Mass Readings for Monday, July 23, 2012

FIRST READING: Micah 6: 1 - 4, 6 - 8

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1 Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.

3 "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!

4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

6 "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

PSALM: Psalms 50: 5 - 6, 8 - 9, 16 - 17, 21, 23

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5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"

6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! [Selah]

8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9 I will accept no bull from your house, nor he-goat from your folds.

16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?

17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.

21 These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.

23 He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me; to him who orders his way aright I will show the salvation of God!"

GOSPEL: Matthew 12: 38 - 42

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38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."

39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

42 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Mass Readings for Saturday, July 21, 2012

FIRST READING: Wisdom 8: 9 - 16 Or 2 Corinthians 5: 14 - 21

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9 Therefore I determined to take her to live with me, knowing that she would give me good counsel and encouragement in cares and grief.

10 Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.

11 I shall be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.

12 When I am silent they will wait for me, and when I speak they will give heed; and when I speak at greater length they will put their hands on their mouths.

13 Because of her I shall have immortality, and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.

14 I shall govern peoples, and nations will be subject to me;

15 dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me; among the people I shall show myself capable, and courageous in war.

16 When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her, for companionship with her has no bitterness, and life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.

Or

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

15 And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer.

17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

PSALM: Psalms 67: 2 - 5, 7 - 8

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2 that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee!

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. [Selah]

5 Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee!

7 God has blessed us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 1 - 6

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1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.

3 And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.

4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Mass Readings for Friday, July 20, 2012

FIRST READING: Isaiah 38: 1 - 6, 21 - 22, 7 - 8

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1 In those days Hezeki'ah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover."

2 Then Hezeki'ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD,

3 and said, "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight." And Hezeki'ah wept bitterly.

4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:

5 "Go and say to Hezeki'ah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.

21 Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, that he may recover."

22 Hezeki'ah also had said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?"

7 "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised:

8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

PSALM: Isaiah 38: 10 - 12, 16

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10 I said, In the noontide of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.

11 I said, I shall not see the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look upon man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night thou dost bring me to an end;

16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh, restore me to health and make me live!

GOSPEL: Matthew 12: 1 - 8

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1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath."

3 He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless?

6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.

7 And if you had known what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

Mass Readings for Thursday, July 19, 2012

FIRST READING: Isaiah 26: 7 - 9, 12, 16 - 19

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7 The way of the righteous is level; thou dost make smooth the path of the righteous.

8 In the path of thy judgments, O LORD, we wait for thee; thy memorial name is the desire of our soul.

9 My soul yearns for thee in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

12 O LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us, thou hast wrought for us all our works.

16 O LORD, in distress they sought thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.

17 Like a woman with child, who writhes and cries out in her pangs, when she is near her time, so were we because of thee, O LORD;

18 we were with child, we writhed, we have as it were brought forth wind. We have wrought no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

19 Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For thy dew is a dew of light, and on the land of the shades thou wilt let it fall.

PSALM: Psalms 102: 13 - 21

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13 Thou wilt arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.

14 For thy servants hold her stones dear, and have pity on her dust.

15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

16 For the LORD will build up Zion, he will appear in his glory;

17 he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their supplication.

18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:

19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,

20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;

21 that men may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise.

GOSPEL: Matthew 11: 28 - 30

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28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Mass Readings For Wednesday, July 18, 2012

FIRST READING: Isaiah 10: 5 - 7, 13 - 16

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5 Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury!

6 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 But he does not so intend, and his mind does not so think; but it is in his mind to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;

13 For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.

14 My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as men gather eggs that have been forsaken so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped."

15 Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!

16 Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.

PSALM: Psalms 94: 5 - 10, 14 - 15

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5 They crush thy people, O LORD, and afflict thy heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;

7 and they say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive."

8 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?

9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10 He who chastens the nations, does he not chastise? He who teaches men knowledge,

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.

GOSPEL: Matthew 11: 25 - 27

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25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes;

26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.

27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Mass Readings for Tuesday, July 17, 2012

FIRST READING: Isaiah 7: 1 - 9

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1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzzi'ah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remali'ah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it.

2 When the house of David was told, "Syria is in league with E'phraim," his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

3 And the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and She'ar-jash'ub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field,

4 and say to him, `Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remali'ah.

5 Because Syria, with E'phraim and the son of Remali'ah, has devised evil against you, saying,

6 "Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Ta'be-el as king in the midst of it,"

7 thus says the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. (Within sixty-five years E'phraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.)

9 And the head of E'phraim is Sama'ria, and the head of Sama'ria is the son of Remali'ah. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.'"

PSALM: Psalms 48: 2 - 8

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2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.

3 Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.

4 For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together.

5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded, they were in panic, they took to flight;

6 trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail.

7 By the east wind thou didst shatter the ships of Tarshish.

8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes for ever. [Selah]

GOSPEL: Matthew 11: 20 - 24

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20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

21 "Woe to you, Chora'zin! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

23 And you, Caper'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

Mass Readings for Monday, July 16, 2012

FIRST READING: Isaiah 1: 10 - 17

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10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomor'rah!

11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

12 "When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts?

13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.

PSALM: Psalms 50: 8 - 9, 16 - 17, 21, 23

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8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9 I will accept no bull from your house, nor he-goat from your folds.

16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?

17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.

21 These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before

you.

23 He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me; to him who orders his way aright I will show the salvation of God!"

GOSPEL: Matthew 10: 34 -- 11: 1

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34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

36 and a man's foes will be those of his own household.

37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

38 and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

41 He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a

righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

1 And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on

from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Sunday Mass Readings For July 15, 2012

FIRST READING: Amos 7: 12 - 15

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12 And Amazi'ah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there;

13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."

14 Then Amos answered Amazi'ah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,

15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

PSALM: Psalms 85: 9 - 14

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9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 Yea, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way.

SECOND READING: Ephesians 1: 3 - 14 Or Ephesians 1: 3 - 10

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3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

5 He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

6 to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

8 which he lavished upon us.

9 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ

10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will,

12 we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.

13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

14 which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Or

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

5 He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

6 to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

8 which he lavished upon us.

9 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ

10 as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 7 - 13

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7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;

9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.

10 And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.

11 And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them."

12 So they went out and preached that men should repent.

13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

Mass Readings for Saturday, July 14, 2012

FIRST READING: Isaiah 6: 1 - 8

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1 In the year that King Uzzi'ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.

2 Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

6 Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven."

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

PSALM: Psalms 93: 1 - 2, 5

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1 The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

2 thy throne is established from of old; thou art from everlasting.

5 Thy decrees are very sure; holiness befits thy house, O LORD, for evermore.

GOSPEL: Matthew 10: 24 - 33

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24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master;

25 it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

27 What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will.

30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven;

33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Mass Readings for Friday, July 13, 2012

FIRST READING: Hosea 14: 2 - 10

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2 Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, "Take away all iniquity; accept that which is good and we will render the fruit of our lips.

3 Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses; and we will say no more, `Our God,' to the work of our hands. In thee the orphan finds mercy."

4 I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

5 I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar;

6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.

7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom as the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 O E'phraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress, from me comes your fruit.

9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

PSALM: Psalm 51: 3 - 4, 8 - 9. 12 - 14, 17

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3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.

8 Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.

17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

GOSPEL: Matthew 10: 16 - 23

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16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,

18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.

19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;

20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;

22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.

Mass Readings for Thursday, July 12, 2012

"On Entering the House, Salute It" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Hosea 11: 1 - 4, 8 - 9

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1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

2 The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Ba'als, and burning incense to idols.

3 Yet it was I who taught E'phraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them.

4 I led them with cords of compassion, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one, who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

8 How can I give you up, O E'phraim! How can I hand you over, O Israel! How can I make you like Admah! How can I treat you like Zeboi'im! My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender.

9 I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not again destroy E'phraim; for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come to destroy.

PSALM: Psalms 80: 2 - 3, 15 - 16

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2 before E'phraim and Benjamin and Manas'seh! Stir up thy might, and come to save us!

3 Restore us, O God; let thy face shine, that we may be saved!

15 the stock which thy right hand planted.

16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance!

GOSPEL: Matthew 10: 7 - 15

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7 And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.
9 Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts,
10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food.
11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart.
12 As you enter the house, salute it.
13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.
15 Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town.

Mass Readings for Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

FIRST READING: Hosea 10: 1 - 3, 7 - 8, 12

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1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased the more altars he built; as his country improved he improved his pillars.

2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars, and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say: "We have no king, for we fear not the LORD, and a king, what could he do for us?"

7 Sama'ria's king shall perish, like a chip on the face of the waters.

8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall upon us.

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain salvation upon you.

PSALM: Psalms 105: 2 - 7

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2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works!

3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

4 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!

5 Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

GOSPEL: Matthew 10: 1 - 7

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1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.

2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb'edee, and John his brother;

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,

6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'