Daily Mass Readings for Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Solemnity of All Saints

FIRST READING: Revelation 7: 2 - 4, 9 - 14

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2 Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,

3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."

4 And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!"

11 And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?"

14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

PSALM: Psalms 24: 1 - 6

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1 The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein;

2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]

SECOND READING: 1 John 3: 1 - 3

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1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

2 Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

GOSPEL: Matthew 5: 1 - 12

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1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Daily Mass Readings for Monday, October 31, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 11: 29 - 36

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29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,

31 so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy.

32 For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.

33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"

35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.

PSALM: Psalms 69: 30 - 31, 33 - 34, 36 - 37

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Psalms 69: 30 - 31, 33 - 34, 36 - 37

30 But I am afflicted and in pain; let thy salvation, O God, set me on high! 

31 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 

33 Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. 

34 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds. 

36 For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah; and his servants shall dwell there and possess it; 

37 the children of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

GOSPEL: Luke 14: 12 - 14

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12 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid.

13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,

14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Daily Mass Readings for Sunday, October 30, 2011

FIRST READING: Malachi 1: 14 -- 2: 1 - 2, 8 - 10

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14 Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished; for I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is feared among the nations.

1 "And now, O priests, this command is for you.

2 If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

8 But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,

9 and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction."

10 Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?

PSALM: Psalms 131: 1 - 3

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1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

SECOND READING: 1 Thessalonians 2: 7 - 9, 13

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7 But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children.

8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

9 For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God.

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

GOSPEL: Matthew 23: 1 - 12

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1 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples,

2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;

3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.

4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,

7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.

9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ.

11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant;

12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Daily Mass Readings for Saturday, October 29, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 11: 1 - 2, 11 - 12, 25 - 29

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1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Eli'jah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

11 So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.

12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

25 Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in,

26 and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";

27 "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

28 As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

PSALM: Psalms 94: 12 - 13, 14 - 15, 17 - 18

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12 Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O LORD, and whom thou dost teach out of thy law

13 to give him respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;

15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.

18 When I thought, "My foot slips," thy steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

GOSPEL: Luke 14: 1, 7 - 11

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1 One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him.

7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them,

8 "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him;

9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, `Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.

10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, `Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.

11 For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Daily Mass Readings for Friday, October 28, 2011

Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles 

FIRST READING: Ephesians 2: 19 - 22

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19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

22 in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

PSALM: Psalms 19: 2 - 5

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2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;

4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5 which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 12 - 16

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12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God.

13 And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles;

14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,

16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, October 27, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 8: 31 - 39

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31 What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?

33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies;

34 who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PSALM: Psalms 109: 21 - 22, 26 - 27, 30 - 31

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21 But thou, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for thy name's sake; because thy steadfast love is good, deliver me!

22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.

26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to thy steadfast love!

27 Let them know that this is thy hand; thou, O LORD, hast done it!

30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who condemn him to death.

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 31 - 35

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31 At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you."

32 And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.

33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.'

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!

35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, October 26, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 8: 26 - 30

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26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.

27 And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

PSALM: Psalms 13: 4 - 6

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4 lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him"; lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in thy steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 22 - 30

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22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

23 And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them,

24 "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

25 When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, `Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, `I do not know where you come from.'

26 Then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.'

27 But he will say, `I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!'

28 There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out.

29 And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.

30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

Daily Mass Readings for Tuesday, October 25, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 8: 18 - 25

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18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God;

20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope;

21 because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now;

23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

PSALM: Psalms 126: 1 - 6

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1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb!

5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!

6 He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 18 - 21

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18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."

20 And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

Oct 24 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Healing of Sin

From the Franciscan Friars of Air Maria: Father Bonaventure preaches on the power of Our Lord to heal our infirmities as he did in today's Gospel when he heals the woman crippled for 18 years.

Oct 24 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Healing of Sin

Daily Mass Readings for Monday, October 24, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 8: 12 - 17

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12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh --

13 for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"

16 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

PSALM: Psalms 68: 2, 4, 6 - 7, 20 - 21

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2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before fire, let the wicked perish before God!

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; his name is the LORD, exult before him!

6 God gives the desolate a home to dwell in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7 O God, when thou didst go forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness, [Selah]

20 Our God is a God of salvation; and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 10 - 17

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10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

11 And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity."

13 And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day."

15 Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it?

16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"

17 As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Daily Mass Readings for Sunday, October 23, 2011

FIRST READING: Exodus 22: 20 - 26

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20 "Whoever sacrifices to any god, save to the LORD only, shall be utterly destroyed.

21 "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22 You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.

23 If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry;

24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

25 "If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him.

26 If ever you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down.

PSALM: Psalms 18: 2 - 4, 47, 51

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2 I love thee, O LORD, my strength

3 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

47 The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,

51 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed.

SECOND READING: 1 Thessalonians 1: 5 - 10

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5 for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit;

7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo'nia and in Acha'ia.

8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedo'nia and Acha'ia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

9 For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

GOSPEL: Matthew 22: 34 - 40

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34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad'ducees, they came together.

35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him.

36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

38 This is the great and first commandment.

39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

Daily Mass Readings for Saturday, October 22, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 8: 1 - 11

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1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

4 in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot;

8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

10 But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness.

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you.

PSALM: Psalms 119: 41, 43 - 45, 47 - 48

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1 The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein;

2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 1 - 9

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1 There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus?

3 I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

4 Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Silo'am fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

6 And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

7 And he said to the vinedresser, `Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?'

8 And he answered him, `Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure.

9 And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Daily Mass Readings for Friday, October 21, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 7: 18 - 25

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18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.

20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self,

23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

PSALM: Psalms 119: 66, 68, 76 - 77, 93 - 94

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66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in thy commandments.

68 Thou art good and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

76 Let thy steadfast love be ready to comfort me according to thy promise to thy servant.

77 Let thy mercy come to me, that I may live; for thy law is my delight.

93 I will never forget thy precepts; for by them thou hast given me life.

94 I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.

GOSPEL: Luke 12: 54 - 59

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54 He also said to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, `A shower is coming'; and so it happens.

55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens.

56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

57 "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.

59 I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper."

Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, October 20, 2011

Optional Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest

FIRST READING: Romans 6: 19 - 23

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19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.

20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

21 But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death.

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PSALM: Psalms 1: 1 - 4, 6

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1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.

6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

GOSPEL: Luke 12: 49 - 53

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49 "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!

50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!

51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division;

52 for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three;

53 they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, October 19, 2011

FIRST READING: Romans 6: 12 - 18

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12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.

13 Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

16 Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

PSALM: Psalms 124: 1 - 8

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1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, let Israel now say --

2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us,

3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;

4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;

5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.

6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!

7 We have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!

8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

GOSPEL: Luke 12: 39 - 48

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39 But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.

40 You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour."

41 Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?"

42 And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

43 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing.

44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

45 But if that servant says to himself, `My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful.

47 And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating.

48 But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

Mass Readings for Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

FIRST READING: 2 Timothy 4: 10 - 17

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10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessaloni'ca; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you; for he is very useful in serving me.

12 Tych'icus I have sent to Ephesus.

13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Tro'as, also the books, and above all the parchments.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will requite him for his deeds.

15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.

16 At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!

17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

PSALM: Psalms 145: 10 - 13, 17 - 18

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10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee!

11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,

12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom.

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

GOSPEL: Luke 10: 1 - 9

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1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come.

2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.

5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!'

6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you.

7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house.

8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you;

9 heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'