Joseph Kenny OP: Readings Easter Saturday 1

READINGS: EASTER SATURDAY I

Invitatory Psalm & BACK

Psalm 145: Hebrew English     Then BACK
πιστοὺς εἰς θεὸν τὸν ἐγείραντα αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν - Ἁλληλουϊά — ὥστε τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλπίδα εἶναι εἰς θεόν - Ἁλληλουϊά.
Even Years: Acts 4:5-31
5 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον συναχθῆναι αὐτῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους καὶ τοὺς γραμματεῖς ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ
6 καὶ ἅννας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ καϊάφας καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ ἀλέξανδρος καὶ ὅσοι ἦσαν ἐκ γένους ἀρχιερατικοῦ
7 καὶ στήσαντες αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἐπυνθάνοντο, ἐν ποίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ ἐν ποίῳ ὀνόματι ἐποιήσατε τοῦτο ὑμεῖς;
8 τότε Πέτρος πλησθεὶς πνεύματος ἁγίου εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς,
ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, 9 εἰ ἡμεῖς σήμερον ἀνακρινόμεθα ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενοῦς, ἐν τίνι οὗτος σέσωται,
10 γνωστὸν ἔστω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ Ἰσραὴλ
ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ναζωραίου, ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε, ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν,
ἐν τούτῳ οὗτος παρέστηκεν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ὑγιής.
11 οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐξουθενηθεὶς ὑφ' ὑμῶν τῶν οἰκοδόμων, ὁ γενόμενος εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας.
12 καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία, οὐδὲ γὰρ ὄνομά ἐστιν ἕτερον ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.
13 θεωροῦντες δὲ τὴν τοῦ Πέτρου παρρησίαν καὶ Ἰωάννου, καὶ καταλαβόμενοι ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἀγράμματοί εἰσιν καὶ ἰδιῶται, ἐθαύμαζον.
ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς ὅτι σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἦσαν:
14 τόν τε ἄνθρωπον βλέποντες σὺν αὐτοῖς ἑστῶτα τὸν τεθεραπευμένον οὐδὲν εἶχον ἀντειπεῖν.
15 κελεύσαντες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔξω τοῦ συνεδρίου ἀπελθεῖν συνέβαλλον πρὸς ἀλλήλους 16 λέγοντες,
τί ποιήσωμεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις;
ὅτι μὲν γὰρ γνωστὸν σημεῖον γέγονεν δι' αὐτῶν πᾶσιν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἰερουσαλὴμ φανερόν, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα ἀρνεῖσθαι:
17 ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον διανεμηθῇ εἰς τὸν λαόν,
ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ μηδενὶ ἀνθρώπων.
18 καὶ καλέσαντες αὐτοὺς παρήγγειλαν τὸ καθόλου μὴ φθέγγεσθαι μηδὲ διδάσκειν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ.
19 ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀποκριθέντες εἶπον πρὸς αὐτούς,
εἰ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀκούειν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ, κρίνατε,
20 οὐ δυνάμεθα γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἃ εἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν.
21 οἱ δὲ προσαπειλησάμενοι ἀπέλυσαν αὐτούς, μηδὲν εὑρίσκοντες τὸ πῶς κολάσωνται αὐτούς,
διὰ τὸν λαόν, ὅτι πάντες ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι:
22 ἐτῶν γὰρ ἦν πλειόνων τεσσεράκοντα ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐφ' ὃν γεγόνει τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο τῆς ἰάσεως.
23 ἀπολυθέντες δὲ ἦλθον πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν ὅσα πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι εἶπαν.
24 οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἦραν φωνὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ εἶπαν, δέσποτα, σὺ ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, 25 ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου στόματος δαυὶδ παιδός σου εἰπών,
ἱνατί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά;
26 παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ.
27 συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπ' ἀληθείας ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ἔχρισας, ἡρῴδης τε καὶ πόντιος πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ, 28 ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χείρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλή [σου] προώρισεν γενέσθαι. 29 καὶ τὰ νῦν, κύριε, ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὰς ἀπειλὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ δὸς τοῖς δούλοις σου μετὰ παρρησίας πάσης λαλεῖν τὸν λόγον σου, 30 ἐν τῷ τὴν χεῖρά [σου] ἐκτείνειν σε εἰς ἴασιν καὶ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα γίνεσθαι διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ ἁγίου παιδός σου Ἰησοῦ.
31 καὶ δεηθέντων αὐτῶν ἐσαλεύθη ὁ τόπος ἐν ᾧ ἦσαν συνηγμένοι, καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν ἅπαντες τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, καὶ ἐλάλουν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ παρρησίας.
Odd Years: 1 Peter 4:12—5:14
ἀγαπητοί, μὴ ξενίζεσθε τῇ ἐν ὑμῖν πυρώσει πρὸς πειρασμὸν ὑμῖν γινομένῃ
ὡς ξένου ὑμῖν συμβαίνοντος,
ἀλλὰ καθὸ κοινωνεῖτε τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθήμασιν χαίρετε,
ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ χαρῆτε ἀγαλλιώμενοι.
      εἰ ὀνειδίζεσθε ἐν ὀνόματι Χριστοῦ, μακάριοι,
      ὅτι τὸ τῆς δόξης καὶ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεῦμα ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἀναπαύεται.
            μὴ γάρ τις ὑμῶν πασχέτω ὡς φονεὺς ἢ κλέπτης ἢ κακοποιὸς ἢ ὡς ἀλλοτριεπίσκοπος:
            εἰ δὲ ὡς Χριστιανός, μὴ αἰσχυνέσθω,
      δοξαζέτω δὲ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ.
      ὅτι ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ ἄρξασθαι τὸ κρίμα ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ:
εἰ δὲ πρῶτον ἀφ' ἡμῶν, τί τὸ τέλος τῶν ἀπειθούντων τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελίῳ;
καὶ εἰ ὁ δίκαιος μόλις σῴζεται, ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς ποῦ φανεῖται;
ὥστε καὶ οἱ πάσχοντες κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ
πιστῷ κτίστῃ παρατιθέσθωσαν τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἐν ἀγαθοποιΐᾳ.

πρεσβυτέρους οὖν ἐν ὑμῖν παρακαλῶ
ὁ συμπρεσβύτερος καὶ μάρτυς τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθημάτων,
ὁ καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι δόξης κοινωνός:
      ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ θεοῦ,
      ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλὰ ἑκουσίως κατὰ θεόν,
μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς ἀλλὰ προθύμως,
μηδ' ὡς κατακυριεύοντες τῶν κλήρων
ἀλλὰ τύποι γινόμενοι τοῦ ποιμνίου:
καὶ φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποίμενος κομιεῖσθε τὸν ἀμαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον.

      ὁμοίως, νεώτεροι, ὑποτάγητε πρεσβυτέροις.
      πάντες δὲ ἀλλήλοις τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐγκομβώσασθε,
      ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν.

ταπεινώθητε οὖν ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ θεοῦ,
ἵνα ὑμᾶς ὑψώσῃ ἐν καιρῷ,
πᾶσαν τὴν μέριμναν ὑμῶν ἐπιρίψαντες ἐπ' αὐτόν,
ὅτι αὐτῷ μέλει περὶ ὑμῶν.
      νήψατε, γρηγορήσατε.
      ὁ ἀντίδικος ὑμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τινα καταπιεῖν:
      ᾧ ἀντίστητε στερεοὶ τῇ πίστει,
      εἰδότες τὰ αὐτὰ τῶν παθημάτων τῇ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὑμῶν ἀδελφότητι ἐπιτελεῖσθαι.
ὁ δὲ θεὸς πάσης χάριτος,
ὁ καλέσας ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ,
ὀλίγον παθόντας αὐτὸς καταρτίσει, στηρίξει, σθενώσει, θεμελιώσει.
αὐτῷ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας: ἀμήν.

διὰ Σιλουανοῦ ὑμῖν τοῦ πιστοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, ὡς λογίζομαι, δι' ὀλίγων ἔγραψα,
παρακαλῶν καὶ ἐπιμαρτυρῶν ταύτην εἶναι ἀληθῆ χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ: εἰς ἣν στῆτε.
ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλεκτὴ καὶ Μᾶρκος ὁ υἱός μου.
ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἀγάπης.
εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ.

Even Years: Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 45, on the Old Testament, 5 (CCL 41, 519-520)
Et quid est ipsa ecclesia? corpus christi. adiunge illi caput, et fit unus homo. caput et corpus, unus homo. caput quis est? hic qui natus est de uirgine maria, qui suscepit carnem mortalem sine peccato, qui a iudaeis caesus, flagellatus, contemptus, crucifixus, qui traditus est propter delicta nostra, et resurrexit propter iustificationem nostram. ipse est caput ecclesiae, ipse panis de illa terra. corpus autem eius quod est? coniux eius, id est ecclesia. erunt enim duo in carne una. sacramentum hoc magnum est; ego autem dico in christo et in ecclesia. sic et dominus in euangelio, cum de uiro et de uxore diceret: igitur iam non sunt duo, sed una caro. ergo unum uoluit esse hominem deum christum et ecclesiam. ibi caput, et hic membra. noluit resurgere cum membris, sed ante membra, ut haberent quod sperarent membra. sed ideo mori uoluit caput, ut prius resurgeret caput; prius iret in caelum caput, ut in capite suo spem haberent cetera membra, et expectarent impleri erga se quod praemissum est in capite.
Quid enim opus erat christo mori, uerbo dei, per quod facta sunt omnia, de quo dicitur: in principio erat uerbum, et uerbum erat apud deum, et deus erat uerbum. omnia per ipsum facta sunt? et crucifigitur, et irridetur, et lancea percutitur, et sepelitur. et omnia per ipsum facta sunt.
Sed quia dignatus est esse caput ecclesiae, desperaret de se ecclesia quia resurget, si non uideret quia resurrexit caput. resurrexit ergo caput, et uisum est resurgere caput. primo a mulieribus uisum est, et nuntiatum est uiris. primae mulieres uiderunt resurgentem dominum, et euangelistis futuris apostolis a mulieribus euangelium annuntiatum est, et per mulieres illis christus annuntiatus. euangelium enim latine 'bonus nuntius' est. qui graece nouerunt, sciunt quid sit euangelium. euangelium ergo 'bonus nuntius'. quid tam bonum nuntium possumus dicere, quam quia resurrexit saluator noster.
Odd Years: The Jerusalem Catechesis, 22:1,3-6,9 (PG 33, 1098-1106)
Ὅτι ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ᾗ παρεδίδοτο ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, λαβὼν ἄρτον καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασε καὶ ἔδωκε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, λέγων· Λάβετε, φάγετε, τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ σῶμα. Καὶ λαβὼν ποτήριον καὶ εὐχαριστήσας εἶπε· Λάβετε, πίετε, τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ αἷμα." Αὐτοῦ οὖν ἀποφηναμένου καὶ εἰπόντος περὶ τοῦ ἄρτου· "Τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ σῶμα", τίς τολμήσει ἀμφιβάλλειν λοιπόν; Καὶ αὐτοῦ διαβεβαιωσαμένου καὶ εἰρηκότος· "Τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ αἷμα", τίς ἐνδοιάσει ποτὲ λέγων μὴ εἶναι αὐτοῦ αἷμα; On the night he was betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said: 'Take, eat: this is my body.' He took the cup, gave thanks and said: 'Take, drink: this is my blood.' Since Christ himself has declared the bread to be his body, who can have any further doubt? Since he himself has said quite categorically, This is my blood, who would dare to question it and say that it is not his blood?
Ὥστε μετὰ πάσης πληροφορίας ὡς σώματος καὶ αἵματος μεταλαμβάνομεν Χριστοῦ. Ἐν τύπῳ γὰρ ἄρτου δίδοταί σοι τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἐν τύπῳ οἴνου δίδοταί σοι τὸ αἷμα, ἵνα γένῃ, μεταλαβὼν σώματος καὶ αἵματος Χριστοῦ, σύσσωμος καὶ σύναιμος Χριστοῦ. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ χριστοφόροι γινόμεθα, τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ αἵματος εἰς τὰ ἡμέτερα ἀναδιδομένου μέλη. Οὕτω κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Πέτρον θείας "κοινωνοὶ γινόμεθα φύσεως". Therefore it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ. His body is given to us under the symbol of bread, and his blood is given to us under the symbol of wine, in order to make us by receiving them one body and one blood with him. Having his body and blood in our members, we become bearers of Christ and sharers, as Saint Peter says, in the divine nature.
Ποτὲ Χριστὸς τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγεν· "Ἐὰν μὴ φάγητέ μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίητέ μου τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς." Ἐκεῖνοι, μὴ ἀκηκοότες πνευματικῶς τῶν λεγομένων, σκανδαλισθέντες ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, νομίζοντες τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐπὶ σαρκοφαγίαν αὐτοὺς προτρέπεσθαι. Once when speaking to the Jews Christ said: Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall have no life in you. This so horrified them that they left him. Not understanding his words in a spiritual way, they thought the Saviour wished them to practise cannibalism.
Ἦσαν καὶ ἐν παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ ἄρτοι προθέσεως· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι παλαιᾶς ὄντες διαθήκης τέλος εἰλήφασιν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ καινῇ διαθήκῃ ἄρτος οὐράνιος καὶ ποτήριον σωτηρίου, ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἁγιάζοντα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἄρτος τῷ σώματι κατάλληλος, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Λόγος τῇ ψυχῇ ἁρμόδιος. Under the old covenant there was showbread, but it came an end with the old dispensation to which it belonged. Under the new covenant there is bread from heaven and the cup of salvation. These sanctify both soul and body, the bread being adapted to the sanctification of the body, the Word to the sanctification of the soul.
Μὴ πρόσεχε οὖν ὡς ψιλοῖς τῷ ἄρτῳ καὶ τῷ οἴνῳ· σῶμα γὰρ καὶ αἷμα κατὰ τὴν δεσποτικὴν τυγχάνει ἀπόφασιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ αἴσθησίς σοι τοῦτο ὑποβάλλει, ἀλλὰ ἡ πίστις σε βεβαιούτω. Μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς γεύσεως κρίνῃς τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως πληροφοροῦ ἀνενδοιάστως, σώματος καὶ αἵματος Χριστοῦ καταξιωθείς Do not, then, regard the Eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine: they are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as he himself has declared. Whatever your senses may tell you, be strong in faith.
Ταῦτα μαθὼν καὶ πληροφορηθείς, ὡς ὁ φαινόμενος ἄρτος οὐκ ἄρτος ἐστίν, εἰ καὶ τοιοῦτός ἐστι τῇ γεύσει, ἀλλὰ σῶμα Χριστοῦ, καὶ ὁ φαινόμενος οἶνος οὐκ οἶνός ἐστιν, εἰ καὶ ἡ γεῦσις τοῦτο βούλεται, ἀλλὰ αἷμα Χριστοῦ, καὶ ὅτι περὶ τούτου ἔλεγε ψάλλων πάλαι ὁ Δαβίδ· "Καὶ ἄρτος καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου στηρίζει, τοῦ ἱλαρῦναι πρόσωπον ἐν ἐλαίῳ·" στηρίζου τὴν καρδίαν, μεταλαμβάνων αὐτοῦ ὡς πνευματικοῦ, καὶ ἱλαρύνου τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς πρόσωπον. You have been taught and you are firmly convinced that what looks and tastes like bread and wine is not bread and wine but the body and the blood of Christ. You know also how David referred to this long ago when he sang: Bread strengthens the heart and makes the face glow with the oil of gladness. Strengthen your heart, then, by receiving this bread as spiritual bread, and bring joy to the face of your soul.
Ὃ γένοιτό σε ἀνακεκαλυμμένον ἔχοντα ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει, τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενον, ἔρχεσθαι ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. May purity of conscience remove the veil from the face of your soul so that by contemplating the glory of the Lord, as in a mirror, you may be transformed from glory to glory in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Te Deum [English]
Prayer