Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection March 28, 2026

28th March 2026 (Saturday)

Psalter: Week 1

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:21-28

Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 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 be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12ab, 13 (R. see 10d)

R/. The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

V/. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, says the Lord, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

Gospel: John 11:45-57

At that time: Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Saturday – Fifth Week of Lent

Main Point: Sanctity and faithfulness are shown by unity. God always desires for His children to be a single family. Their relationship with God and other people becomes a genuine indicator of their purity and loyalty.

1. We are constantly owned by God. He is a God who both owns us and transforms us into His property. He is the God of intimacy and covenant. His bond with His people is steady and unbreakable. For this reason, God says, “They shall be my people, and I will be their God,” twice in today’s first reading from Ezekiel.

2. God says He would bring His people to their own country by gathering them from all throughout. He’ll unite them into a single country. A single monarch will rule over them all. They will no longer be split into two kingdoms or two countries.

3. In the past, it could have referred to the Jewish people and their kingdoms of Judah and Israel. However, they make many references to the disciples of Christ, the Christian faithful, and the new Israel. The Church of Faith is one country. The world and evil are subordinated to the one kingdom, which is the kingdom of heaven.

4. The only monarch who is in charge of everything is Christ. In David’s line, he is the only shepherd. As the high priest Caiaphas correctly predicted, Jesus would die for the nation—and not only for the nation—but also to unite God’s dispersed children.

5. What are some indications and prerequisites for becoming a part of this one God, one country, and one kingdom of God? We will never longer contaminate ourselves with our contemporary idols—money, sex, power, and status—or with anything repulsive or immoral. We will prevent ourselves from regressing in any way. Our misdeeds will be atoned for. God’s laws will guide us, and we will take care to follow them.

My Practice: God assures us that He establishes an eternal, peaceful covenant. Do we have a covenantal relationship with God? Is there harmony, tranquility, and unwavering, enduring faithfulness?