This week's readings - Sunday 22nd March

Webmaster • March 20, 2026

First Reading

Ezekiel 37:12-14

God will open the graves and restore the people of Israel.


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 130:1-8

With the Lord is forgiveness and mercy.


Second Reading

Romans 8:8-11

The Spirit of God dwells in you.


Gospel Reading

John 11:1-45 (shorter version John 11:3-7,17,20-27,33b-45)

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.


Background on the Gospel Reading


Our Gospel on this day, the fifth Sunday of Lent, is again taken from the Gospel according to John. The reading from John continues the break from Cycle A’s focus on the Gospel of Matthew. Today’s Gospel reading recounts another sign, or miracle, found in John’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus. As our catechumens move closer to the celebration of their Baptisms at the Triduum, today’s reading invites us to reflect upon what it means to call Jesus the Resurrection and the life.


The context for the story of the raising of Lazarus is the Jewish leaders’ growing animosity toward Jesus. Jesus has been in Jerusalem, taking part in the feast of the Dedication, which we have come to know as Hanukkah. The people have been pressing him to declare plainly whether he is the Messiah. Jesus tells them to look to his works, which testify to his coming from God. Many do not believe Jesus, however, and some try to stone him for blasphemy. Into this scene of confrontation, Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, send word to Jesus that his friend is ill. Jesus is said to love Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but he delays his journey for two days. The delay heightens the drama and shows Jesus’ obedience to God, who is to be glorified through Lazarus’s resurrection. When Jesus finally declares that he will journey to Bethany, his disciples fear for his life. Thomas declares that he and the other disciples should prepare to die with Jesus.


The scene described at Bethany is a sad one. Martha meets Jesus weeping and saying that if Jesus had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Yet she remains confident that God will do whatever Jesus asks. Martha affirms her belief that there will be a resurrection of the dead in the last days. Then Martha’s sister, Mary, comes to Jesus with the same confidence, saying that Jesus could have cured Lazarus. Jesus asks to be brought to Lazarus’s tomb where he prays and calls Lazarus out from the tomb. At this sign, many come to believe in Jesus, but others take word of the miracle to the Jewish authorities, who begin their plans for Jesus’ death.


Set against the backdrop of Jesus’ impending death, many elements of the raising of Lazarus foreshadow the good news of Jesus’ own Resurrection. Jesus, facing the conflict with the Jewish authorities, acts in complete obedience to God. In raising Lazarus, Jesus shows his power over death so that when Jesus dies, those who believe in him might remember that and take hope. Just as Jesus calls for the stone to be rolled away from Lazarus’s tomb, so too will the disciples find the stone rolled away from Jesus’ tomb. With our catechumens preparing for their Baptism at Easter, the Gospel today calls us to reflect on Baptism as a dying and rising with Jesus. In Baptism we die to sin’s power over us, rising as children of God. In Baptism we join ourselves with Christ, who conquered death once and for all so that we who believe in him may have eternal life. With Martha and Mary, we are called to profess our belief that Jesus is indeed the Resurrection and the life.

By Webmaster June 12, 2026
Please pray for Our Sick : Margaret Callaghan Doreen Cleary, Neil Boyle, John Rielly Molly Strang, James Clark, Fr. Michael McLaughlin, Patricia Henderson, Joanna Maier (Connecticut USA), Therese Gilgunn Tressy Callaghan, Suzanne McMurray, Mary Coyle, Lesley Watson (Spain) Maureen McHugh, Margaret Burke, Marie White, Kathleen Daly, John McGuire, Jill Brown, Karen Pritchatt, Louise Newton, Faith Lyndsey, Jill Brown, Marie McGuire, James Morton, Paul Kearney, Thomas Daly, Andrew McCluskey, Premature Baby Vincent McDowell, Bill Allan, Gudren Berk (Germany), Jaqueline McReynolds, Mary Morrison, Helen Howarth (Easterhouse), Margaret Loan, Avril McCluskey, Carol Corr, Thomas Kennedy, and all our sick .
By Webmaster June 12, 2026
Confirmation 2026 St. Peter's & St. Mark's 18th June 2026 7pm Bishop Toal
By Webmaster June 12, 2026
If you wish to sign up for Gift Aid. It is a great way to help the parish financially, costing you absolutely nothing. If you wish to sign up contact myself or Doreen Lee and we will give you the form and hand it back as you can and we can get it organised. As I said it costs you nothing, but helps the parish so much.
By Webmaster June 12, 2026
First Reading Exodus 19:2-6a God tells Moses that the Israelites will be his special people. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 100:1-3,5 We are the people of God. Second Reading Romans 5:6-11 Christ died for us while we were still sinners and reconciled us to God. Gospel Reading Matthew 9:36-10:8 Jesus sends the twelve apostles to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. Background on the Gospel Reading In today's Gospel, Jesus shares his mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven with his disciples. The signs of the kingdom's presence consist of the work that Jesus has already been doing: the sick are cured, lepers are cleansed, demons are driven out, and the dead are raised to life. The disciples are sent to continue doing the work that Jesus has begun. This is a moment of transition in Matthew's Gospel. The focus has shifted from the ministry of Jesus to the work of the community that he has inaugurated. More than any other Gospel, Matthew's Gospel elaborates on the work of the Church, which is to continue after Jesus' death and resurrection. The Gospel reports that Jesus commissions twelve disciples. Many scholars believe that the twelve disciples symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. It designates, therefore, continuity between Israel and the Church. Matthew lists the names of the twelve disciples, as do Mark and Luke. Matthew also uses the word apostlewhen referring to the Twelve. The word apostlemeans “one who is sent.” In this context, Matthew is calling attention to the mission that the twelve disciples are being given. They are sent by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of heaven in word and deed.  As Jesus sent his disciples to continue his work and mission, so too the Church is sent by Jesus. The Church is his continuing presence on earth. Every member of the Church is sent by Jesus to contribute to this mission.
By Webmaster June 12, 2026
P7 Leavers Masses St. Peter's 17th June St. Mark's 19th June
By Webmaster June 12, 2026
Our Recently Dead Stephen Sweeney, Paul Grant, Eileen Brown, Agnes Garrie, Maureen Bennett, Frank Dobie, (Craigneuk), Charles Kennedy (Florida), Anna Pieroni Biondi, Martin McLaughlin, Margaret Simmons (Craigneuk), Month Minds & Anniversaries Andrew Barton, Ann & Hugh Rodgers, Anna Lyons, Isabell Walker, Joseph Loughran, Robert Park, Rab Hailstones Please if you could make sure all month minds and anniversaries are handed in no later than Wednesday Night. If they come in after that they will be read out at Mass on Sunday. If the recently dead come in after the Wednesday deadline they too will be read out at Mass on the Sunday
By Webmaster June 12, 2026
I am also looking for Volunteers to move the power-points on during the Sunday Masses, Vigil 4pm, 9.30am & 11am. It is very easy to operate, if we get enough volunteers for each Mass we would put a wee rota together. It would take a wee bit of pressure off me.
By Webmaster June 5, 2026
A parishioner Cara Quigley is volunteering in a Catholic School in Kenya. She is looking for donations of the following: 1. Story books. 2. Flash cards (Alphabet, Numbers & Shapes). 3. White Board Pens. 4. Educational Toys (Building Blocks etc). 5. Sensory Materials. 6. Pencils (Normal & Coloured). 7. Crayons. 8. Skipping Ropes.  She leaves on the 18th June 2026 Last pick up date is Sunday 12th July 2026
By Webmaster June 5, 2026
First Reading Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14b-16a Moses tells the people to remember how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 Praise God, Jerusalem! Second Reading 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Though many, we are one body when we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Gospel Reading John 6:51-58 Jesus says, “I am the living bread.”  Background on the Gospel Reading This Sunday we celebrate a second solemnity during this period of Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar. Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This day was once called Corpus Christi, which is Latin for “Body of Christ.” In the revised Lectionary the name for this day is expanded to reflect more completely our Eucharistic theology. Today’s Gospel is taken from the Gospel according to John. The reading is part of a discourse between Jesus and a crowd of Jews. The discourse comes shortly after the miracle of Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves and fishes. In John’s Gospel, miracles such as this are identified as “signs” through which people come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. These signs are followed by dialogue, or discourse that interprets and explains the miracle. In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves is said to have occurred near Passover, thus linking it to the Exodus story and God’s saving action toward the Israelites. Having seen Jesus multiply the loaves and fishes, the crowd pursues him, perhaps seeking more food but also looking for another sign. Jesus tells the crowd that he is the bread of life. He explains that just as God gave the Israelites manna to sustain them in the desert, so now God has sent new manna that will give eternal life. It is in this context that Jesus repeats those words in today’s Gospel and tells them again that he is the living bread that came down from heaven. Jesus’ words are not well understood by the crowd; they argue that Jesus is not from heaven but born of Mary and Joseph. The crowd also has trouble understanding how Jesus could give them his flesh to eat. Jesus tells them that when they eat his flesh and drink his blood, they will remain forever connected to him. These are difficult words, but they are important because they seek to show us our intimate connection with Jesus. This is the mystery that is at the heart of our Eucharistic theology. In the elements of bread and wine, Jesus’ Body and Blood are truly present. When we share in the Body and Blood of Christ, Jesus himself comes to dwell within us. This communion with the Lord makes us one body, brings us eternal life, and sends us forth to be Christ’s Body in the world.
By Webmaster May 29, 2026
The Corpus Christi Processions will take place after each Sunday Mass on the 7th June (Next Weekend). More details to follow.
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