Today’s Readings are taken from the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
Heb 4, 1-16
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
27:60-66
And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
In the tomb, Jesus, the living Word of the Father, is silent. But it is precisely in that silence that the new life begins to ferment. Like a seed in the ground, like the darkness before dawn. God is not afraid of the passing time, because he is also the God of waiting. Thus, even our “useless” time, that of pauses, emptiness, barren moments, can become the womb of resurrection. Every silence that is welcomed can be the premise of a new Word. Every suspended time can become a time of grace, if we offer it to God. Jesus, buried in the ground, is the meek face of a God who does not occupy all space. He is the God who lets things be done, who waits, who withdraws to leave us freedom. He is the God who trusts, even when everything seems to be over. And we, on that suspended Sabbath, learn that we do not have to be in a hurry to rise again; first we must stay and welcome the silence, let ourselves be embraced by limitation. At times we seek quick answers, immediate solutions. But God works in depth, in the slow time of trust. The Sabbath of the burial thus becomes the womb from which the strength of an invincible light, that of Easter, can spring forth. (Pope Leo XIV – General Audience, 17 September 2025)
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![Pope Leo XIV celebrates Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica - #Catholic - VATICAN — Pope Leo XIV presided over the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday during which the preacher of the papal household exhorted Christians to “approach the Lord’s cross without fear.”The liturgy began with the pope lying prostrate before the cross and then unfolded in three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, veneration of the cross, and Holy Communion.There was no opening antiphon; the solemn liturgy began with silent prayer, the unifying thread through the entire celebration.After the proclamation of the Gospel of John’s account of Christ’s passion, the papal preacher, Father Roberto Pasolini, OFMCap, delivered a homily.
Pope Leo XIV lies prostrate before the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica during the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, Friday, April 3, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
‘The greatest act of love’“In a time like ours, still torn apart by hatred and violence, when even the name of God is invoked to justify wars and deadly decisions, we Christians are called to approach the Lord’s Cross without fear — indeed, with full trust — knowing that it is a throne upon which one sits and learns to reign with him by placing one’s life at the service of others,” Pasolini said.“If we can hold fast to the profession of this faith, then our days too will be able to give voice to the songs of both joy and suffering, that mysterious score of the Cross in which the notes of the greatest love can be clearly recognized,” he continued.The preacher recalled that the day’s liturgy invites Catholics to contemplate the Passion: “Yet the Cross of Christ risks remaining incomprehensible if we look at it only as an isolated fact, as a sudden event. In reality, it is the highest point of a journey, the fulfillment of an entire life in which Jesus learned to listen to and welcome the voice of the Father, allowing himself to be guided day by day all the way to the greatest act of love.”“Jesus is the man of sorrows who knows suffering well — no violence, no resort to force, no temptation to destroy everything and start over from scratch. We know how difficult it is to embrace such a mission. We are tempted to use aggression and violence, thinking that without them nothing can ever be resolved. But only meekness is the true strength for confronting the darkness of evil,” he continued.
Father Roberto Pasolini preaches during the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica, Friday, April 3, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
Example of the Servant SongsIn his homily, Pasolini referred to the Servant Songs, four poetic texts found in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (42, 49, 50, 52–53), which describe a mysterious figure — the “Servant”— who fulfills God’s will through vicarious suffering.“To understand this journey during the days of Holy Week, the liturgy has had us listen to the so‑called Songs of the Servant of the Lord. These are poetic texts in which the prophet Isaiah sketched the figure of a mysterious servant through whom God would be able to save the world from evil and sin. Christian tradition has recognized in these songs a striking and dramatic foreshadowing,” Pasolini explained.“In the third song, a new surprise emerges: The servant wants to help, but people respond with anger and violence,” Pasolini said. “Those who live in darkness do not always welcome the light, because the light also exposes what we would prefer to keep hidden — our wounds, our ambiguities.”“In the fourth song, something deeply unsettling occurs: The violence inflicted on the servant is so intense that it disfigures his face. He has no appearance or beauty, yet the servant has learned not to return the evil he has received,” the preacher said.The servant "does not resign himself to this logic [of violence]; he absorbs everything without retaliating. For this reason, he bore the sin of many,” the priest explained.For the papal preacher, the Lord Jesus “did not merely listen to these songs; he lived them intensely, with complete trust in the Father.”“We see it constantly in wars, in divisions, in wounds: evil keeps circulating because it always finds someone willing to pass it on. Jesus broke this chain by accepting what happened to him. In the Passion, he recognized the score of the songs of love and service that the Father had entrusted to him. In this way, he learned the most difficult obedience — the obedience of loving the other,” Pasolini continued.“The voice of God no longer guides us — not because it has disappeared, but because it has become just one voice among many, the others promising security and well‑being,” he said.“What is missing is a word, a song capable of guiding our steps toward a more just world,” he added. “And yet, if we look closely, we can glimpse a silent crowd of people who choose a different voice — a voice that does not shout, that does not impose itself by force, a quiet and persistent song that invites us to love and never return evil for evil. They do not perform extraordinary deeds, but each day they try to make their lives serve not only themselves, but others as well.”
Pope Leo XIV prays in St. Peter’s Basilica during the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, Friday, April 3, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
‘Lay down the weapons’Referencing the act of venerating the cross, Pasolini encouraged those present to use the opportunity to “lay down the weapons” they are holding.“They may not seem as dangerous as those wielded by the powerful of this world. Yet they, too, are instruments of death, because they are enough to weaken, wound, and drain meaning and love from our daily relationships,” he said.“Salvation will not drop down from above, nor can it be guaranteed by political, economic, or military decisions. The world is constantly being saved by those who are willing to embrace the Songs of the Servant of the Lord as the shape of their own lives,” the preacher encouraged. “This is what the Lord Jesus did. He took the Father’s will seriously, accepting it as a score to be carried out to the end, with loud cries and tears.”“Tonight we too are handed the score of the cross. We can freely accept it if we acknowledge that there is no difficulty that cannot be faced, no guilty party we must point to, no enemy who can prevent us from loving and serving.""There is only ourselves — who, by choosing not to return evil, by remaining patient in trials, by believing in good even when darkness seems to swallow everything, can become day by day those servants the Lord needs to bring salvation into the world,” he said.This story was originally published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News' Italian-language partner agency. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/pope-leo-xiv-celebrates-good-friday-of-the-lords-passion-in-st-peters-basilica-catholic-vatican-pope-leo-xiv-presided-over-the-celebration-of-the-lords-passi-scaled.jpg)
![Bishop shares Christ’s love at Morris County Correctional Facility #Catholic - Kevin J. Sweeney brought Christ’s peace and love to a group of inmates in Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown, N.J., who joined him for a Holy Thursday Mass he celebrated at the facility a day earlier on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Father Owen Moran, pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison, N.J., Father Alex Nevitt, administrator of St. Bonaventure Parish in Paterson, N.J., and Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Branchville, N.J., concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
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Bishop Sweeney washed the feet of five inmates to symbolize the service and charity of Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve” during the Holy Thursday Mass, held in one of the jail’s housing pods. Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, correctional facility staff, liturgical musicians, and personnel of Paterson Diocese in New Jersey were also part of the liturgy.
Father Moran, Father Nevitt, and Father Tangorra take turns celebrating weekly Mass in the jail and provide opportunities for confession as part of the New Jersey Area’s Prison Ministry Team of the Knights of Malta. The priests are chaplains of the Order, which sponsors the ministry to the jail. Bible study is also available for male inmates.
Bishop Sweeney’s visit included a breakfast hosted by the correctional facility staff and Gannon. The staff enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with the bishop and spend time with the Order’s Prison Ministry team.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/bishop-shares-christs-love-at-morris-county-correctional-facility-catholic-kevin-j-sweeney-brought-christs-peace-and-love-to-a-group-of-inmates-in-morris-county-correctional-faci.jpg)
![Holy Thursday in Paterson: Bishop embodies Christ’s servant love #Catholic - On behalf of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney prayerfully asked Jesus, “Help us to know you, in your body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist” while presiding over a bilingual Mass of the Lord’s Supper on April 2, Holy Thursday evening, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J.
The Mass commemorates the institution of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders by Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, Bishop Sweeney washed the feet of select faithful to symbolize the service and charity of Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve.” By example of washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus demonstrated how Christians are to love one another through humble service.
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During his homily in English and Spanish, Bishop Sweeney asked Christ, “Help us to love as you love, help us to watch one another’s feet. Help us to be with Mary when we share in the mystery of the cross and to know that you have conquered sin and death.” He then added, “How happy and blessed are we to be called, to be here at the supper of the Lamb.”
Msgr. Geno Sylva, the cathedral’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects, concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office, was the master of ceremonies.
The Mass was followed by an outdoor procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the gym, where adoration was held until midnight.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/holy-thursday-in-paterson-bishop-embodies-christs-servant-love-catholic-on-behalf-of-the-paterson-diocese-in-new-jersey-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-prayerfully-asked-jesus-help-us.jpg)
