Daily Reading for Sunday, April 2nd, 2023

Daily Reading for Sunday April 2, 2023

Reading 1, Isaiah 50:4-7
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Gospel, Matthew 27:11-54
Reading 2, Philippians 2:6-11
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Reading 1, Isaiah 50:4-7

⁴ Lord Yahweh has given me a disciple's tongue, for me to know how to give a word of comfort to the weary. Morning by morning he makes my ear alert to listen like a disciple.

⁵ Lord Yahweh has opened my ear and I have not resisted, I have not turned away.

⁶ I have offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I have not turned my face away from insult and spitting.

⁷ Lord Yahweh comes to my help, this is why insult has not touched me, this is why I have set my face like flint and know that I shall not be put to shame.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

⁸ 'He trusted himself to Yahweh, let Yahweh set him free! Let him deliver him, as he took such delight in him.'

⁹ It was you who drew me from the womb and soothed me on my mother's breast.

¹⁷ I can count every one of my bones, while they look on and gloat;

¹⁸ they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ Yahweh, do not hold aloof! My strength, come quickly to my help,

²⁰ rescue my soul from the sword, the one life I have from the grasp of the dog!

²³ 'You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All the race of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all the race of Israel!'

²⁴ For he has not despised nor disregarded the poverty of the poor, has not turned away his face, but has listened to the cry for help.

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Gospel, Matthew 27:11-54

¹¹ Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor put to him this question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' Jesus replied, 'It is you who say it.'

¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he refused to answer at all.

¹³ Pilate then said to him, 'Do you not hear how many charges they have made against you?'

¹⁴ But to the governor's amazement, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges.

¹⁵ At festival time it was the governor's practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose.

¹⁶ Now there was then a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas.

¹⁷ So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, 'Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?'

¹⁸ For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.

¹⁹ Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that upright man; I have been extremely upset today by a dream that I had about him.'

²⁰ The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.

²¹ So when the governor spoke and asked them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release for you?' they said, 'Barabbas.'

²² Pilate said to them, 'But in that case, what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said, 'Let him be crucified!'

²³ He asked, 'But what harm has he done?' But they shouted all the louder, 'Let him be crucified!'

²⁴ Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, 'I am innocent of this man's blood. It is your concern.'

²⁵ And the people, every one of them, shouted back, 'Let his blood be on us and on our children!'

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas for them. After having Jesus scourged he handed him over to be crucified.

²⁷ Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort round him.

²⁸ And they stripped him and put a scarlet cloak round him,

²⁹ and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!'

³⁰ And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it.

³¹ And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucifixion.

³² On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, called Simon, and enlisted him to carry his cross.

³³ When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull,

³⁴ they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink.

³⁵ When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots,

³⁶ and then sat down and stayed there keeping guard over him.

³⁷ Above his head was placed the charge against him; it read: 'This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.'

³⁸ Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

³⁹ The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads

⁴⁰ and said, 'So you would destroy the Temple and in three days rebuild it! Then save yourself if you are God's son and come down from the cross!'

⁴¹ The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him in the same way,

⁴² with the words, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

⁴³ He has put his trust in God; now let God rescue him if he wants him. For he did say, "I am God's son." '

⁴⁴ Even the bandits who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way.

⁴⁵ From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'

⁴⁷ When some of those who stood there heard this, they said, 'The man is calling on Elijah,'

⁴⁸ and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which he filled with vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink.

⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, 'Wait! And see if Elijah will come to save him.'

⁵⁰ But Jesus, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And suddenly, the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks were split,

⁵² the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy people rose from the dead,

⁵³ and these, after his resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the holy city and appeared to a number of people.

⁵⁴ The centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, 'In truth this man was son of God.'

Reading 2, Philippians 2:6-11

⁶ Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped.

⁷ But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being,

⁸ he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.

⁹ And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names;

¹⁰ so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

¹¹ and that every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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