"Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood, the blood of the Covenant,

which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

 Isaiah 50:4-7

The Lord God

Has taught me so I speak as his disciple and I know how to sustain the weary.

Morning after morning he wakes me up to hear, to listen like a disciple.

The Lord God has opened my ear. I have not rebelled, nor have I withdrawn.

I offered my back to those who strike me, my cheeks to those who pulled my beard;

neither did I shield my face from blows, spittle and disgrace. I have not despaired, for the Lord God comes to my help.

So, like a flint I set my face, knowing that I will not be disgraced.

 

Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

 

  ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Philippians 2:6-11

Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,

but emptied himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and, in his appearance,

found, as a man, He humbled himself by being obedient, to death, death on the cross.

That is why God exalted him and gave him the name which outshines all names,

so that at the name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead,

and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 26:14 – 27:66

Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,  “How much will you give me if I hand him over to you?”

They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver,  and from then on, he kept looking for the best way to hand Jesus over to them.

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”  

Jesus answered, “Go into the city, to the house of a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Master says: My hour is near, and I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples in your house.’”

The disciples did as Jesus had ordered and prepared the Passover meal.

 

When it was evening, Jesus sat at table with the Twelve.  While they were eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you: one of you will betray me.”  

They were deeply distressed and asked him, one after the other, “You do not mean me, do you, Lord?”

He answered, “The one who dips his bread with me will betray me.  The Son of Man is going as the Scriptures say he will.

But alas for that one who betrays the Son of Man: better for him not to have been born.”  Judas,

the one who would betray him, also asked, “You do not mean me, Master, do you?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

 

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat: this is my body.”  

Then he took a cup, and gave thanks, and passed it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you,  for this is my blood,

the blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

 Yes, I say to you: From now on I will not taste the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Then Jesus told them,

“You will falter tonight because of me, and all of you will fall. For Scripture says: I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.  But after my resurrection, I will go before you to Galilee.”

 

Peter responded, “Even though all stumble and fall, I will never fall away!”  Jesus replied, “Truly I say to you:

this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”  Peter said, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the disciples said the same thing.

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and he began to be overwhelmed by anguish and distress.

 He said to them, “My soul is full of sorrow, even to death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”

He went a little farther and fell to the ground, with his face touching the earth, and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from me.

Yet, not what I will, but what you will.”  He returned to his disciples and found them asleep,

and he said to Peter, “Could you not stay awake with me for one hour?  

Stay awake and pray so that you may not fall into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

He went away again and prayed, “Father, if this cup cannot be taken away from me without my drinking it, your will must be done.”  

When he came back to his disciples, he again found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open.  

So, leaving them again, Jesus went to pray for the third time, saying the same words.

Then he came back to his disciples and said to them, “You can sleep on now and take your rest!

The hour has come, and the Son of Man will be handed over to sinners.  Get up, let us go! See, the betrayer is here!”

Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs

who had been sent by the chief priests and the elders of the people.  The traitor had given them a sign: “The one I kiss, he is the man; arrest him!”  

Judas went directly to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.  Jesus told him, “

Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

 

 One of those who were with Jesus drew his sword and struck at the servant of the High Priest, cutting off his ear.

 Then, Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.  

Do you not know that I could call on my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels at once?

 If Scripture says these things must be, should Scripture not be fulfilled?”

At that hour, Jesus said to the crowd, “Why do you come to arrest me with swords and clubs as if I were a robber?

Day after day, I sat among you, teaching in the temple, yet you did not arrest me.  

But all this has happened to fulfill what the Prophets said.” Then, all his disciples deserted Jesus and fled.

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of the High Priest Caiaphas, where the teachers of the law and the elders were assembled.

Peter followed Jesus at a distance, as far as the High Priest's courtyard; he entered and sat with the guards, waiting to see the end.

 

The chief priests and the whole Supreme Council needed some false evidence against Jesus so that they might put him to death.

 But they could not find any, even though false witnesses came forward.

 At last, two men came forward and declared, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

The High Priest stood up and asked Jesus, “What evidence is against you?

Have you no answer to the things they testify against you?”  But Jesus remained silent.

So the High Priest said to him, “In the name of the living God, I command you to tell us: Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”  

Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you: from now on, you will see the Son of Man,

seated at the right hand of God most powerful and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The High Priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has blasphemed. What more evidence do we need?

You have heard the blasphemy!  What is your decision?” They answered, “He must die!”

Then they spat in his face and slapped him, while others hit him with their fists,  saying, “Messiah, prophesy! Who hit you?”

 

Meanwhile, as Peter sat outside in the courtyard, a young servant-girl said to him, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”  

But he denied it before everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

Later, as Peter went through the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Peter again denied it with an oath, saying, “I do not know the man.”

After a little while, those standing there approached Peter and said, “Surely you are one of the Galileans: your accent gives you away.”

 Peter began to justify himself with curses and oaths, protesting that he did not know Jesus. Just then, a cock crowed.

And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And going out, he wept bitterly.

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people met together to look for ways of putting Jesus to death. 

They had him bound and delivered him to Pilate, the governor.

 

When Judas, the traitor, realized that Jesus had been condemned,

he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,  

saying, “I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death.” They answered, “What does it matter to us?

That is your concern.”  So, throwing down the money in the temple, he went away and hanged himself.

 The chief priests picked up the money and said, “This money cannot be put into the temple treasury, for it is the price of blood.”  

So they conferred together and decided to buy the potter’s field with the money and to make it a cemetery for foreigners.

 That is why, to this day, that place has been called the Field of Blood.

What the prophet Jeremiah said was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price which the Sons of Israel

estimated as his value,  and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.

Jesus stood before the governor. Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You say so.”

 

The chief priests and the elders of the people accused him, but he made no answer.  Pilate said to him,

“Do you hear all the charges they bring against you?”  But he did not answer even one question so that the governor wondered greatly.

 At Passover, it was customary for the governor to release any prisoner the people asked for.

 Now, there was a well-known prisoner called Barabbas.  When the people had gathered, Pilate asked them,

“Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?”  for he knew that Jesus had been handed over to him out of envy.

While Pilate was sitting in court, his wife sent him this message, “Have nothing to do with that holy man.

Because of him, I had a dream last night that disturbed me greatly.”

But the chief priests and the elders of the people stirred up the crowds to ask for the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus.

 When the governor asked them again, “Which of the two do you want me to set free?” they answered, “Barabbas!”  

Pilate said to them, “And what shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?” All answered, “Crucify him!”  Pilate asked, “

Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!”

 

Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that there could be a riot.

He asked for water, washed his hands before the people, and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.

Do what you want!”  And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

Then Pilate set Barabbas free but had Jesus scourged and handed over to be crucified.

The Roman soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and the whole troop gathered around him.  

They stripped him and dressed him in a purple cloak.  Then, weaving a crown of thorns, they forced it onto his head and placed a reed in his right hand.

They knelt before Jesus and mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  They spat on him, took the reed from his hand, and struck him on the head with it.

When they had finished mocking him, they pulled off the purple cloak and dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to be crucified.

 

On the way, they met a man from Cyrene called Simon and forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. 

When they reached the place called Golgotha, which means the Skull,

 they offered him wine mixed with gall. He tasted it but would not drink it.

There they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, casting lots to decide what each one should take.  

Then they sat down to guard him.  The statement of his offense was displayed above his head, and it read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 

They also crucified two thieves with him, one on his right hand and one on his left.

The people passing by shook their heads and insulted him,  saying, “Aha! You, who destroy the temple and in three days rebuild it,

save yourself—if you are God’s Son—and come down from the cross!”

In the same way, the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law mocked him.

 They said, “The man who saved others cannot save himself. Let the king of Israel come down from his cross, and we will believe in him.

 He trusted in God; let God rescue him if God wants to, for he himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

Even the thieves who were crucified with him insulted him.

 

From midday, darkness fell over all the land until mid-afternoon.  At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

“Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabbacthani?” which means: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

 As soon as they heard this, some bystanders said, “He is calling for Elijah.”  

And one of them ran, took a sponge and soaked it in vinegar, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink.

 Others said, “Leave him alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”

At that very moment, the curtain of the temple Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, rocks were split,

 tombs were opened, and many holy people who had died were raised to life. 

 They came out of the tombs after the Resurrection of Jesus entered the Holy City and appeared to many.

 

The captain and the soldiers guarding Jesus, having seen the earthquake and everything else that had happened,

were terribly afraid and said, “Truly, this was God’s Son.”

There were also many women who watched from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and seen to his needs.

 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

When it was evening, there came a wealthy man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.

 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and the governor ordered that the body be given to him.  

So Joseph took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet,  and laid it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock.

Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and left.  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained, sitting in front of the tomb.

 

On the following day, which is after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate  and said to him, “Sir,

we remember that when that impostor was still alive, he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’  Therefore,

have his tomb secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal the body and say to the people:

He is risen from the dead. That would be a deception worse than the first.”  Pilate answered them, “You have soldiers;

go and take all the necessary precautions.”  So they went to the tomb and secured it, sealing the stone and placing it under guard.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

Lectio Divina

His sufferings were redemptive.

Read: The readings for this Sunday lead us into the most sacred time of the Church's calendar.

They present a portrait of our humble and meek king as he approaches his passion and death.

The passages from the prophet Isaiah and the Psalms remind us of the suffering servant who never turns away

from his divine call and willingly submits to his suffering. They culminate in the narrative of the Lord's Passion according to Matthew.

 

Reflect: As we enter Holy Week, we reflect on the Lord's physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering.

He endured physical pain through His scourging and crucifixion, emotional distress from the betrayal and abandonment of His friends,

and spiritual agony in feeling forsaken by His Father as He hung on the Cross. However, His sufferings were redemptive,

for He unites our pain with His and offers us salvation. They remind us that we are never alone in our suffering

because He experienced pain and emerged victorious. In our struggles, we find hope in Christ,

who transforms suffering into victory. Let us walk with Him in this Holy Season,

trusting that we are healed through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

 

Pray: Thank you, Lord, for saving us by your passion, death, and resurrection.

Enable us to also walk with our suffering brothers and sisters.

 

Act: Go and help a suffering or needy neighbor