28 March 2026 (Saturday) / Lenten Weekday / Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

28 March 2026 (Saturday)

Lenten Weekday.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: Ezekiel 37: 21-28
Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31: 10, 11-12, 13
Verse Before the Gospel: Ezekiel 18: 31
Gospel: John 11: 45-56

First Reading: Ezekiel 37: 21-28

21 And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from the midst of the nations whither they are gone: and I will gather them on every side, and will bring them to their own land.
22 And I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all: and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided any more into two kingdoms.
23 Nor shall they be defiled any more with their idols, nor with their abominations, nor with all their iniquities: and I will save them out of all the places in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd: they shall walk in my judgments, and shall keep my commandments, and shall do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell in it, they and their children, and their children’s children, for ever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.
26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will establish them, and will multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.
27 And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the nations shall know that I am the Lord the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.

Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31: 10, 11-12, 13

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the islands that are afar off, and say: He that scattered Israel will gather him: and he will keep him as the shepherd doth his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
11 For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and delivered him out of the hand of one that was mightier than he.
12 And they shall come, and shall give praise in mount Sion: and they shall flow together to the good things of the Lord, for the corn, and wine, and oil, and the increase of cattle and herds.
R. The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, the young men and old men together: and I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them joyful after their sorrow.
R. The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Verse Before the Gospel: Ezekiel 18: 31
31 Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
(21. 'If the wicked, however, renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and upright, he will most certainly live; he will not die.
22. None of the crimes he committed will be remembered against him from then on; he will most certainly live because of his upright actions.
23. Would I take pleasure in the death of the wicked -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?
24. 'But if the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong by copying all the loathsome practices of the wicked, is he to live? All his upright actions will be forgotten from then on; for the infidelity of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, he will most certainly die.
25. 'Now, you say, "What the Lord does is unjust." Now listen, House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust?
26. When the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrong which he himself has done.
27. Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law-abiding and upright, he saves his own life.
28. Having chosen to renounce all his previous crimes, he will most certainly live: he will not die.
29. And yet the House of Israel says, "What the Lord does is unjust." Is what I do unjust, House of Israel? Is it not what you do that is unjust?
30. So in future, House of Israel, I shall judge each of you by what that person does -- declares the Lord Yahweh. Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt.
31. Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel?
32. I take no pleasure in the death of anyone -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- so repent and live!')

Gospel: John 11: 45-56

45 Many therefore of the Jews, who were come to Mary and Martha, and had seen the things that Jesus did, believed in him.
46 But some of them went to the Pharisees, and told them the things that Jesus had done.
47 The chief priests therefore, and the Pharisees, gathered a council, and said: What do we, for this man doth many miracles?
48 If we let him alone so, all will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and take away our place and nation.
49 But one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: You know nothing.
50 Neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this he spoke not of himself: but being the high priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation.
52 And not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed.
53 From that day therefore they devised to put him to death.
54 Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but he went into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem, and there he abode with his disciples.
55 And the pasch of the Jews was at hand; and many from the country went up to Jerusalem, before the pasch to purify themselves.
56 They sought therefore for Jesus; and they discoursed one with another, standing in the temple: What think you that he is not come to the festival day?

For our reflection today:

The way that the doctors of the law proceed is precisely a model of how temptation works in us, because it was truly the devil who was behind this, who wanted to destroy Jesus, and temptation in us truly works like this: it begins with something small, a desire, an idea, it grows, it infects others and in the end it justifies itself. We should have the custom of identifying this process within us. That process that changes our hearts from good to bad, that leads us to a downward slope. A thing that grows, grows, grows slowly, then it infects others, in the end it justifies itself. It is rare that temptations come all at once, the devil is astute. And he knows how to take this path, the same one he took to arrive at Jesus’ condemnation. The life of Jesus is always an example for us. The things that happened to Jesus are things that also will happen to us: the temptations, the justifications, good people around us –– and perhaps we do not listen to them – and bad people in the moment of temptation. We surround ourselves with them in order to allow the temptation to get stronger.  But let us never forget: always, behind a sin, behind a fall, there is a temptation that began small, that grew, that infected us, and in the end we find a justification to fall. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us in this interior awareness. (Francis - Homily Santa Marta, 4 April 2020)

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Pelayan Atasan Tertinggi / Most High Servant,
Yesus, Maria, Yusuf Pelayanan Kasih / Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)

My vocation is Blessed and Saints.

"I am the most humble of all the Saints in Heaven" Mary, Mother of God."

"I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me."

Mother Mary is the most humble Saint in Heaven and she is also the Mother of God for us all
(Luke 1:38)