Catholic Mass Readings For Monday, December 16, 2013

"The Chief Priests Ask Jesus by What Right Does He Act in This Way" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Numbers 24: 2 - 7, 15 - 17

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2 And lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel abiding in their tents by their tribes: and the spirit of God rushing upon him,

3 He took up his parable and said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man hath said, whose eye ire stopped up:

4 The hearer of the words of God hath said, he that hath beheld the vision of the Almighty, he that falleth, and so his eyes are opened:

5 How beautiful are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, and thy tents, O Israel!

6 As woody valleys, as watered gardens near the rivers, as tabernacles which the Lord hath pitched, as cedars by the waterside.

7 Water shall flow out of his bucket, and his seed shall be in many waters. For Agag his king shall be removed, and his kingdom shall be taken awry.

15 Therefore taking up his parable, again he said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man whose eye is stopped up, hath said:

16 The hearer of the words of God hath said, who knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the visions of the Almighty, who falling hath his eyes opened:

17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near. A STAR SHALL RISE out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel: and shall strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of Seth.

PSALM: Psalms 25: 4 - 9

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4 Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.

5 Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long.

6 Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world.

7 The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

8 The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.

9 He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.

GOSPEL: Matthew 21: 23 - 27

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23 And when he was come into the temple, there came to him, as he was teaching, the chief priests and ancients of the people, saying: By what authority dost thou these things? and who hath given thee this authority?

24 Jesus answering, said to them: I also will ask you one word, which if you shall tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? But they thought within themselves, saying:

26 If we shall say, from heaven, he will say to us: Why then did you not believe him? But if we shall say, from men, we are afraid of the multitude: for all held John as a prophet.

27 And answering Jesus, they said: We know not. He also said to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Catholic Mass Readings For Saturday, September 14, 2013

"Jesus Alone on the Cross" -- by James Tissot (Click image to view full size)

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

FIRST READING: Numbers 21: 4 - 9

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4 And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:

5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.

6 Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them.

7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.

9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

PSALM: Psalms 78: 1 - 2, 34 - 38

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1 Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.

35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.

36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:

37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.

38 But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.

SECOND READING: Philippians 2: 6 - 11

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6 Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.

8 He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.

9 For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:

10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:

11 And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

GOSPEL: John 3: 13 - 17

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13 And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him, may not perish; but may have life everlasting.

16 For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him.

Catholic Mass Readings For Thursday, August 08, 2013

"Get Thee Behind Me Satan" -- by James Tissot

Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

FIRST READING: Numbers 20: 1 - 13

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1 And the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the desert of Sin, in the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And Mary died there, and was buried in the same place.

2 And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron:

3 And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord.

4 Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die?

5 Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink?

6 And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied, they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.

7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

8 Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink.

9 Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him,

10 And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?

11 And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank,

12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them.

13 This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

PSALM: Psalms 95: 1 - 2, 6 - 9

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1 Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.

6 Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us.

7 For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

8 Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:

9 As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.

GOSPEL: Matthew 16: 13 - 23

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13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

20 Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to shew to his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes and chief priests, and be put to death, and the third day rise again.

22 And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him, saying: Lord, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee.

23 Who turning, said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto me: because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.

Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, August 07, 2013

"The Canaanite's Daughter" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Numbers 13: 1 - 2, 25 - 33 -- 14: 1, 26 - 29, 34 - 35

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1 And there the Lord spoke to Moses, saying.

2 Send men to view the land of Chanaan, which I will give to the children of Israel, one of every tribe, of the rulers.

25 And they that went to spy out the land returned after forty days, having gone round all the country,

26 And came to Moses and Aaron and to all the assembly of the children of Israel to the desert of Pharan, which is in Cades. And speaking to them and to all the multitude, they shewed them the fruits of the land:

27 And they related and said: We came into the land to which thou sentest us, which in very deed floweth with milk and honey as may be known by these fruits:

28 But it hath very strong inhabitants, and the cities are great and walled. We saw there the race of Enac.

29 Amalec dwelleth in the south, the Hethite and the Jebusite and the Amorrhite in the mountains: but the Chanaanite abideth by the sea and near the streams of the Jordan.

30 In the mean time Caleb, to still the murmuring of the people that rose against Moses, said: Let us go up and possess the land, for we shall be able to conquer it.

31 But the others, that had been with him, said: No, we are not able to go up to this people, because they are stronger than we.

32 And they spoke ill of the land, which they had viewed, before the children of Israel, saying: The land which we have viewed, devoureth its inhabitants: the people, that we beheld, are of a tall stature.

33 There we saw certain monsters of the sons of Enac, of the giant kind: in comparison of whom, we seemed like locusts.

1 Wherefore the whole multitude crying wept that night.

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

27 How long doth this wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel.

28 Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you.

29 In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie. All you that were numbered from twenty years old and upward, and have murmured against me,

34 According to the number of the forty days, wherein you viewed the land: year shall be counted for a day. And forty years you shall receive your iniquities, and shall know my revenge:

35 For as I have spoken, so will I do to all this wicked multitude, that hath risen up together against me: in this wilderness shall it faint away and die.

PSALM: Psalms 106: 6 - 7, 13 - 14, 21 - 23

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6 We have sinned with our fathers: we have acted unjustly, we have wrought iniquity.

7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt: they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies: And they provoked to wrath going up to the sea, even the Red Sea.

13 They had quickly done, they forgot his works: and they waited not for his counsels.

14 And they coveted their desire in the desert: and they tempted God in the place without water.

21 They forgot God, who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,

22 Wondrous works in the land of Cham: terrible things in the Red Sea.

23 And he said that he would destroy them: had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach: To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

GOSPEL: Matthew 15: 21 - 28

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21 And Jesus went from thence, and retired into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And behold a woman of Canaan who came out of those coasts, crying out, said to him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David: my daughter is grieviously troubled by the devil.

23 Who answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying: Send her away, for she crieth after us:

24 And he answering, said: I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel.

25 But she came and adored him, saying: Lord, help me.

26 Who answering, said: It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs.

27 But she said: Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.

28 Then Jesus answering, said to her: O woman, great is thy faith: be it done to thee as thou wilt: and her daughter was cured from that hour.

Catholic Mass Readings For Monday, August 05, 2013

Optional Memorial of the Dedication of Saint Mary Major

FIRST READING: Numbers 11: 4 - 15

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4 For a mixt multitude of people, that came up with them, burned with desire, sitting and weeping, the children of Israel also being joined with them, and said: Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 We remember the Ash that we ate in Egypt free cost: the cucumbers come into our mind, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.

6 Our soul is dry, our eyes behold nothing else but manna.

7 A Now the manna was like coriander seed, of the colour of bdellium.

8 And the people went about, and gathering it, ground it in a mill, or beat it in a mortar, and boiled it in a pot, and made cakes thereof of the taste of bread tempered with oil.

9 And when the dew fell in the night upon the camp, the manna also fell with it.

10 Now Moses heard the people weeping by their families, every one at the door of his tent. And the wrath of the Lord was exceedingly enkindled: to Moses also the thing seemed insupportable.

11 And he said to the Lord: Why hast thou afflicted thy servant? wherefore do I not find favour before thee? and why hast thou laid the weight of all this people upon me?

12 Have I conceived all this multitude, or begotten them, that thou shouldst say to me: Carry them in thy bosom as the nurse is wont to carry the little infant, and bear them into the land, for which thou hast sworn to their fathers?

13 Whence should I have flesh to give to so great a multitude? they weep against me, saying: Give us flesh that we may eat.

14 I am not able alone to bear all this people, because it is too heavy for me.

15 But if it seem unto thee otherwise, I beseech thee to kill me, and let me find grace in thy eyes, that I be not afflicted with so great evils.

PSALM: Psalms 81: 12 - 17

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12 But my people heard not my voice: and Israel hearkened not to me.

13 So I let them go according to the desires of their heart: they shall walk in their own inventions.

14 If my people had heard me: if Israel had walked in my ways:

15 I should soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on them that troubled them.

16 The enemies of the Lord have lied to him: and their time shall be for ever.

17 And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.

GOSPEL: Matthew 14: 13 - 21

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13 Which when Jesus had heard, he retired from thence by boat, into a desert place apart, and the multitudes having heard of it, followed him on foot out of the cities.

14 And he coming forth saw a great multitude, and had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying: This is a desert place, and the hour is now past: send away the multitudes, that going into the towns, they may buy themselves victuals.

16 But Jesus said to them, They have no need to go: give you them to eat.

17 They answered him: We have not here, but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said to them: Bring them hither to me.

19 And when he had commanded the multitudes to sit down upon the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up what remained, twelve full baskets of fragments.

21 And the number of them that did eat, was five thousand men, besides women and children.

Mass Readings For Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

FIRST READING: Numbers 6: 22 - 27

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22 The LORD said to Moses,

23 "Say to Aaron and his sons, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24 The LORD bless you and keep you:

25 The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:

26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

27 "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."

PSALM: Psalms 67: 2 - 3, 5 - 6, 8

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2 May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.

3 That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.

5 Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth.

6 Let the people, O God, confess to thee: let all the people give praise to thee:

8 May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.

SECOND READING: Galatians 4: 4 - 7

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4 But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

7 So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.

GOSPEL: Luke 2: 16 - 21

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16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child;

18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Sunday Mass Readings For September 30, 2012

FIRST READING: Numbers 11: 25 - 29

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25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did so no more.

26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.

27 And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."

29 But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!"

PSALM: Psalms 19: 8, 10, 12 - 14

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8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

12 But who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

SECOND READING: James 5: 1 - 6

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1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.

3 Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days.

4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist you.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 38 - 43, 45, 47 - 48

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38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."

39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is for us.

41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward.

42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,

48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

Mass Readings for Friday, September 14, 2012

Feastof the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

FIRST READING: Numbers 21: 4 - 9

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4 And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red

Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of

their journey and labour:

5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring

us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we

any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.

6 Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit

them and killed many of them.

7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said; We have sinned, because

we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away

these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a

sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.

9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which

when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

PSALM: Psalms 78: 1 - 2, 34 - 38

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1 Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my

mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the

beginning.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came

to him early in the morning.

35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high

God their redeemer.

36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied

unto him:

37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in

his covenant.

38 But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them.

And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his

wrath.

SECOND READING: Philippians 2: 6 - 11

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6 Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with

God:

7 But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the

likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.

8 He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of

the cross.

9 For which cause, God also hath exalted him and hath given him a name

which is above all names:

10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in

heaven, on earth, and under the earth:

11 And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in

the glory of God the Father.

GOSPEL: John 3: 13 - 17

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13 And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from

heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of

man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life

everlasting.

16 For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that

whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world: but that

the world may be saved by him.