SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
Virgin

Catherine of Siena (1347-80), the daughter of an Italian tradesman, made a vow of virginity, and thereafter endured patiently the reproaches of her disappointed parents. When she was 15, she joined the lay Third Order of St. Dominic, and became one of the Church's greatest mystics and apostles of charity. Inspired by the Holy Ghost, Catherine persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from residence in Avignon and strove zealously to prevent a threatening schism within the Church. As she lay dying, at the age of 33, she recommended particularly to her grieving disciples the striving after Christlike charity. Her mystical Dialogues are widely read and quoted today.

Mass of a VIRGIN, except

PRAYER
Almighty God, we celebrate today the birthday of Your blessed virgin Catherine. May her feast fill us with joy and may we profit by the example of her great faith. Through Our Lord . . .

SECRET PRAYER
O Lord, let this saving victim that we offer on the feast of blessed Catherine come before You with our prayers, breathing the fragrance of spotless purity. Through Our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
O Lord, confer eternal life on us through the Food we have eaten at Your heavenly banquet, from which the blessed virgin Catherine drew support even for her earthly life. Through Our Lord . . .

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

Continued . . .

19--With regard to the resemblances and differences between the Sacrifice of the Mass and that of the Cross, quote the words of our Holy Father, Pius XII, in his encyclical, Mediator Dei, paragraphs 91 and 92.

He says: "It is the same Priest, Jesus Christ, but in whose holy person His sacred minister acts. This minister, from the priestly consecration that he has received, is assimilated to the Great High Priest, and enjoys the power of acting with the might and in the name of Christ Himself." {Cf. St. Thomas, Summa Theol., III, q. 22, a. 4.} That is why in his priestly action, he lends, as it were, 'his tongue to Christ; he offers Him his hand.' {St. John Chrysostom in Ioann, Hom. 86, 4.}

"It is the same Victim--the Divine Redeemer--in His human nature and with His true Body and Blood.
"The mode of offering is, however, different. On the Cross, Christ offered Himself and His sufferings to God in their entirety; and the immolation of the Victim was effected by a bloody death freely accepted. On the altar, on the contrary--because of the glorified state of Christ's human nature--'death has no more power over Him.' (Rom. 6:9.) {Knox.} Consequently, the shedding of blood is no longer possible. Nevertheless, Divine Wisdom has discovered an admirable means of showing forth the Redeemer's Sacrifice by external signs symbolic of death. Indeed, by the transubstantiation of the bread into the Body, and the wine into the Blood of our Lord, Christ's Body becomes actually and truly present; as likewise does His Blood; and the Eucharistic Species under which they appear are symbolic of the violent separation of His Body and Blood. Thus the real death on Calvary is recalled in every Holy Mass, for the separation of the symbols clearly indicates that Jesus Christ is present in the state of victim."
[From 'Your Mass and Your Life', to be continued . . .]

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

ENTRANCE HYMN Ps. 65:1-2
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, alleluia, alleluia! Sing a psalm to the glory of His name, Alleluia, Proclaim His glorious praise, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Ps. 65:3. Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds, O Lord! because of Your great strength Your enemies cringe before You."
V. Glory be . . .

PRAYER
Show us the light of Your truth, O God, which guides the sinner back to th epath of justice. Let those who profess to be Christians avoid whatever will endanger their faith, and follow those things which will help it. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER OF VERONA, MARTYR
Peter of Verona (1205-52) entered the Dominican Order and, after his ordination to the priesthood, converted multitudes of heretics in Lombardy. To the fame of his eloquence was soon added his reputation as a wonder-worker. Pope Gregory IX appointed him Inquisitor of the Faith for the greater part of northern Italy. One day as Peter was returning to Milan, two of the heretics waylaid the saint, struck his head with an axe, and then stabbed him to death. He died writing the Creed on the ground in his own blood.

O Almighty God, may we pay honor to the faith of Your blessed martyr Peter with fitting devotion, for this saint was found worthy of th etriumph of martyrdom in spreading the faith. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ . . .

READING I Peter 2:11-19.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires which war against the soul, Having your conversation good among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by the good works which they shall behold in you, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Be ye subject therefore to every human creature for God's sake: whether it be to the king as excelling, Or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good. For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle but also to the forward. For this is thankworthy: if, for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 110:9
The Lord has sent deliverance to His people. Alleluia!
V. Luke 24:26. Thus Christ should suffer and should rise again from the dead and should enter into His glory. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 16:16-22.
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "A little while, and now you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me: because I go to the Father." Then some of his disciples said one to another: "What is this that he saith to us: A little while, and you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me, and, Because I go to the Father?" They said therefore: "What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he speaketh."
And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask him. And he said to them: "Of this do you inquire among yourselves, because I said: A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me? Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice: and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. So also you now indeed have sorrow: but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice. And your joy no man shall take from you."

OFFERTORY HYMN Ps. 145:2
Praise the Lord, O my soul; I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live, alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER
May this sacred rite help us to overcome our earthly desires, O Lord, and teach us to love the things of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN John 16:16
A little while and you shall see Me no longer, alleluia! and again a little while and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
O Lord, may the Sacrament which we have received strengthen us in spirit and comfort us in body. Through Our Lord . . .

Saint Paul of the Cross

SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS
Confessor

The central fact of the long life of Paul of the Cross (1694-1775) was his ardent sharing in the sufferings of the passion of Our Lord. Born in Piedmont of holy parents, Paul began at the age of 15 to engage in severe penitential practices. In 1720, inspired by a vision, he conceived the idea of a new religious order. Surmounting difficulties that would have finally discouraged a less humble and dedicated man, he established the Congregation of the Passion. The fame of the Passionists' missions and of their ascetical spirit soon spread far beyond the frontiers of Italy.

ENTRANCE HYMN Gal. 2:19-20
With Christ I am nailed to the cross. It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. I liver in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me, alleluia, alleluia!
Ps. 40:2. Blessed is he who has regard for the lowly and the poor; in the day of misfortune the Lord will deliver him.
V. Glory be . . .

PRAYER
O Lord Jesus Christ, You endowed blessed Paul with a special love to preach the mystery of Your cross and raised up a new community in the Church through him. May his intercession make us always mindful of Your passion so that we may share in its reward in heaven; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VITALIS, MARTYR
At Ravenna during the third century, under Marcus Aurelius, Vitalis was tortured for having confessed Christ, and then was buried alive.

O Almighty God, grant that we who celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyr Vitalis may be made stronger in our love of You through his intercession. Through Our Lord . . .

READING I Cor. 1:17-25
Brethren: Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void. For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness: but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise: and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For, seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe. For both the Jews require signs: and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified: unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men: and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. II Cor. 5:15; Rom. 8:17
Christ died for all, in order that they who are alive may live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Alleluia!
V. But if we are sons, we are heirs also: heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ, provided, however, we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified with Him. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 10:1-9
At that time, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: "The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send labourers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall return to you. And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: 'The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.' "

OFFERTORY HYMN Eph. 5:2
Walk in love, as Christ also loved us and delivered Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God to ascend in fragrant odor, alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER
O Lord, may the mysteries of Your passion and death stir up in us the same divine ardor that inspired blessed Paul to offer with the holy sacrifice of the mass his own body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VITALIS
Accept our offerings and prayers, O Lord. Cleanse us by this heavenly rite, and in Your mercy hear our petitions. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN I Peter 4:13
Rejoice, in so far as you are partakers of the sufferings of Christ, that you may also rejoice with exultation in the revelation of His glory, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
O Lord, we have received Your Sacrament which is a perpetual reminder of Your boundless love. May the merits and example of blessed Paul help us to draw from Your fountains the water that springs upward to eternal life. May they also engrave the memory of Your sacred passion on our hearts, so that it will show itself in the conduct of our lives; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VITALIS
O Lord our God, may we who now joyfully commemorate Your saints on earth rejoice one day with them in heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

VATICAN - THE WORDS OF DOCTRINE -

The Liturgy is essentially adoration,

Rev. Nicola Bux and Rev. Salvatore Vitiello

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis recalls that there exists an intrinsic relationship between Eucharistic celebration and Eucharistic adoration, which, immediately after the Council was not always perceived with sufficient clarity. An objection was widespread that the Eucharistic Bread was given to us not to be looked at but to be eaten. This contra-position was without foundation because, the document says, quoting Saint Augustine- “no one eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we not to adore it …the Eucharistic celebration…is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration ” (66).

In fact authentic Liturgists are aware that “In the Mass…we have the summit of both the action with which God sanctifies the world in Christ and worship which men render to the Father adoring Him through Christ the Son of God, in the Holy Spirit” (General Instruction Roman Missal, n 16). This text draws from the Second Vatican Council's Constitution of the Liturgy (cfr. SC n. 10), but above all it simply actuates the affirmation of Jesus: “The real worshipers will adore the Father in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4,23).

Adoration is the heart of the cosmic dimension of the Liturgy: it brings together in Jesus Christ, as Saint Paul says, all things in heaven and on earth. Adoration is ”opus Dei”, according to Saint Benedict, public worship, according to the encyclical “Mediator Dei” of Pius XII, which the Church with Christ renders the Father every day. However , this Liturgy, in actual fact, we receive from heaven, as Revelation narrates it, has its typical form in the altar of the slain Lamb adored by the saints. Therefore truly Catholic Liturgy leaves no space for creative subjectivism but only for adoring participation «Theo-latria» not «idolo-latria».

Max Thurian was fond of saying that the Liturgy is the contemplation of the mystery which signifies adoration: it is not separate from the Holy Mass and the Sacraments, it is their intimate structure from which must flow a personal attitude of adoration. In the Eastern rites this is the presupposition which leads the ministers always to turn towards the Lord's altar after they have turned to the people in dialogue. The Roman Liturgy was the same, then someone invented that the orientation towards the altar, that is to the Lord, was really turning one's back on the people. Strange that in all those centuries no one noticed this until 1967. And Eastern Christian still fail to notice it as they continue to look towards the East symbol of the Lord who comes. And to think that in the post-council period there was so much insistence on the necessity to restore the eschatological and transcendent dimension of the Liturgy!

With the priest and faithful looking at each other face to face the Liturgy (if, as they say, it operates through signs) is left in the immanent dimension of the world. It would suffice the Liturgy of the Word to underline the school in which the didascalos speaks to the disciples. The Sacrifice must be looking towards the Lord, starting with the priest who leads the prayers of the faithful, who 'lift up their hearts to the Lord’, symbol of the conversion of hearts, as the Latin expression “conversi ad Dominum” says in a figurative manner. Isacco Siro affirms: “Christ, the perfect painter, paints the traits of His face of heavenly man on the faithful who turn to Him. Unless a person looks at Him continually, despising anything contrary to Him, he cannot have in himself the image of the Lord designed by His light. May our face always be set on Him with faith and love, neglecting everything to think only of Him so that His image may be imprinted on our intimate self, and thus carrying Christ within us we may reach life with out end”. (Agenzia Fides 26/4/2007; righe 40, parole 580)

SAINT PETER CANISIUS
Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Peter Canisius (1521-97) was drawn to the Society of Jesus by the preaching of Bl. Peter Faber, the first disciple of St. Ignatius. Peter Canisius realized that in the Germany where Luther had recently been preaching heresy, many Catholics had no clear knowledge of their religion. He wrote a catechism that was of incomparable value to the heroic missioners of the Catholic Counter Reformation. He was a pioneer of the Catholic press, and founder of many Catholic colleges in Germany, Austria, and Bohemia.

Mass of a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, except

PRAYER
O God, You made the blessed confessor Peter a bulwark of virtue and learning in the defense of the Catholic Faith. May his example and teaching lead the erring back to the path of salvation and strengthen the faithful in bearing witness to the truth. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINTS CLETUS AND MARCELLINUS
Popes and Martyrs

Cletus was third in the succession of popes after Peter. He died a martyr about A.D. 91, during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Like Pope Cletus, Pope Marcellinus was a Roman. He was Vicar of Christ from 296 to 304, and acquired great glory during the stormy persecution of Diocletian, who ordered his beheading.

Mass of a POPE

PRAYER
O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Cletus shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and keep it under Your continual protection. Through Our Lord . . .

O God, you have founded Your Church firmly upon the rock of Your apostles and defended her against the fearful powers of hell. May the intercession of the blessed martyr and supreme pontiff Marcellinus preserve her always unwavering in Your truth and keep her safe under Your protection. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINT MARK
Evangelist

In the year 47, the young John Mark aided St. Paul and St. Barnabus (Mark's cousin) in the evangelization of the island of Cyprus. Later Mark became the beloved companion and secretary of Pope Peter in Rome. He set down in writing Peter's sermons about the sayings and the public ministry of Jesus, and so composed the second Gospel of the New Testament. Its terse, picturesque language must have been very close to the words of the former fisherman of Galilee. The writings of both St. Peter and St. Paul show that John Mark evangelized many districts of Asia Minor. Tradition claims also that St. Mark was founder of the Church of Alexandria and won the glory of martyrdom in that Egyptian city.

ENTRANCE HYMN Ps. 63:3
You have protected me, O God, from the throng of the evildoers, alleluia! from the multitude of malefactors, alleluia, alleluia!
Ps. 63:2. Hear, O God, my prayer of supplication; deliver me from the fear of the enemy.
V. Glory be . . .

PRAYER
O God, Your grace raised up the blessed evangelist Mark to preach the Gospel. May we always profit by his teaching and find refuge in his intercession. through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the MASS OF ROGATION
In our difficulties, O Almighty God, we rely upon Your loving mercy. Let Your protection shied us from all harm. Through Our Lord . . .

READING Ezech. 1:10-14
And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four. And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward: two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies: And every one of them went straight forward: whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned not when they went. And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire. And the living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 88:6; 20:4
The heavens proclaim Your wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the assembly of the saints. Alleluia!
V. You have placed on his head, O Lord, a crown of precious stones. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 10:1-9
At that time, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: "The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send labourers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall return to you. And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: 'The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.' "

OFFERTORY HYMN Ps. 88:6
The heavens proclaim Your wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the assembly of the saints, alleluia, alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER
O Lord, we offer You these gifts on the feast of Your blessed evangelist Mark. May the intercession of this illustrious preacher make us pleasing to You in word and deed. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the MASS OF ROGATION
O Lord, may these offerings free us from the bondage of sin and win for us the gift of Your mercy. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN Ps. 63:11
The just man rejoices in the Lord and trusts in Him; and all the upright of heart glory in Him, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
O Lord, may Your holy Sacrament always protect and shield us from all adversity through the prayers of Your blessed evangelist Mark. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the MASS OF ROGATION
Mercifully grant us our requests, O Lord, that the consolation we receive in our grievous troubles may increase our love for You. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN
Martyr

Fidelis (1577-1622), a native of southern Germany, became a lawyer of such noble integrity that he was known as "The Advocate of the Poor." In the year 1612 he entered the Capuchin Order and was sent as a missioner to Switzerland. He had marked success in persuading Protestant Swiss to return to the Catholic Church. Eventually Father Fidelis was waylaid by a band of ruffians. One of them felled the priest with a violent blow, and as he struggled to his knees, another of the murderers stabbed the martyr. He died after uttering the prayer, "Lord, forgive my enemies!"

Mass of a MARTYR DURING EASTERTIME, except

PRAYER
O God, You set the heart of Fidelis on fire with a seraphic love, and granted him both the triumph of martyrdom and the gift of miracles in preaching the true faith. May his merits and prayers make us strong in faith and love, so that by Your grace we may be faithful in Your service until death. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINT GEORGE

Martyr

George was a Cappadocian who who fought in the Roman army during the third century. He rebuked Diocletian when that ruler began to persecute the Christians, and was in consequence tortured and put to death. The brave and defiant cheerfulness of the young officer during his torture was so great an inspiration to Christians of succeeding centuries that both the East and the West surrounded his bright figure with clusters of beautiful legends. St. George is the patron of England, and he was especially venerated in Christian Russia.
Mass of a MARTYR DURING EASTERTIME, except

PRAYER
O God, the merits and prayers of Your blesses martyr George are a source of happiness for us. Grant us as a gift of grace the blessings we seek through him. Through Our Lord . . .

READING II Tim. 2:8-10; 3:10-12
Dearly Beloved: Be mindful that the Lord Jesus Christ is risen again from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel: Wherein I labour even unto bands, as an evildoer. But the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with heavenly glory. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, Persecutions, afflictions: such as came upon me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra: what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

SECRET PRAYER
Bless these gifts we offer You, O Lord, and through the intercession of Your blessed martyr George may they cleanse us from the stain of our sins. Through Our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
Almighty God, we humbly ask through the intercession of Your blessed martyr George that those who are nourished with Your Sacrament may live a life of worthy service pleasing to You. Through Our Lord . . .

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

With the memory of Christ's death still vivid in our minds and daily renewed with the renewal of His death in each Mass, we know the price of shepherding souls. That divine and dangerous leadership began with Christ. By His command, it must reach across the world to embrace all men, until there shall be but one flock and one shepherd. The inspiring leadership of each successive Pope is the living voice and power of Jesus to each generation. The Pope's commands and admonitions require reverent acceptance. The closer men are to the mind and will of the Vicar of Christ, the closer they are to Christ Himself.

ENTRANCE HYMN Ps. 32:5-6
The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord, alleluia! By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia, alleluia!
Ps. 32:1. Rejoice in the Lord, you just; praise befits the upright.
V. Glory Be . . .

PRAYER
You raised up our fallen world, O God, by the humiliation of Your own Son. May we, Your faithful people, be always joyful on earth, and, by being rescued from the danger of eternal death, come to everlasting happiness in heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS SOTER AND CAIUS
Popes and Martyrs

In 166 Soter succeeded Pope Anicetus on the Throne of St. Peter and was martyred some ten years later. Pope Soter was solicitous for the poor, and he consoled with the tenderness of a father the Christians who suffered persecution for their beliefs. Pope Caius, who died about the year 296, is said to have been a Dalmatian. Like all the Vicars of Christ in the first centuries, St. Soter and St. Caius were constant in uniting their sufferings to those of the Divine Redeemer and "in Him bore much fruit".

PRAYER
O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Soter shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection.

O God, You have founded Your Church firmly upon the rock of Your apostles and defended her against the fearful powers of hell. May the intercession of the blessed martyr and supreme pontiff Caius preserve her always unwavering in Your truth and keep her safe under Your protection. Through Our Lord . . .

READING
Beloved: Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth." When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. Luke 24:33
The disciples recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Alleluia!
V. John 10:14. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and mine know me. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 10:11-16.
At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."

OFFERTORY HYMN Ps. 62:2, 5
O God, my God, for You do I watch at the break of day; and I lift up my hands in Your name, alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER
May this holy offering bring us the blessing of salvation, O Lord, and may the mystery of the sacrifice which we here perform, work its effect in us. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS SOTER AND CAIUS
We have offered our gifts to You, O Lord. Let Your light graciously shine upon Your Church, so that this flock may everywhere prosper, and its pastors, under Your guidance, may be truly pleasing to You.

O Lord, graciously accept the gifts which we joyfully offer to You. May Your Church, through the prayers of blessed Caius, always live in peace and rejoice in the security of her faith. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN John 10:14
I am the good shepherd, alleluia!
And I Know my sheep, and mine know me, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
O Almighty God, may we always proudly rejoice in Your Gift of grace, which has brought us back to life again. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS SOTER AND CAIUS
O Lord, govern the Church, which You have been pleased to nourish with Your heavenly Food. Guide her by Your powerful direction so that she may enjoy greater freedom and remain unshaken in the fullness of faith.

O Lord, increase the spirit of grace which You have bestowed upon Your Church. Let the prayers of Your martyr and supreme pontiff aid her so that she may never fail in obedience to her shepherd, and the shepherd may never be wanting in his care of the flock. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINT ANSELM
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Anselm (c. 1033-1109), an Italian, studied at the Abbey of Bec in Normandy, and there became a monk. Anselm was an original and profound thinker and because of his writings he is considered the father of Scholasticism. He later became archbishop of Canterbury in England. He suffered much at the hands of Kings William II and Henry I, who persisted in encroaching on the spiritual jurisdiction belonging to the Church alone.

Mass of a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

PRAYER
O God, may blessed Anselm intercede for us in heaven as he once instructed Your faithful on earth and directed them in the way of eternal salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
Continued . . .

18--Does the Mass differ in any way from the Sacrifice of the Cross?

A. EXTERNALLY
We have seen that on the Cross, Christ expressed inner adoration toward His Father, by loving Him more than the thing most precious to Him--His own life. We find the same interior adoration in the Mass, since Christ's preferential love for His father persists eternally.

The difference appears in the outward expression of Christ's inner sentiments. On the Cross, Christ manifests His love for His Father by His death in a bloody manner.

In the Mass, Christ offers Himself to His Father in a non-bloody manner.

What sign, then in the Mass gives outward expression to Christ's inner adoration? For the mass, like the Sacraments, has a visible sign that signifies and actualizes the Sacrifice.

This sign is the separate Consecration of the bread and wine, representing the separation of our Lord's body and blood on the Cross. The active Consecration--that is, not yet accomplished, but in process of accomplishment--effectively signifies Christ's Sacrifice, since it renders present on the altar the same Sacrifice as that of Calvary.

Note that the Real Presence of Christ in the tabernacle is not, properly speaking, a sacrifice; since the exterior sign--the Consecration--is lacking. Where the exterior element is lacking, there can be no sacrifice.

B. BY THE MODE OF OFFERING
We have said that two things are needed to make a sacrifice:
1. Renunciation or immolation.
2. Preference, choice, oblation or offering.
Now on the Cross, as in the Mass, it is the same Victim that is immolated--our Lord. A difference exists, however, in the method or mode of oblation. In the mass, it is still our Lord who offers Himself as He did on Calvary, but through the ministry of His priests.

Nevertheless, the priest is merely Christ's representative. There is only one priest--Jesus Christ. But our Blessed Lord, in His great mercy, and in order to make us participate still more intimately in His Sacrifice, has self-imposed the condition whereby He cannot offer Himself on the altar without His priests!

Thus, on the Cross, Christ offers Himself by Himself in our name. In the Mass, it is the priest who, in the name of all the people, offers Christ exteriorly. For interiorly, it is always Christ who offers.

C. AS TO TIME AND PLACE
The Sacrifice of the Cross occurred at a given moment in a given spot on the earth. Christ offered His death in the present.

In the Mass, Christ offers Himself throughout the whole universe, exactly as the prophet Malachias had prophesied, and at each moment of the day and night. He offers His Death as an accomplished historical fact.
[From 'Your Mass and Your Life,' to be continued . . .]

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
Continued . . .

17--What does His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, have to say on this subject in paragraph 90 of his encyclical, Mediator Dei?

He says, "Therefore, the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar is not a mere and simple commemoration of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, but a true Sacrifice in the proper sense of the word; whereby in a non-bloody immolation, the High Priest does the same thing that He did on the Cross: namely, offer Himself to the Eternal Father as a most acceptable Victim. It is the same Victim. The One who now offers Himself through the ministry of priests, is the same One who offered Himself then on the Cross--only the mode of offering is different."
{Council of Trent, Session 22, c.2.}
[From 'Your Mass and Your Life,' to be continued . . .]

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
Continued . . .

16--Is the Mass the same as Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross, or is it a different Sacrifice?

It is the same Sacrifice. Christ offered Himself once for all. "We have been sanctified by an offering made once for all, the body of Jesus Christ." (Heb. 10:10.) {Knox.}

To understand this, we have only to go back to the concept of oblation, renunciation, and choice.

The renunciation is summarized by Christ's death accepted once and for all.

On Calvary, this act of renunciation was made once, and it passed.

But above all, our Lord's Sacrifice consists in this constant desire for His Father's Will in preference to His own; and this preference remains eternally fixed in Heaven. Suffering passes--the fact of having suffered remains. . . .

It is the same thing for us when we renounce anything. The act of self-denial is, like all acts, temporary; but the disposition of the will to deny itself for a greater good remains just so long as we do not take it back. Death fixes us forever in the dispositions in which it finds us.

Christ's sacrifice persists in Heaven, because the legacy of His life made on the Cross has never been canceled. That which He gave was given for all time. . . . Christ's immolation is eternal. St. John, in his vision of Heaven, sees Jesus as "a lamb standing upright, yet slain ( as I thought) in sacrifice." (Apoc. 5:6) {Knox}

This is understandable. The purpose of our Lord's Sacrifice having been to glorify God, the act whereby He glorifies Him must of necessity, be eternal.

When the priest brings Christ down upon the altar, he renders Him present such as He is in Heaven; and He is in Heaven with the same loving dispositions that He had on Calvary at the moment of His death.

The Mass is, therefore, not a new Sacrifice by Christ; but the same Sacrifice actualized in the present. "We know that Christ, now He has risen from the dead, cannot die anymore." (Rom. 6:9.) {Knox.}

The Mass is thus the perpetual prolongation of the Sacrifice made on the Cross.

Consequently, every mass is the one immolation of Christ repeated in the Act of Oblation. By the same act of the will, Jesus offers at the Last Supper His death in the future; on Calvary His death in the present; in Heaven and on the altar His death in the past.

This special presence of Christ on the altar is peculiar to the Mass and demonstrates its grandeur.

When we celebrate the other mysteries of Christ's life, we merely commemorate them. There is no real renewal of the mystery on the day devoted to it. At Christmas, the Church recalls to our minds the Saviour's birth, but this birth does not really take place--is not actualized in the present. On Ascension Thursday, our Lord does not renew His ascent into Heaven. It is quite otherwise for the mass. It is no simple symbolic representation, for the same Sacrifice that Christ accomplished on the Cross is made truly present in an unbloody manner on the altar.
[From 'Your Mass and Your Life,' to be continued . . .]

SAINT ANICETUS
Pope and Martyr

Anicetus, who was of Syrian ancestry, was pope from about the year 152 to the year 160. He took a firm stand against contemporary heresies. Although he did not actually shed his blood for the Faith, he merited the title of martyr through the sufferings he endured in the government of the persecuted Church.

Mass of a POPE

PRAYER
O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Anicetus shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move you to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through Our Lord . . .

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
Continued . . .

15--The word "sacrifice" implies both inner adoration and exterior worship. How did Christ's Sacrifice express these two modes of worship?

1. INNER ADORATION

It will be recalled, that the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well asked our Lord one day if it were at Jerusalem or on Mount Gerazim that men should offer true worship to God. Jesus replied, "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such to worship Him." (John 4:23.)

To "worship in spirit" means to prefer God, by an act of the intelligence, to all earthly things. The Jewish sacrifices had become mere rites, external observances, which had lost all significance. Therefore, God was offended by them. "This people honors Me with its lips, but its heart is far from Me."

In Christ's Sacrifice, this inner adoration really exists. It is Christ's homage paid to His Father in the act of supreme love of His death on the Cross, in fulfillment of the Father's Will. Our Lord, in the most crucial moment of His life, preferred His Father to Himself and to all else beside. He therefore gave Him the greatest possible proof of love. "This is the greatest love a man can show, that he should lay down his life for his friends." {Knox.} Here again, one sees the grandeur of Christ's Sacrifice, and the glory that His offering gave to God.

2. EXTERNAL WORSHIP

In Christ's Sacrifice, exterior worship is the gift of all His being, of all His life, as expressed by His death.
Christ's death on the Cross is thus the expression or outward manifestation of His preference, or love, for His Father.

ONE SACRIFICE

There are not two Sacrifices, one of the Cross, and one of the Mass. there is only one Sacrifice of Christ. "By a single offering He has completed His work, for all time in those He sanctifies," declares St. Paul. But how is this possible? How can the Mass be a "true Sacrifice," without conflicting with the uniqueness of Christ's Sacrifice?

The Mass is a Mystery; which brings down upon the altar the drama of Redemption, and communicates its effects without any duplication whatever.

The Mass re-presents the liturgy of the Last Supper and of the Sacrifice of the Cross. It is turned thereby toward the past, but toward a past that remains ever present; since Christ's death on the Cross is no mere historical event. He who thus dies on Calvary, is the Word of God. His death, apparently localized in time, transcends history. The risen Christ is no longer subject to death.

Just as the sun that illumines the earth, appears to revolve around it, but is, in reality, immovable; for it is the different regions of the earth that present themselves in succession to the light; so Christ, the Sun of Justice, appears to repeat His Sacrifice on the altar every morning; but is, in reality, immovable in His eternity. All the apparent repetition comes from the earth, from the Church; which daily, hourly, renews the liturgical gesture of the Last Supper; offers herself to the Saviour and renders Him present on the altar; in order to receive the light and warmth emanating from His glorious wounds.

--LOUIS-MARIE DE BAZELLAIRE,

Archbishop of Chambery.

[From 'Your Mass and Your Life', to be continued . . .]

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

LOW SUNDAY

ENTRANCE HYMN I Peter 2:2

Crave, as newborn babes, alleluia! pure spiritual milk, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Ps. 80:2. Sing joyfully to God, our helper; sing aloud to God of Jacob.

V. Glory be . . .

PRAYER

O Almighty God, let our conduct and our lives always be guided by the Easter feast we have just celebrated. Through Our Lord . . .

READING I John 5:4-10.

Beloved: For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory which overcameth the world: Our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ: not by water only but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit which testifieth that Christ is the truth. And there are Three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit and the water and the blood. And these three are one. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God, which is greater, because he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth in the Son of God hath the testimony of God in himself.

Alleluia, alleluia!

V. Matt. 28:7. "On the day of My resurrection," said the Lord, "I will go before you into Galilee." Alleluia!

V. John 20:26. After eight days, the doors being closed, Jesus stood in the midst of His disciples, and said, "Peace be to you." Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 20:19-31.

At that time, when it was late the same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them: "Peace be to you." And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: "Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them: "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said: "Peace be to you." Then he said to Thomas: "Put in thy finger hither and see my hands. And bring hither the hand and put it into my side. And be not faithless, but believing." Thomas answered and said to him: "My Lord and my God."
Jesus saith to him: "Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and have believed."
Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing, you may have life in his name.

OFFERTORY HYMN Matt. 28:2, 5, 6

An Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and said to the women, "He whom you seek has risen, as He said." Alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER

Accept the gifts of Your joyous Church, O Lord. You have given her such cause for joy; grant that she may attain that unending happiness. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN John 20:27

Put in your hand, and feel the place of the nails, alleluia! and be not unbelieving, but believing, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER

O Lord our God, may we be healed now and forever by these sacred rites which You instituted to protect us in our new life of grace. Through Our Lord . . .

EASTER SATURDAY

ENTRANCE HYMN Ps. 104:43
The Lord led forth His people with joy, alleluia! and His chosen ones with rejoicing, alleluia, alleluia!
Ps. 104:1. Praise the Lord and invoke His name; make His deeds known among the nations.
V. Glory be . . .

PRAYER
We pray, Almighty God, that our reverent celebration of the Easter Feast may win for us the joys of eternal life. Through Our Lord . . .

READING I Peter 2:1-10.
Beloved: Wherefore laying away all malice and all guile and dissimulations and envies and all detractions, As newborn babes, desire the rational milk without guile, that thereby you may grow unto salvation: If so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet. Unto whom coming, as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men but chosen and made honourable by God: Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore it is said in the scripture: "Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious. And he that shall believe in him shall not be confounded." To you therefore that believe, he is honour: but to them that believe not, "the stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:" And, "a stone of stumbling and a rock of scandal," to them who stumble at the word, neither do believe, whereunto also they are set. But you are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people: that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Who in times past were not a people: but are now the people of God. Who had not obtained mercy: but now have obtained mercy.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. Ps. 117:24
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. Alleluia!
V. Ps. 112:1. Praise the Lord, you His servants, praise the name of the Lord.

SEQUENCE
May you praise the Paschal Victim,
immolated for Christians.
The Lamb redeemed the sheep:
Christ, the innocent one,
has reconciled sinners to the Father.

A wonderful duel to behold,
as death and life struggle:
The Prince of life dead,
now reigns alive.
Tell us, Mary Magdalen,
what did you see in the way?

"I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ,
and I saw the glory of the Resurrected one:
The Angelic witnesses,
the winding cloth, and His garments.
The risen Christ is my hope:
He will go before His own into Galilee."
We know Christ to have risen
truly from the dead:
And thou, victorious King,
have mercy on us.
Amen. Alleluia.

GOSPEL John 20:1-9.
At that time, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen cometh early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre: and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre. She ran therefore and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and saith to them: "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre: and we know not where they have laid him." Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple: and they came to the sepulchre. And they both ran together: and that other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulchre. And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying: but yet he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre: and saw the linen cloths lying, And the napkin that had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place. Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre: and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

OFFERTORY HYMN Ps. 117:26-27
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and He has given us light, alleluia, alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER
May we always be made joyful by this Easter ceremony, O Lord, and may the actual accomplishment of our redemption be a source of endless happiness for us. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN Gal. 3:27
All you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
We have come to a new life by Your gift of redemption, O Lord. Let us always be strong in faith through this aid to our eternal salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

EASTER FRIDAY

ENTRANCE HYMN Ps. 77:53
The Lord led them on in hope, alleluia! while He overwhelmed their enemies in the sea, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Ps. 77:1. Hearken, My people, to My law; incline your ear to the words of My mouth.
V. Glory Be . . .

PRAYER
Almighty and Eternal God, this Easter Sacrament is a token of Your merciful forgiveness of all mankind. Let our minds now be made strong so that we may prove in deeds the faith we profess in words. Through Our Lord . . .

READING I Peter 3:18-22.
Beloved, Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit, In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison: Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. Whereunto baptism, being of the like form, now saveth you also: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but, the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Who is on the right hand of God, swallowing down death that we might be made heirs of life everlasting: being gone into heaven, the angels and powers and virtues being made subject to him.

GRADUAL Ps. 117:24, 26-27
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
V. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; the Lord is God and He has given us light.

Alleluia, alleluia!
V. Ps. 95:10. Announce among the nations, that the Lord reigns upon a cross.

SEQUENCE
May you praise the Paschal Victim,
immolated for Christians.
The Lamb redeemed the sheep:
Christ, the innocent one,
has reconciled sinners to the Father.

A wonderful duel to behold,
as death and life struggle:
The Prince of life dead,
now reigns alive.
Tell us, Mary Magdalen,
what did you see in the way?

"I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ,
and I saw the glory of the Resurrected one:
The Angelic witnesses,
the winding cloth, and His garments.
The risen Christ is my hope:
He will go before His own into Galilee."
We know Christ to have risen
truly from the dead:
And thou, victorious King,
have mercy on us.
Amen. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Matt. 28:16-20.
At that time, the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."

OFFERTORY HYMN Ex. 12:14
This day shall be a memorial for you, alleluia! and you shall celebrate it as a solemn feast to the Lord for all generations, as a perpetual institution, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER
O Lord, in Your mercy accept the sacrifice we offer in atonement for the sins of the newly baptized and come quickly to their assistance with Your heavenly help. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN Matt. 28:18-19
All power in heaven and earth has been given to Me, alleluia! Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
Look lovingly upon Your own people, O Lord. As You brought them to a new life through Your eternal mysteries, free them now from their temporal sins. Through Our Lord . . .

EASTER THURSDAY

ENTRANCE HYMN Sap. 10:20-21

They praised with one accord Your victorious hand, O Lord, alleluia! For wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent, alleluia, alleluia!

Ps. 97:1. Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for He has done wondrous deeds.

V. Glory be . . .

PRAYER

O God, the distinctions between nations were destroyed when You united all men in praising Your name. Let those who have been born again through baptism be of one mind in faith and holiness. Through Our Lord . . .

READING Acts 8:26-40.

In those days, an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying: "Arise, go towards the south, to the way that goeth down from Jerusalem into Gaza": this is desert. And rising up, he went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch, of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge over all her treasures, had come to Jerusalem to adore. And he was returning, sitting in his chariot and reading Isaias the prophet. And the Spirit said to Philip: "Go near and join thyself to this chariot." And Philip running thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he said: "Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest?" Who said: "And how can I, unless some man shew me?" And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
And the place of the scripture which he was reading was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter: and like a lamb without voice before his shearer, so openeth he not his mouth. In humility his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare, for his life shall be taken from the earth?" And the eunuch answering Philip, said: "I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet speak this? Of himself, or of some other man?" Then Philip, opening his mouth and beginning at this scripture, preached unto him Jesus.
And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water. And the eunuch said: "See, here is water: What doth hinder me from being baptized?" And Philip said: "If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest." And he answering, said: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch. And he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip: and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found in Azotus: and passing through, he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL Ps. 117:24, 22-23

This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.

V. The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the work of the Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes.

Alleluia, alleluia!

V. Christ, who created all things and who has had compassion upon the human race, is risen.

SEQUENCE
May you praise the Paschal Victim,
immolated for Christians.
The Lamb redeemed the sheep:
Christ, the innocent one,
has reconciled sinners to the Father.

A wonderful duel to behold,
as death and life struggle:
The Prince of life dead,
now reigns alive.
Tell us, Mary Magdalen,
what did you see in the way?

"I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ,
and I saw the glory of the Resurrected one:
The Angelic witnesses,
the winding cloth, and His garments.
The risen Christ is my hope:
He will go before His own into Galilee."
We know Christ to have risen
truly from the dead:
And thou, victorious King,
have mercy on us.
Amen. Alleluia.

GOSPEL John 20:11-18.

At that time, Mary stood at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, And she saw two angels in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid. They say to her: "Woman, why weepest thou?" She saith to them: "Because they have taken away my Lord: and I know not where they have laid him."
When she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing: and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith to her: "Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?" She, thinking that it was the gardener, saith to him: "Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him: and I will take him away." Jesus saith to her: "Mary." She turning, saith to him: "Rabboni" (which is to say, Master). Jesus saith to her: "Do not touch me: for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God." Mary Magdalen cometh and telleth the disciples: "I have seen the Lord; and these things he said to me."

OFFERTORY HYMN Ex. 13:5

"In the day of your celebration," said the Lord, "I will bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey." Alleluia!

SECRET PRAYER

Receive the offerings of Your people, O Lord. May the baptism and belief in Your name, which has given them a new life, lead them to everlasting happiness. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION HYMN 1 Peter 2:9

O purchased people, proclaim the perfection of Him, alleluia! who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER

Hear our prayers, O Lord. May the ransom price You paid for our redemption bring us help in this life and everlasting happiness in the next. Through Our Lord . . .