1. Matthew 5:1-12a
When he saw the crowds, Jesus went up the mountain, and after he had sat down,
his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be
satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed
are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind
of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
2. Matthew 11:25-30
On one occasion Jesus spoke thus: ”I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious
will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son
except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son wishes to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who labor and are
burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for
I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
3. Matthew 25: 1-13
Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples:
The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out
to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise
brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed
their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our
lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough
for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While
they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into
the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other
virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.
4. Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit
upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he
will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king
will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a
stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for
me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When
did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in
reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of
mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave
me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me
no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not
care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He
will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least
ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the
righteous to eternal life.”
5. Mark 15:33-39, 16:1-6 (longer form)
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at
three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the
bystanders who heard it said, “Look, he is calling Elijah.” One of them ran, soaked
a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying,
“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in
two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he
breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and
Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the
sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were
saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the
tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was
very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side,
clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be
amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not
here. Behold the place where they laid him.
6. Mark 15: 33-39 (shorter form)
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at
three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the
bystanders who heard it said, “Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to
drink, saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in
two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he
breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
7. Luke 7:11-17
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd
accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was
being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd
from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her
and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this
the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat
up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and
they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and
“God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of
Judea and in all the surrounding region.
8. Luke 12:35-40
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s
return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I
say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on
them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in
this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had
known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be
broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son
of Man will come.”
9. Luke 23:33, 39-43
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals
there, one on his right, the other on his left.
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the
Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And
indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds
to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I
say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
10. Luke 23:44-46, 50, 52-53, 24:1-6a (longer form)
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the
afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn
down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I
commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was
a member of the council, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he
had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rockhewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.
But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had
prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they
were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them,
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has
been raised.
11. Luke 23:44-46, 50, 52-53 (shorter form)
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the
afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn
down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I
commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was
a member of the council, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he
had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rockhewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.
12. Luke 24:13-35 (longer form)
Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from
Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that
had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented
from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk
along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to
him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the
things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What
sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the
Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the
people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of
death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem
Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some
women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb
early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that
they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then
some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had
described, but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer
these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As
they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression
that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly
evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it
happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they
recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and
opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were
saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the
two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to
them in the breaking of the bread.
13. Luke 24:13-16, 28-35 (shorter form)
Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem
called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew
near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression
that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly
evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it
happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized
him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our
hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the
scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they
found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The
Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the
breaking of the bread.
14. John 5:24-29
Jesus said to the Jews:
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who
sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from
death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when
the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For
just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of
life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son
of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are
in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good
deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the
resurrection of condemnation.
15. John 6:37-40
Jesus said to the crowd:
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone
who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but
the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I
should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last
day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes
in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day.”
16. John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowd:
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will
live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his)
flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him
on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats
my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the
one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came
down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this
bread will live forever.”
17. John 11:17-27 (long form)
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the
tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles
away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them
about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet
him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of
God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus
told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he
dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you
believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the
Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
18. John 11:21-27 (shorter form)
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have
died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will
rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and
the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives
and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes,
Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one
who is coming into the world.”
19. John 11:32-45
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to
him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus
saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became
perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to
him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved
him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind
man have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across
it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to
her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they
took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for
hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have
said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he
cried out in a loud voice, ”Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand
and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to
them, “Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began
to believe in him.
20. John 12: 23-28 (longer form)
Jesus told his disciples:
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it
remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves
his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal
life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my
servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. “I am troubled now. Yet
what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose
that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from
heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
21. John 12:23-26 (shorter form)
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it
remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves
his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal
life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my
servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.
22. John 14:1-6
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I
have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am
you also may be. Where (I) am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we
know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.
23. John 17:24-26
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the
foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I
know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and
I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I
in them.”
24. John 19:17-18, 25-30
Jesus carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the
Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the
wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he
said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took
her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that
the scripture might be fulfilled, Je