Catholic Missal of the day: Thursday, March 24 2016
Holy Thursday (Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper)
Holy Thursday (Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper)
1. ReadingBook of Exodus
12,1-8.11-14.]The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
]"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
]Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
]If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
]The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
]You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
]They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
]That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
]"This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD.
]For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first--born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt - I, the LORD!
]But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.
]"This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."
Psalms
116(115),12-13.15-16bc.17-18.]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.
]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.
]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.
First Letter to the Corinthians
11,23-26.]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.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
13,1-15.]Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
]The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper,
]fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
]he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
]Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.
]He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?"
]Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later."
]Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."
]Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."
]Jesus said to him, "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all."
]For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."
]So when he had washed their feet (and) put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
]You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
]If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.
]I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.
St. Catherine of Sweden(Abbess (1330-1381))
SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN Virgin(1331 to 1381) St. Catherine was the fourth child of St. Bridget and Ulf Gudmarsson. She was born in 1331 or 1332. At the age of 7, she was sent to the abbess of the convent of Riseberg for schooling. St. Catherine's father arranged her marriage to Eggart von Kürnen when she was around 14. When she asked Eggart to join her in a vow of chastity, he agreed. They lived in a state of virginity and devoted themselves to charity and works of mercy. St. Catherine once accompanied St. Bridget to Rome in 1349. Soon after they arrived, St. Catherine received news that her husband had passed away in Sweden. She then lived with St. Bridget and took an active part in the latter's ministry. She also zealously imitated her mother's asceticism. Many suitors pursued St. Catherine, but she had already consecrated her whole being to God. In 1372, she and her brother, Birger, accompanied St. Bridget went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After they returned, she accompanied St. Bridget during the latter's final illness and death. In 1374, after interring St. Bridget's remains in Wadstena, Sweden, St. Catherine became the head of the foundation. The motherhouse of the Brigittine Order was based in Wadstena. It was also called the Bridgittine Order and the Order of St. Savior. St. Catherine managed the convent in accordance with St. Bridget's rule. She passed away on March 24, 1381.
Bl. Maria Karlowska(Foundress (1865-1935))
Blessed Maria Karlowska Religious(1865-1935) Maria Karlowska was born in the territories under Prussian occupation in 1865. She assisted women who suffered material and moral deprivation. She quickly attracted a group of Christians and together they founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence. The Sisters' goal is: "We must proclaim the Heart of Jesus, that is, so to live from him, in him and for him, as to become like him and that in our lives he may be more visible than we ourselves." The Foundress provided shelters for trafficked women and at-risk youth and girls. Her devotion to the Sacred Heart spread throughout the world and bears great fruit in those who cultivate it. Maria Karlowska loved the Church heroically. A love of this kind, according to her, will never say "enough," will never stop midway. She was beatified following a miraculous healing through her intercession. The miracle was verified by a medical board and offices for the causes of saints.
St. Oscar Romero(Archbishop (1917-1980))
Saint Oscar Romero (1917 - , CardinalEarly lifeOscar Romero was born into a large family on August 15, 1917, in El Salvador. Although they had more money than many of their neighbors, Oscar’s family had neither electricity nor running water in their small home, and the children slept on the floor. Oscar’s parents could not afford to send him to school after the age of 12, so he went to work as an apprentice carpenter. He quickly showed great skill, but Oscar was already determined to become a priest. He entered the seminary at the age of 14 and was ordained a priest when he was 25 in 1942. Recognising the power of radio to reach the people, he convinced five radio stations to broadcast his Sunday sermons to peasant farmers who believed they were unwelcome in the churches.In 1970, he became Auxiliary Bishop in San Salvador. In 1974, he became Bishop of Santiago de Maria. At this time, Oscar Romero was described as a conservative, not wanting to break from tradition. He supported the hierarchy who encouraged conformity. He was uncomfortable with social action that challenged political leaders.Growing awarenessDuring his two years as Bishop of Santiago de Maria, Romero was horrified to find that children were dying because their parents could not pay for simple medicines. He began using the resources of the diocese and his own personal resources to help the poor, but he knew that simple charity was not enough. He wrote in his diary that people who are poor should not just receive handouts from the Church or the government, but participate in changing their lives for the future.In 1977, Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador, the capital city. The situation in El Salvador was becoming worse and he couldn’t remain silent any longer. The military were killing the Salvadorian people - especially those demanding justice - such as teachers, nuns and priests, and including Romero’s good friend, Fr. Rutilio Grande. Thousands of people began to go missing. Romero demanded that the President of El Salvador thoroughly investigate the killings, but he failed to act.Voice of the voicelessIn his actions and words, Oscar demanded a peace that could only be found by ensuring people had access to basic needs and their rights upheld. He raised awareness globally about the people in his country who had been killed or "disappeared." When he visited the Vatican in 1979, Oscar Romero presented the Pope with seven detailed reports of murder, torture, and kidnapping throughout El Salvador.In 1979, the number of people being killed rose to more than 3,000 per month. Oscar Romero had nothing left to offer his people except faith and hope. He continued to use the radio broadcast of his Sunday sermons to tell people what was happening throughout the country, to talk about the role of the Church and to offer his listeners hope that they would not suffer and die in vain.MartyrdomOn March 23, 1980, after reporting the previous week’s deaths and disappearances, Oscar Romero began to speak directly to soldiers and policemen: “I beg you, I implore you, I order you... in the name of God, stop the repression!” The following evening, while saying Mass in the chapel of Divine Providence Hospital, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot by an assassin. Only moments before his death, Romero spoke these prophetic words: “Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies… The harvest comes because of the grain that dies.”
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2016 / Catholic Missal of march 2016
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:09Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:09Z