Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).
Readings at Mass
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1 Peter 1:18-25
You were ransomed with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.
Beloved: Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished Lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love, love one another intensely from a pure heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God, for:
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts; but the word of the Lord remains forever.” This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
Commentary:
Redemption through Christ's Blood: Believers are redeemed not with perishable items like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. This highlights the immense value and eternal significance of Jesus' sacrificial death.
Christ's Foreordination: Christ was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in these last times for believers' sake. This demonstrates that God's plan of salvation through Jesus was established before creation.
Faith and Hope in God: Through Christ, believers place their faith and hope in God, who raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him. This resurrection and glorification are central to the Christian faith.
Call to Sincere Love: Believers are urged to love one another deeply and sincerely from the heart. This call to love is a direct result of their purification through obedience to the truth, reflecting the transformative power of their redemption.
The Enduring Word of God: Human life is fleeting, but God's word endures forever. Quoting Isaiah, Peter emphasizes the permanence and reliability of God's promises, contrasting them with the temporary nature of human existence.
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Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
Alleluia.
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Mark 10:45
Alleluia, alleluia.
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Alleluia, alleluia.
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Mark 10:32-45
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over.
The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, ‘We can.” Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Predicts His Suffering: Jesus tells His disciples about His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection, emphasizing the certainty of these events.
Request of James and John: James and John ask to sit at Jesus' right and left in His glory, misunderstanding His mission and seeking positions of power.
Jesus' Response: Jesus explains that they will share in His sufferings but cannot grant the positions they seek, as these are determined by the Father.
Disciples' Indignation: The other disciples are indignant at James and John, revealing their own desires for status and misunderstanding of Jesus' teaching.
Teaching on Servanthood: Jesus teaches that true greatness in God's kingdom is achieved through serving others, exemplified by His own life and mission to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:32-45 underscores Jesus’ prediction of His sacrificial death and highlights the contrast between worldly ambition and the kingdom's call to humility and servanthood, teaching that true greatness comes from serving others.
