Texts for Votive Masses
989 Reading I from the Old Testament
1.
Moses called all the elders of the children of Israel and said to them,
"Go and procure Iambs for your families,
and slaughter them as Passover victims.
Then take a bunch of hyssop,
and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin,
sprinkle the lintel and the two doorposts with this blood.
But none of you shall go outdoors until morning.
For the LORD will go by, striking down the Egyptians.
Seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts,
the LORD will pass over that door
and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.
"You shall observe this as a perpetual ordinance
for yourselves and your descendants.
Thus, you must also observe this rite
when you have entered the land which the LORD will give you
as he promised.
When your children ask you,
'What does this rite of yours mean?' you shall reply,
'This is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD,
who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt;
when he struck down the Egyptians, he spared our houses.'"
Then the people bowed down in worship.
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Commentary on Ex 12:21-27
This passage from Exodus is part of the establishment of the Feast of Passover for Jewish people. This passage is very similar to Exodus 12:1-14 (above), however, it omits some rituals and adds some details (e.g. Hyssop, the basin for holding the blood, and the instruction that no one is to leave the house). Seeing this ritual from the Christian tradition, we recall that Jesus offered the Blessing Cup (Matthew 26:27-28; Luke 22:17-18; Mark 14:23-25) with which he at once reaffirmed the Passover ritual and established a new covenant; a new testament of God's love. In his actions we see the blood of the lamb being poured out for the salvation of all God's people.
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2.
When Moses came to the people
and related all the words and ordinances of the Lord,
they all answered with one voice,
“We will do everything that the Lord has told us.”
Moses then wrote down all the words of the Lord and,
rising early the next day,
he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the children of Israel
to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice young bulls
as peace offerings to the Lord,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
who answered, “All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do.”
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
“This is the blood of the covenant
that the Lord has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his.”
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Commentary on Ex 24:3-8
Following the presentation of the precepts of the Law, Moses gets consensus from all of the people whom God has brought out of bondage, the Children of Israel (Jacob), that they will follow the law handed down to them. Moses erects pillars, one for each tribe, and makes a sacrifice to seal the covenant and sprinkles the people with the blood of the (old) covenant sacrifice. "References to this solemn ratification of the covenant with blood is also found in Zechariah 9:11 and Hebrews 9:18-20. Likewise was the New Covenant to be ratified in blood, i.e. Christ's blood (cf Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25)" [7]
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990 Reading I from the New Testament
During the Season of Easter
1.
[Grace to you and peace] from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his Blood,
who has made us into a Kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
“the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
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Commentary on Rv 1:5-8
This vision of St. John of the return of Jesus as King is very straight forward. One of the more significant verses is; "I am the Alpha and the Omega, “says the Lord God, " the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." The Alpha and Omega are first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, these words are used again later in Revelation (Revelation 22:13) and were predicted by Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4), a clear reference to Christ’s Kingship.
CCC: Rev 1:6 1546, 2855; Rev 1:8 2854
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2.
I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb."
All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:
"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.
["For this reason they stand before God's throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The One who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."]
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Commentary on Rv 7:9-17
St. John’s vision of the heavenly kingdom unfolds in this passage with an image of those who have gone from this life to the next and now stand before the throne of God. They praise God without ceasing, giving thanks for salvation which comes from the Lamb of God, the Christ. The palm branches recall the Saviors triumphant entry into Jerusalem, here signifying his lordship over the New Jerusalem – God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
“…these wearing white robes” is a reference to martyrs who have given their lives for Christ during the great persecutions of Christians. These, St. John recounts, have received what is known as the “Baptism of Blood”. The Lord “…lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
[The longer selection concludes with a series of images from the Old Testament. Christians will no longer know suffering (see Isaiah 49:10; Psalm 121:6; John 4:14; John 7:37) and the will be shepherded by the Lamb (Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 24:33; John 10:11-16). [1] ]
CCC: Rv 7:9 775, 1138; Rv 7:10-12 2642
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991 Responsorial Psalm
1.
R. (see 8a and 9a) Here I am. Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
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Commentary on Ps 40:2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
While Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with a lament. The initial waiting is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to Him. Praise and thanksgiving are given to God whose justice is applied to all. The constant call for conversion of heart above ancient sacrifice is clear; since in Christ's body and blood the ultimate sacrifice of atonement has been made for all time. The final strophes in this selection announce the singers courage in boldly proclaiming God's glory and praise among all the people and confidence in His mercy toward those who trust in him.
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2.
R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16) Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
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Commentary on Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18
This psalm of thanksgiving gives us the image of the “Cup of Blessing” used in the Passover celebration. It is this cup that the Lord first blessed and used as our communion cup. The psalm rejoices in God’s saving works in releasing the people from their bondage.
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Reading II from the New Testament
1.
Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
he entered once for all into the sanctuary,
not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled
so that their flesh is cleansed,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance
from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
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Commentary on Heb 9:11-15
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews contrasts the tradition of Jewish animal sacrifice or sin offering with what Jesus has done for us. He describes, in detail, how Christ becomes the sacrifice that seals the new covenant. Using this specific Mosaic Law and imagery, he explains how the Lord came as the ultimate offering for our salvation.
"Do you want to know how effective the blood of Christ is? Let us go back to the symbols which foretold it and remind ourselves of the ancient accounts of (the Jews in) Egypt. Moses told them to kill a year-old lamb and put its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of each house [...]. Would you like an additional way to appreciate the power of Christ's blood? See where it flowed from, what its source is. It began to flow from the very Cross and its source was the Lord's side. For, as the Gospel says, when our Lord was already dead, one of the soldiers went up to him with a lance and pierced his side and at once there came out water and blood--water, the symbol of Baptism; blood, the symbol of the Eucharist. The soldier pierced his side, he opened a breach in the wall of the holy temple, and there I discover the hidden treasure and I rejoice at the treasure I have found" (Chrysostom, "Baptismal Catechesis", III, 13-19). [8]
CCC: Heb 9:11-28 1476, 1564; Heb 9:11 586, 662; Heb 9:12 1085; Heb 9:13-14 2100; Heb 9:14 614; Heb 9:15 522, 579, 580, 592
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2.
Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled Blood that speaks more eloquently
than that of Abel.
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Commentary on Heb 12:18-19, 21-24
The author speaking to the Hebrews launches a final appeal to compare the covenant of Moses with the New Covenant in Christ. The Mosaic Covenant, argues the author, is based in fear of God while the New Covenant grants direct access to God the heavenly father. In the second section a comparison is drawn between the Jews waiting at Mount Sinai for Moses and the faithful Christians at the end times gathering at the Heavenly Throne, the New Jerusalem, with all the angels and saints.
CCC: Heb 12:22-23 2188; Heb 12:23 1021
CCC: Heb 12:22-23 2188; Heb 12:23 1021
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3.
Beloved:
If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially
according to each one’s works,
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
who through him believe in God
who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.
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Commentary on 1 Pt 1:17-21
This selection is concerned primarily with the call of God's people to holiness and to mutual love. St. Peter encourages them to act in accord with their call, and through those actions accept their redemption through the blood of Christ.
At the beginning of the passage, St. Peter cautions the faithful: “If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially […] conduct yourselves with reverence.” “Refers to addressing God as ‘Abba’ or ‘Father’ in prayer (Matthew 6:9; Romans 8:15; CCC 2780-82).” – “impartially: i.e. with absolute fairness. Because God exercises perfect justice, he cannot be bribed to show favoritism toward some and not others (Deuteronomy 10:17) according to his deeds.”[2]
The “unblemished lamb” is a clear reference to the Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood caused death to pass by (Exodus 12:1-14), the expression of God’s salvation.
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4.
Beloved:
Whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
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Commentary on 1 Jn 5:4-8
St. John reminds the faithful that all who accept God's adoption in Baptism, share also in his victory over the world; a victory won by his death - victory over death itself. Therefore, our faith in Christ makes us co-victors over the world in which death still reigns over the unbelieving. "Sharing in the victory Jesus won (especially over death, which we all go through) requires a living faith, which Hebrews links with hope for what we cannot see, namely, the victory over death. Unbelievers don't have that faith, and so lack that hope."[3]
The passage next takes up the essence of the savior; true God and true Man. Water, the symbol of the new life of baptism is coupled with blood, flowing from the Lord's side as he hung upon the victorious Cross, poured into the chalice of life, the Precious Blood, that gives us life in him. Therefore, in heaven there are three who testify to the truth - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. On earth the three who testify are the Spirit, Water, and Blood. One God in heaven, true God and true man on earth.
"The three witnesses become one in Baptism, for if you eliminate one of them, the sacrament ceases to be. Without the Cross of Christ, water is simply a natural element. Without water, there is no mystery of regeneration. And unless one is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there is neither remission of sins nor reception of spiritual grace (St. Ambrose, On the Mysteries 4, 30)."[4]
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994 Gospel
1.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
Jesus' disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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Commentary on Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
This selection is part of the Passion narrative from St. Mark’s Gospel. The disciples prepare to celebrate the Passover and follow Jesus’ instructions. It is likely that the “man carrying a water jar” was a prearranged signal, for only women carried water jars, however; the Greek version says it is a person, not necessarily a man.
This passage skips over a section of narrative and describes the institution of the Eucharistic meal. “The actions and words of Jesus express within the framework of the Passover meal and the transition to a new covenant the sacrifice of himself through the offering of his body and blood in anticipation of his passion and death. His blood of the covenant both alludes to the ancient rite of Exodus 24:4-8 and indicates the new community that the sacrifice of Jesus will bring into being (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25).” [5] The Passover meal concludes with a hymn of praise (Psalms 114-118).
CCC: Mk 14:12-25 1339; Mk 14:18-20 474; Mk 14:22 1328; Mk 14:25 1335, 1403; Mk 14:26-30 474
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2.
The soldiers led Jesus away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his licad with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
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Commentary on Mk 15:16-20
St. Mark describes the mocking of Jesus by the guards of the Praetorium (Fortress of Antonia). Pilate, after having him scourged, has given in to the apparent will of the crowd and placed Jesus in the custody of the paid guards guard. The soldiers jeer at Jesus as a "pretend king," placing upon him the purple cloak and the crown of thorns. This image of suffering and pain has become a symbol of all human pain and humiliation under the title "Ecce Homo." "But, as St. Jerome teaches, 'his ignominy has blotted out ours, his bonds have set us free, his crown of thorns has won for us the crown of the kingdom, his wounds have cured us.' (comm. in Marcum, in loc.)"[6]
Mk 16:15-16 977, 1223; Mk 16:15 888; Mk 16:16 161, 183, 1253, 1256, 1257; Mk 16:17-18 670, 1507; Mk 16:17 434, 1673; Mk 16:18 699; Mk 16:19 659, 659; Mk 16:20 2, 156, 670
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3.
Jesus went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives,
and the disciples followed him.
When he arrived at the place he said to them,
“Pray that you may not undergo the test.”
After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling,
he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing,
take this cup away from me;
still, not my will but yours be done.”
And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him.
He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently
that his sweat became like drops of blood
falling on the ground.
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Commentary on Lk 22:39-44
Jesus takes his disciples “as was his custom” to the garden. Only in St. Luke’s Gospel do we understand that he frequently uses this place to pray. The owner must have been a friend to allow this access. Jesus moves away from the disciples for private prayer. The imminent sense of his trials causes him to go into intense prayer. Only in this situation do we find Jesus explicitly kneeling in prayer, completely humble before his Father. He shows his human frailty in the fear of what is to come. At the same time he demonstrates his complete obedience in the prayer he offers. In a singular gift of loving grace, God’s messenger, an angle appeared to him, offering God’s consolation. We note that another time when angles were present in Jesus’ life was during his temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:11 and Mark 1:13). His prayer, we are told, was so intense that “…his sweat became like drops of blood”, so great was the passion he endured for our salvation.
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4.
Since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
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Commentary on Jn 19:31-37
This passage from St. John’s Gospel concerning the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ death focuses on the meaning these events have in light of the Messianic vision. The evangelist sees these events as further signs, confirming the identity of Christ as the Messiah. The first important note is the relationship between the death of Christ, the Sabbath, and Passover. The Lord’s death on Friday, the day before the Sabbath required that the Jews ask Pilate to have the bodies of the condemned removed. It was against Hebrew Law to have them exposed on the Sabbath.
Breaking the legs of the two thieves was a painful and brutal expedient means of hastening their deaths so they could be removed. We note the special importance placed upon fact that Jesus was already dead. The actions of the soldiers, first in not breaking his legs and then piercing his side with a lance are seen as fulfilling biblical prophecy concerning the Messiah. We also see the special emphasis placed upon the fact that when the soldiers thrust the lance into Jesus’ side water and blood flowed out. While there is medical support for this physical event, the Evangelist intends it to represent the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, both of which would have been understood by the early Christian community.
The fact that this was especially noted as an eye witness account is the Evangelists way of establishing the importance to these events as the fulfillment of prophecy. St John first quotes the Passover ritual laid out in Exodus 12: 46 and Numbers 9:12 which stipulate that the bones of the Passover sacrifice may not be broken. He then goes on making reference to Zechariah 12: 10, quoting “they shall look on him whom they have thrust through”.
CCC: Jn 19:31 641; Jn 19:34 478, 694, 1225; Jn 19:36 608; Jn 19:37 1432
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[1] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 64:42, p.478
[2] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.452
[3] Deacon Dennis Walters insight on this passage.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.474
[5] See NAB Footnote on Mark 14: 22-24
[6] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p.313
[7] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968, 3:68, p. 61
[7] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968, 3:68, p. 61
[8] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p 211
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