Bible Readings Holy Thursday Chrism Mass March 20 2008

March 20 2008 Holy Thursday Chrism Mass

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032008.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

Isaiah 61:1-3a, 6a, 8b-9
DR Challoner

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up.
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn:
To appoint to the mourners of Sion, and to give them a crown for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of grief:
But you shall be called the priests of the Lord: to you it shall be said: Ye ministers of our God:
I will make their work in truth, and I will make a perpetual covenant with them.
And they shall know their seed among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: all that shall see them, shall know them, that these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

Responsorial Psalm 88:21-22, 25 and 27 Latin/LXX (Ps 89 Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only

I have found David my servant:
with my holy oil I have anointed him.
For my hand shall help him:
and my arm shall strengthen him.
And my truth and my mercy shall be with him:
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father:
my God, and the support of my salvation.

Revelation 1:5-8
DR Challoner

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth, who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood
6 And hath made us a kingdom, and priests to God and his Father. To him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him: and they also that pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth shall bewail themselves because of him. Even so. Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

The Gospel According to Saint Lk 4:16-21
DR Challoner

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan and was led the by the spirit into the desert, For the space of forty days, and was tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

And the devil said to him:

If thou be the Son of God, say to this stone that it be made bread.

And Jesus answered him:

is written that Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word of God.

And the devil led him into a high mountain and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And he said to him:

To thee will I give all this power and the glory of them. For to me they are delivered: and to whom I will, I give them.

Haydock Commentary Isaiah 61:1-3. 6. 8-9

• Ver. 1. Lord. Hebrew adds, “God.” Adonai seems to have been inserted to prevent the pronunciation of Jehovah, (Kennicott) which alone occurs in the Septuagint, Arabic, and in St. Luke, iv. 18. (Haydock) — Thus Elohim may have been substituted for Jehovah, Genesis xxii. 8., as [in] [Genesis xxii.] ver. 14, “Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh, because he had said that day on the mount: Jehovah will provide” a victim, even Jesus Christ in the same place. Perhaps no part of the Bible is “so absurdly translated” as this, (Kennicott) by Protestants. (Haydock) — St. Luke follows the Septuagint in his quotation, only instead of to preach a, &c., he has an explanation, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Isaias may here speak of himself, (Chaldean) yet only as a figure of Christ. The Jews admit that the Messias is meant. Christ had received the Holy Spirit at the Jordan, John i. 32. He performed these works, (Luke vii. 22.) particularly addressing his discourse to the meek and poor, Sophonias iii. 12., and Zacharias xi. 7., and 1 Corinthians i. 26. (Calmet) — He was not anointed with oil, like Aaron, but with the Holy Ghost; so that of his fullness others must receive, Acts x. 39., &c. (Worthington)
• Ver. 2. Year of Jubilee, (Jeremias xxv. 11.) when the Jews should be delivered, as a figure of Christ’s redemption. — Vengeance, when the Chaldeans, &c., should perish, (Calmet) and all obstinate sinners, at the day of judgment. (Haydock)
• Ver. 3. Glorify. The rulers shall act with justice, chap. lx. 17, 21.
• Ver. 6. Priests. They were greatly honoured, (Exodus xix. 6.) so that the sons of David had the appellation. The Jews had still to labour as before. Christians become heirs to these promises, and are styled a royal priesthood, 1 Peter ii. 9., and Apocalypse i. 6. They have received the Scriptures from the Jews, and employ human sciences for the advancement of religion. The wisest pagans yield to the force of truth.
• Ver. 8. Holocaust. The pagans saw such things were improper victims. (Eusebius, præp. iv. 14.) — Septuagint, “hate unjust plunder.” (Haydock) — Therefore will I subject the strangers to you, ver. 5. — Truth. I will grant a sure reward. — Covenant. These of Nehemias and the Machabees were soon forgotten: but Christ’s covenant shall abide for ever.
• Ver. 9. Blessed. The Jews are visibly the reverse. The Church flourishes in spite of domestic and foreign enemies.

Haydock Commentary Rev 1:5-8

• Ver. 4-6. John to the seven churches,[1] afterwards named; and by them, to be understood of all churches, bishops, and people in the like dispositions. — From him, who is, who was, and who is to come. As these words are only applied, and applicable to him, who is truly God and eternal, Alcazar (p. 176) applies them to God the Father. Others think them to be spoken of God, as the word God agrees to all the three divine Persons, who are one and the same God. See Ribera. — And from the seven spirits. Alcazar understands them of seven of God’s attributes, or perfections, but, by the common exposition, are meant seven of the chief created spirits, who in a special manner assist at the throne of God, employed to execute God’s commands, as Raphael saith. (Tobit. xii. 15.) I am one of the seven who stand before God. (Witham) — Spirits, &c. Some understand this of the Holy Ghost, on account of his seven gifts; but the most literal interpretation is of the principal Angles, who always surround the throne of God, and are his ministering spirits. (Calmet) — And from Jesus Christ,[2] made man, and the Redeemer of mankind, whom St. John here names after the seven spirits, because he continues his discourse about Christ, who is the faithful witness; testified and approved of God by so many miracles, prophecies, &c. He is the chief of the martyrs or witnesses, as the Greek word signifies. — The first begotten of the dead, both first in dignity, and first that rose to an immortal life. — The prince of the kings of the earth, whose power is infinetely greater than all theirs; and this to put the suffering Christians in mind, that they needed not to fear the persecuting emperors, who have no power after this life. — And Christ hath made us a kingdom, inasmuch as by his grace he has made us members of his true Church, called the kingdom of God, and promised us to reign with him in his glorious kingdom in heaven. — And hath made us priests to God, and his Father, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. See 1 Peter ii. 9. — To him be, or is due, glory and empire, for ever and ever. Amen. That is, to Jesus Christ. (Witham)
• Ver. 7. Behold, he cometh, or is to come at the day of judgment. (Witham)
• Ver. 8. I am Alpha, and Omega. These, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, signify the same as what follows, the beginning, and the end, the first cause and last end of all intelligent beings, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty: These words agree only to him, who is the true God, and here are applied to our blessed Redeemer, who is to come and judge all. (Witham)

Haydock Commentary Luke 4:16-21

• Ver. 17. As he unfolded the book: and again, (ver. 20) when he had folded the book. Books at that time where not like our now-a-days, but were skins or parchments, rolled or folded up. (Witham) — Some are of opinion that the Jews of Nazareth, having heard of the miracles and fame of Jesus, and that he was accustomed to teach in the synagogues, though he had never been instructed in any learning, when he rose to speak, purposely gave him the book of Isaias, which was esteemed the most difficult to be explained, in order to try his learning; though it is probable that it was done by the all-directing interposition of Divine Providence. (Maldonatus)
• Ver. 18. By the poor are to be understood the Gentiles; who might truly be called poor, since they possessed neither the knowledge of the true God, nor of the law, nor of the prophets. (Origen) — Isaias in this place speaks of himself, as a figure of the Messias. The captivity of Babylon, which is the literal object of this prophecy, was a figure of the then state of mankind; the return from this captivity announced by the prophet, and effected by Cyrus, represented the redemption of man, effected by Jesus Christ. (Bible de Vence)
• Ver. 19. To set at liberty them that are bruised, or oppressed. These words are not in the prophet; but are added by St. Luke, to explain the others. — To preach the acceptable year, as it were the jubilee year, when slaves used to be set at liberty. (Witham)
• Ver. 20. To observe and admire a person that had never learned letters, and who stood up amongst them an experienced teacher. (Menochius) See John vii. 15. and Maldonatus.
• Ver. 21. By this Christ wished to shew that he was the Messias foretold by the prophet Isaias, whom they so anxiously expected: he declares himself to be the person pointed out by the prophet. There seems also to be a secret reprehension in these words of Christ; as if he were to say: Why are you so desirous to behold the Messias, whom, when he is before your eyes, you will not receive? Why do you seek him in the prophets, when you neither understand the prophets, nor perceive the truth of their predictions, when they are fulfilled before you eyes? (Maldonatus)