town of Lazarus, the one whom He resurrected.

They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

They ate dinner there in his house and Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, took a quart of expensive perfume and  oil and anointed Jesus feet and dried them with her own hair.  The house was filled with the odor of the perfume.

Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.

Judas complained that the perfumed oil was too expensive to waste in such a manner.  But he was really concerned that he could have stolen it and made himself a profit since he used to steal what was given to the Apostles.

So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

But Jesus said, "She has done nothing wrong.  She has anticipated my burial when the same shall be done for me again.  Besides, you will always have the poor.  But me you shall not always have.

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

The crowd of people found out He was there and came to see Him.  And also Lazarus whom He had resurrected.  And the Jews planned to kill them both.  Because people were turning to Jesus because of Lazarus.