Praying the Communion Antiphon series; Good FridayA Time Set Apart: Good Friday It Is Finished (No Communion Antiphon – The Church keeps silence) Entering the Day Today is unlike any other. The Church gathers, but does not celebrate the Eucharist. The altar is bare. The tabernacle is empty. The tone is stripped back. There is a holy silence. The Heart of the Day The focus is the Passion from the Gospel of John (John 18–19). And at its centre, these words: “It is finished.” Not defeat. Not resignation. But completion. Everything we have followed through Lent: • mercy • light • healing • being handed over • being lifted up All reaches its fulfilment here. No Antiphon — But a Presence Even though there is no Communion Antiphon, something very profound happens. We still receive Communion. But now we are receiving: • the Body given last night • the gift already offered • the sacrifice now completed There is a deep continuity between: • Holy Thursday (gift given) • Good Friday (gift offered fully) A Deeper Insight Throughout the series, we have followed the movement: • “Do not hide your face…” • “Handed over for us all…” • “To give his life as a ransom…” Now there are no more words to explain it. Only the Cross remains. The Lenten Journey Fulfilled We saw it beautifully earlier: • learning to see • encountering light • receiving mercy • being gathered Now we stand here: before the Cross No explanation needed. No commentary required. Just presence. Reflection (Very Simple Today) • Can I stay with Christ today, even in silence? • Am I willing to look at the Cross without turning away? • What does this love mean for me personally? Prayer Lord, you gave everything for love of us. Help me to remain with you today, in silence and in trust. ________________________________________ Today, your series does something very powerful. It stops speaking as much and allows the liturgy to speak. Because Good Friday is not a day to explain. It is a day to be still… and behold. The Cross is enough. 🌿✝️

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Good Friday
It Is Finished

(No Communion Antiphon – The Church keeps silence)

 

Entering the Day

Today is unlike any other. The liturgy starts and finishes in silence.

The Church gathers, but does not celebrate the Eucharist.

The altar is bare. The tabernacle is empty.
The tone is stripped back.

There is a holy silence.

 

The Heart of the Day

The focus is the Passion from the Gospel of John (John 18–19).

And at its centre, these words:

“It is finished.”

Not defeat.
Not resignation.

But completion.

Everything we have followed through Lent:

• mercy
• light
• healing
• being handed over
• being lifted up

All reaches its fulfilment here.

 

No Antiphon — But a Presence

Even though there is no Communion Antiphon, something very profound happens.

We still receive Communion.

But now we are receiving:

• the Body given last night
• the gift already offered
• the sacrifice now completed

There is a deep continuity between:

• Holy Thursday (gift given)
• Good Friday (gift offered fully)

 

A Deeper Insight

Throughout the series, we have followed the movement:

• “Do not hide your face…”
• “Handed over for us all…”
• “To give his life as a ransom…”

Now there are no more words to explain it.

Only the Cross remains.

 

The Lenten Journey Fulfilled

We saw it beautifully earlier:

• learning to see
• encountering light
• receiving mercy
• being gathered

Now we stand here:

before the Cross

No explanation needed.
No commentary required.

Just presence.

 

Reflection (Very Simple Today)

• Can I stay with Christ today, even in silence?
• Am I willing to look at the Cross without turning away?
• What does this love mean for me personally?

 

Prayer

Lord,
you gave everything for love of us.
Help me to remain with you today,
in silence and in trust.

Today, my series  I hope does something very powerful.

It stops speaking as much and allows the liturgy to speak.

Because Good Friday is not a day to explain.

It is a day to be still… and behold.

The Cross is enough. 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Holy Thursday Mass of the Last Supper

Praying the Communion Antiphon series.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series.

A Time Set Apart: Holy Thursday (Evening Mass)

Given for You

Communion Antiphon (1 Corinthians 11:24–25)
This is my Body, which is for you;
this cup is the new covenant in my Blood, says the Lord.
Do this in memory of me.

 

Thinking About the Words

“This is my Body…”

There is no explanation here.

No symbolism softened. Just a direct gift.

This is.

“Which is for you…”

This is very personal.

Not abstract.
Not general.

For you.

Each person present.
Each person receiving.

“This cup is the new covenant in my Blood…”

This takes us back to covenant:

• promises
• relationship
• belonging

Now the covenant is no longer written on stone.

It is sealed in the Blood of Christ.

“Do this in memory of me.”

This is not just remembrance.

In Scripture, memory means:

• making present
• entering into
• participating in

What happens tonight does not remain in the past.

It continues.

 

A Deeper Insight

Everything we have seen in these last days comes together here:

• “handed over for us all”
• “a ransom for many”
• “to serve and to give”

Now it becomes visible:

He gives Himself.

Freely.
Deliberately.
Lovingly.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Tonight’s Gospel (John 13:1–15):

Jesus washes the feet of His disciples.

This is extraordinary because to wash the feet was the role of the slave.

The One who gives His Body and Blood
first kneels… and serves.

So we see:

• the Eucharist
• and service

are inseparable.

 

Holding Both Together

At the table:

• He gives His Body
• He gives His Blood

At the basin:

• He gives Himself in service

Both reveal the same truth:

Love that kneels.
Love that gives.

 

At Communion

Tonight, Communion is different.

We receive not only:

• the Body of Christ

but the beginning of:

• the Passion
• the Cross gift that will be completed on Calvary

 

Reflection

• Do I truly receive the gift of Christ as “for me”?
• How am I called to serve others in my daily life?
• Can I allow myself to be loved and served by Christ?
• What does it mean for me to “do this in memory of Him”?

 

Tonight, everything becomes very still.

The Church does not rush.

We enter slowly into mystery.

And we hear these words, spoken not just once, but forever:

“This is my Body… given for you.”

Prayer

Lord,
you give yourself completely.
Teach me to receive your love
and to serve as you serve.

 

Other considerations.

The Mass does end with a blessing in its usual way  but the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to the altar of repose representing the garden where Jesus prayed’ If it is possible let this chalice pass me by but not my will, yours be done’.

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon: Wednesday of Holy Week

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon.

A Time Set Apart: Wednesday of Holy Week

To Serve and to Give

Communion Antiphon (Matthew 20:28)
The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 

Thinking About the Words

“The Son of Man did not come to be served…”

This overturns expectation. We might expect:

• power
• authority
• honour

However, Jesus defines His mission differently.

Not to receive…but to give.

“To serve…”

Service here is not small or secondary.

It is the very identity of Christ.

Every action of Jesus flows from this:

• healing
• teaching
• forgiving
• accompanying

All of it is service.

“And to give his life…”

Now the meaning becomes clear. Service is not occasional.

It becomes total self-giving.

“As a ransom for many.”

This word ransom connects deeply with what we have seen this week:

• “handed over for us all”
• “bore our sins”
• “gathered into one”

A ransom means:

• a price paid
• a life given
• freedom restored

 

A Deeper Insight

Wednesday of Holy Week  is often called Spy Wednesday — the day Judas prepares to hand Jesus over.

So we hold two movements together:

• Judas prepares to take and betray
• Jesus chooses to give and serve

One closes in on self.
The other opens outward in love.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Today’s Gospel (Matthew 26:14–25):

Judas asks:

“What will you give me if I hand him over?”

There is a price placed on Jesus.

Thirty pieces of silver.

And in contrast, the antiphon reveals:

Jesus Himself is the ransom.

Not bought…
but freely given.

 

Holding Both Together

• Judas measures value in silver
• Jesus reveals value in self-giving love

The contrast is striking.

One calculates.
The other surrenders.

 

At Communion

At Communion, we receive the One who:

• did not come to be served
• but to serve
• and to give His life

We receive the servant who becomes the gift.

 

Reflection

• Where do I seek to be served rather than to serve?
• What does true service look like in my life today?
• Do I recognise the depth of Christ’s self-giving for me?
• How can I reflect even a small part of that love?

This is a very still and profound day.

On the edge of the Passion,
Jesus reveals the heart of everything:

To serve.
To give.
To lay down one’s life.

And in that giving,
we find our freedom

Prayer

Lord,
you came not to be served, but to serve.
Teach me to give of myself
and to walk in your love.

 

 Personal Note: I have been unwell so this is why this posting is late. However, I hope it will speak to you in your Holy Week journey.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Tuesday of Holy Week.

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart:  Tuesday of Holy Week

Handed Over for Us All

Communion Antiphon (Romans 8:32)
God did not spare his own Son,
but handed him over for us all.

 

Thinking About the Words

“God did not spare his own Son…”

This is one of the most piercing lines in all of Scripture.

There is no holding back.
No protecting.
No shielding.

God gives what is most precious.

“But handed him over…”

This phrase echoes strongly through today’s Gospel (Gospel of John 13:21–33, 36–38):

• Judas will hand Jesus over
• Peter will deny Him
• the disciples will scatter

But beneath all of this, there is a deeper truth:

God Himself hands over the Son.

Not as abandonment…
but as gift.

“For us all.”

This is the heart.

Not for the perfect.
Not for the faithful only.

But for:

• Judas
• Peter
• the scattered disciples
• and us

 

A Deeper Insight

Today’s Gospel is heavy:

• betrayal is named
• denial is foretold
• confusion fills the room

And into that moment, the antiphon speaks:

This is not chaos.
This is part of the saving plan.

What looks like loss
is actually self-giving love unfolding.

 

Holding Both Together

The Gospel shows:

• human weakness
• fear
• betrayal

The antiphon reveals:

• divine purpose
• love
• surrender

So we begin to see:

The Passion is not just something done to Jesus…
it is something given by God.

 

At Communion

At Communion, this becomes very personal.

We receive the One who has been:

not spared…
but given…
for us.

 

Reflection

• Do I truly believe that Christ was given “for me”?
• Where do I struggle to accept the depth of God’s love?
• How do I respond to a love that holds nothing back?
• Can I remain with Jesus even in moments of confusion or weakness?

Prayer

Lord,
you did not spare your own Son,
but gave him for us all.
Help me to receive this love
and to remain with you.

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Monday of Holy Week

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon 

A Time Set Apart: Monday of Holy Week

Do Not Hide Your Face

Communion Antiphon (Psalm 102:3)
Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear toward me; on the day when I call, speedily answer me.

 

Thinking About the Words

“Do not hide your face from me…”

This is a deeply relational prayer.

In Scripture, the face of God means:

• presence
• closeness
• favour

So, this is not just about help. It is about not being abandoned.

“In the day of my distress…”

Again, we hear this word — distress.

 now it becomes more personal.

This is not just pressure or suffering.

It is the fear that in that suffering, God might feel distant.

 

“Turn your ear toward me…”

The prayer becomes more urgent.  It is not enough that God exists.

The heart longs to know:Is He listening?
Is He near?

“Speedily answer me.”

This is very human. When we are in distress, we do not want delay.

We want:

• response
• reassurance
• presence

 

A Deeper Insight

Now, in Holy Week, this takes on a profound meaning.

This is not only our prayer.

This becomes the prayer of Christ.

On the Cross, Jesus will pray:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

So this antiphon allows us to enter into that space:

The place where distress meets trust.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Today’s Gospel (John 12:1–11): Mary anoints Jesus. It is a moment of:

• tenderness
• devotion
• love

And yet, underneath, Jesus says:

“She has kept this for the day of my burial.”

So, while the Gospel shows love poured out, the antiphon reveals what lies ahead:

distress… and the cry for the Father’s presence

Holding Both Together

This is the beauty of Holy Week:

• Love is present
• Devotion is real
• Suffering is approaching

And in that tension, we hear the prayer:

“Do not hide your face…”

 

At Communion

As we receive the Eucharist:

We receive the One who:

• will enter this distress fully
• will cry out to the Father
• and will remain in trust

 

Reflection (Keep it Gentle Today)

• Where do I feel God’s face is hidden from me?
• Can I bring that honestly into prayer?
• Do I trust that God is listening, even in silence?
• How can I remain close to Christ this Holy Week?

 

Prayer

Lord,
when I am in distress,
do not hide your face from me.
Turn your ear toward me
and draw me close to you.

 

Personal Note:  I have been sick this past week and still not well.  Sorry for the late posting.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Saturday Fifth Week of Lent

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Saturday Fifth Week of Lent

Gathered Into One

Communion Antiphon (John 11:52)
Christ was handed over to gather into one the scattered children of God.

 

Thinking About the Words

“Christ was handed over…”

We have heard this phrase already this week.

• God did not spare His Son
• He was handed over

Now we see why.

“To gather into one…”

This is beautiful.

Sin scatters. Fear divides. Wounds separate. Christ comes to gather.

Not just individuals but a people, and not just a people- a people He calls as His own - - the children of God.

“The scattered children of God.”

This is very tender.

We are not described as:

• failures
• strangers

But as children.

Even when scattered…we still belong.

 

A Very Gentle Insight

This antiphon does not ask anything of us. It simply tells you:

You are being gathered.

Even in weakness. Even in tiredness. Even in not being at full strength.

Christ’s work is not dependent on our energy.

He is quietly drawing us into Himself.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Today’s Gospel (John 11:45–56):

The authorities decide:

“It is better that one man die for the people…”

They think in terms of control and survival.

However, John tells us something deeper:

Jesus will die not just for one nation, but to gather all into one.

What they intend as destruction becomes unity.

 

At Communion

At Communion, this becomes very real.

We come:

• from different places
• with different burdens

And we are gathered into one Body.

 

Reflection

• Where do I feel scattered right now?
• Can I allow Christ to gather me, even in my weakness?
• What would it mean simply to rest in Him?

 

On the Last day of Lent (weekdays) before we head into Holy week, the Church through the Communion Antiphon leaves us with the purpose of Jesus for coming to us on earth- to gather us into one children of God. Even holding the thought ‘Christ gathers me’ throughout this coming Holy Week may help us as we enter into the holiest week of the year.

NB Lent officially ends at midday on Holy Thursday. There is the Mass of the Last Supper in the evening. It is a time of moving from Lent into the Tridium (ie Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

Prayer

Lord,
when I feel scattered and tired,
gather me into your peace.
Hold me close
and make me one with you.

 

Personal Note: During this week I have been quite sick with a severe flu and incessant cough. I am on the road to recovery but still not completely better.   You may notice that some posts are posted on the same day.  I am trying to catch up.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Friday Fifth Week of Lent

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart:– Friday, Fifth Week of Lent

By His Wounds

Communion Antiphon (1 Peter 2:24)
Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the Cross,
so that, dead to sin, we might live for righteousness;
by his wounds we have been healed.

 

Thinking About the Words

“Jesus bore our sins…”

This is deeply personal.

Not just that sin exists —
but that it is carried.

And not carried in an abstract way.

“In his own body…”

This is physical, real, embodied.

The Cross is not symbolic suffering.
It is actual suffering borne for us.

“On the Cross…”

Now everything is clear.

We are at the threshold of Holy Week.

The “lifting up” we reflected on earlier is now fully visible.

 

“So that…”

This is important.

The Cross is not only about what Jesus does.
It is about what becomes possible for us.

“Dead to sin…”

Not just forgiven.

But freed from its hold.

“We might live for righteousness…”

A new way of living opens.

The Cross is not the end.

It is the beginning of new life.

 

“By his wounds we have been healed”

This is one of the most striking lines in Scripture.

Healing comes not apart from suffering,
but through it.

What appears broken becomes the place of restoration.

 

The Lenten Movement

Now everything is converging:

• God does not condemn
• He gives His Son
• He hands Him over
• He is lifted up

And now:

He bears… He suffers… He heals

 

Connection to the Gospel

Today’s Gospel (John 10:31–42):

The tension is at its peak.

They pick up stones.
They want to arrest Him.

Jesus withdraws.

The rejection is almost complete.

And the antiphon reveals what they cannot yet see:

This rejection will become redemption.

 

At Communion

This antiphon is very powerful at Communion.

We receive the One who:

• bore our sins
• carried our wounds
• and now gives us life

The Eucharist becomes a quiet participation in that healing.

 

Reflection

• Do I truly believe that Christ has carried my sin?
• Where do I need healing in my life?
• Am I willing to let Christ’s suffering bring life within me?
• What does it mean for me to “live for righteousness” today?

 

There is something very still and powerful here. We are no longer approaching the Cross.

We are standing before it.

And the Church gives us this truth to hold:

By his wounds… we are healed

Prayer

Lord,
you have borne my sins
and carried my wounds.
Heal me
and lead me into new life.

---

Praying the Communion Antiphon; The Annunciation of Mary

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

On Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, which replaces the Lenten weekday.

So today in our Communion Antiphon we do not continue the Lenten weekday flow but we enter the mystery of the Annunciation.

 

A Time Set Apart: The Annunciation

The Word Becomes Flesh

Communion Antiphon (cf. Isaiah 7:14)

Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son;

and his name will be called Emmanuel.

 

Thinking About the Words

“Behold…”

This is a word of attention.

Something extraordinary is happening.
We are invited to pause and look closely.

“A Virgin shall conceive…”

This is not just a biological statement.  It is a theological revelation.

God is acting in a completely new way.

Not through power or through force. God acts through gift and openness.

“And bear a son…”

The promise becomes concrete. God’s plan is no longer distant — it is entering history.

“Emmanuel…”

This is the key.

“God with us.”

God is not far away or is God observing. God enters into human life from within.

 

The Heart of the Annunciation

The Gospel (Luke 1:26–38) brings us to Mary.  The angel speaks.  Mary listens.
And then comes the moment:

“Let it be done to me according to your word.”

This is one of the most important responses in all of Scripture.

Mary does not fully understand. However she makes the choice to trust.

 

Connection to Lent

This solemnity is not a distraction from Lent.

It is its deepest foundation.  Everything we are moving toward:

• the Cross
• redemption
• the “lifting up” of the Son

begins here.

The Cross begins with “yes.”

Without Mary’s “yes, “there is no Incarnation. Without the Incarnation, there is no Cross. Without the Cross, there is no resurrection.

 

Connection to Yesterday

Yesterday we heard:

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know…”

Today we see where that begins: The Son is first received.

Not lifted up yet…but conceived.

 

A Lenten Insight

Lent often focuses on what we give up or do. However today shifts the focus:

Are we willing to receive what God is doing? Mary shows us that the spiritual life begins not with effort, but with openness.

 

At Communion

At Communion, we receive the same Christ:

• first received by Mary
• now given to us

The Annunciation becomes present again:

God comes to dwell within.

 

Reflection

• Where might God be inviting me to say “yes”?
• Do I need to understand everything before I trust?
• What does openness to God look like in my life today?
• How can I receive Christ more deeply this Lent?

 

There is something very gentle about today.

In the middle of Lent, the Church pauses and reminds us:

Salvation begins quietly…with a yes.

And that yes still echoes in every Eucharist,every prayer,
and every moment of trust

Prayer

Lord,
like Mary,
help me to receive your word with trust.
Let your life take root within me
and grow according to your will.