Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Wednesday, September 27, 2017

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

Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest

FIRST READING: Ezra 9: 5-9

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5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction, and having rent my mantle and my garment, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord my God,

6 And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven,

7 From the days of our fathers: and we ourselves also have sinned grievously unto this day, and for our iniquities we and our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, and to the sword, and to captivity, and to spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is at this day.

8 And now as a little, and for a moment has our prayer been made before the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant, and give us a pin in his holy place, and that our God would enlighten our eyes, and would give us a little life in our bondage.

9 For we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God hath not forsaken us, but hath extended mercy upon us before the king of the Persians, to give us life, and to set up the house of our God, and rebuild the desolations thereof, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem.

PSALM: Tobit 13: 2-4, 7-8

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2 For thou scourgest, and thou savest: thou leadest down to hell, and bringest up again: and there is none that can escape thy hand.

3 Give glory to the Lord, ye children of Israel, and praise him in the sight of the Gentiles:

4 Because he hath therefore scattered you among the Gentiles, who know not him, that you may declare his wonderful works, and make them know that there is no other almighty God besides him.

7 As for me, I will praise him in the land of my captivity: because he hath shewn his majesty toward a sinful nation.

8 Be converted therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God, believing that he will shew his mercy to you.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 1-6

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1 Then calling together the twelve apostles, he gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

3 And he said to them: Take nothing for your journey; neither staff, nor scrip, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats.

4 And whatsoever house you shall enter into, abide there, and depart not from thence.

5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off even the dust of your feet, for a testimony against them.

6 And going out, they went about through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.

Daily Catholic Mass Readings For Saturday, June 6, 2015

"The Widow's Mite"
-- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Tobit 12: 1, 5-15, 20

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1 Then Tobias called to him his son, and said to him: What can we give to this holy man, that is come with thee?

5 So the father and the son, calling him, took him aside: and began to desire him that he would vouchsafe to accept of half of all things that they had brought.

6 Then he said to them secretly: Bless ye the God of heaven, give glory to him in the sight of all that live, because he hath shewn his mercy to you.

7 For it is good to hide the secret of a king: but honourable to reveal and confess the works of God.

8 Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:

9 For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.

10 But they that commit sin and iniquity, are enemies to their own soul.

11 I discover then the truth unto you, and I will not hide the secret from you.

12 When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner, and hide the dead by day in thy house, and bury them by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord.

13 And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.

14 And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son's wife from the devil.

15 For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.

20 It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works.

PSALM: Tobit 13: 2, 6-8

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2 For thou scourgest, and thou savest: thou leadest down to hell, and bringest up again: and there is none that can escape thy hand.

6 See then what he hath done with us, and with fear and trembling give ye glory to him: and extol the eternal King of worlds in your works.

7 As for me, I will praise him in the land of my captivity: because he hath shewn his majesty toward a sinful nation.

8 Be converted therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God, believing that he will shew his mercy to you.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 38-44

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38 And he said to them in his doctrine: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes, and to be saluted in the marketplace,

39 And to sit in the first chairs, in the synagogues, and to have the highest places at suppers:

40 Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive greater judgment.

41 And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much.

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury.

44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living.

Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, September 25, 2013

FIRST READING: Ezra 9: 5 - 9

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5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my affliction, and having rent my mantle and my garment, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord my God,

6 And said: My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven,

7 From the days of our fathers: and we ourselves also have sinned grievously unto this day, and for our iniquities we and our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, and to the sword, and to captivity, and to spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is at this day.

8 And now as a little, and for a moment has our prayer been made before the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant, and give us a pin in his holy place, and that our God would enlighten our eyes, and would give us a little life in our bondage.

9 For we are bondmen, and in our bondage our God hath not forsaken us, but hath extended mercy upon us before the king of the Persians, to give us life, and to set up the house of our God, and rebuild the desolations thereof, and to give us a fence in Juda and Jerusalem.

PSALM: Tobit 13: 2 - 4, 7 - 8

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2 For thou scourgest, and thou savest: thou leadest down to hell, and bringest up again: and there is none that can escape thy hand.

3 Give glory to the Lord, ye children of Israel, and praise him in the sight of the Gentiles:

4 Because he hath therefore scattered you among the Gentiles, who know not him, that you may declare his wonderful works, and make them know that there is no other almighty God besides him.

7 As for me, I will praise him in the land of my captivity: because he hath shewn his majesty toward a sinful nation.

8 Be converted therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God, believing that he will shew his mercy to you.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 1 - 6

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1 Then calling together the twelve apostles, he gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

3 And he said to them: Take nothing for your journey; neither staff, nor scrip, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats.

4 And whatsoever house you shall enter into, abide there, and depart not from thence.

5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off even the dust of your feet, for a testimony against them.

6 And going out, they went about through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.

Mass Readings For Saturday, June 08, 2013

"Jesus Found In The Temple" --by James Tissot

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING: Tobit 12: 1, 5 - 15, 20

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1 Tobit then called his son Tobias and said to him, "My son, see to the wages of the man who went with you; and he must also be given more."

5 So he called the angel and said to him, "Take half of all that you two have brought back."

6 Then the angel called the two of them privately and said to them: "Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks.

7 It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God. Do good, and evil will not overtake you.

8 Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold.

9 For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fulness of life;

10 but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives.

11 "I will not conceal anything from you. I have said, `It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God.'

12 And so, when you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, I brought a reminder of your prayer before the Holy One; and when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you.

13 When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner in order to go and lay out the dead, your good deed was not hidden from me, but I was with you.

14 So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One."

20 And now give thanks to God, for I am ascending to him who sent me. Write in a book everything that has happened."

PSALM: Tobit 13: 2, 6 - 8

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2 For he afflicts, and he shows mercy; he leads down to Hades, and brings up again, and there is no one who can escape his hand.

6 If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul, to do what is true before him, then he will turn to you and will not hide his face from you. But see what he will do with you; give thanks to him with your full voice. Praise the Lord of righteousness, and exalt the King of the ages. I give him thanks in the land of my captivity, and I show his power and majesty to a nation of sinners. Turn back, you sinners, and do right before him; who knows if he will accept you and have mercy on you?

7 I exalt my God; my soul exalts the King of heaven, and will rejoice in his majesty.

8 Let all men speak, and give him thanks in Jerusalem.

GOSPEL: Luke 2: 41 - 51

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41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom;

43 and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,

44 but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances;

45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions;

47 and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

48 And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."

49 And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

50 And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.

51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Mass Readings For Thursday, June 06, 2013

FIRST READING: Tobit 6: 10 - 11; 7: 1, 9 - 17; 8: 4 - 9

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10 the angel said to the young man, "Brother, today we shall stay with Raguel. He is your relative, and he has an only daughter named Sarah. I will suggest that she be given to you in marriage,

11 because you are entitled to her and to her inheritance, for you are her only eligible kinsman.

1 When they reached Ecbatana and arrived at the house of Raguel, Sarah met them and greeted them. They returned her greeting, and she brought them into the house.

9 So he communicated the proposal to Raguel. And Raguel said to Tobias, "Eat, drink, and be merry;

10 for it is your right to take my child. But let me explain the true situation to you.

11 I have given my daughter to seven husbands, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present be merry." And Tobias said, "I will eat nothing here until you make a binding agreement with me."

12 So Raguel said, "Take her right now, in accordance with the law. You are her relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will guide you both for the best."

13 Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he gave her to Tobias to be his wife, saying, "Here she is; take her according to the law of Moses, and take her with you to your father." And he blessed them.

14 Next he called his wife Edna, and took a scroll and wrote out the contract; and they set their seals to it.

15 Then they began to eat.

16 And Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, "Sister, make up the other room, and take her into it."

17 so she did as he said, and took her there; and the girl began to weep. But the mother comforted her daughter in her tears.

4 When the door was shut and the two were alone, Tobias got up from the bed and said, "Sister, get up, and let us pray that the Lord may have mercy upon us."

5 And Tobias began to pray, "Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers, and blessed be thy holy and glorious name for ever. Let the heavens and all thy creatures bless thee.

6 Thou madest Adam and gavest him Eve his wife as a helper and support. From them the race of mankind has sprung. Thou didst say, `It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.'

7 And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her."

8 And she said with him, "Amen."

9 Then they both went to sleep for the night. But Raguel arose and went and dug a grave,

PSALM: Psalms 128: 1 - 5

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1 Blessed are all they that fear the Lord: that walk in his ways.

2 For thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee.

3 Thy wife as a fruitful vine, on the sides of thy house.

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

5 May the Lord bless thee out of Sion: and mayest thou see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 28 - 34

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28 And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all.

29 And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him.

33 And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.

34 And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Mass Readings For Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

FIRST READING: Tobit 3: 1 - 11, 16 - 17

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1 Then in my grief I wept, and I prayed in anguish, saying,

2 "Righteous art thou, O Lord; all thy deeds and all they ways are mercy and truth, and thou dost render true and righteous judgment for ever.

3 Remember me and look favorably upon me; do not punish me for my sins and for my unwitting offences and those which my fathers committed before thee.

4 For they disobeyed thy commandments, and thou gavest us over to plunder, captivity, and death; thou madest us a byword of reproach in all the nations among which we have been dispersed.

5 And now thy many judgments are true in exacting penalty from me for my sins and those of my fathers, because we did not keep thy commandments. For we did not walk in truth before thee.

6 And now deal with me according to thy pleasure; command my spirit to be taken up, that I may depart and become dust. For it is better for me to die than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and great is the sorrow within me. Command that I now be released from my distress to go to the eternal abode; do not turn thy face away from me."

7 On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was reproached by her father's maids,

8 because she had been given to seven husbands, and the evil demon Asmodeus had slain each of them before he had been with her as his wife. So the maids said to her, "Do you not know that you strangle your husbands? You already have had seven and have had no benefit from any of them.

9 Why do you beat us? If they are dead, go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours!"

10 When she heard these things she was deeply grieved, even to the thought of hanging herself. But she said, "I am the only child of my father; if I do this, it will be a disgrace to him, and I shall bring his old age down in sorrow to the grave.

11 So she prayed by her window and said, "Blessed art thou, O Lord my God, and blessed is thy holy and honored name for ever. May all thy works praise thee for ever.

16 The prayer of both was heard in the presence of the glory of the great God.

17 And Raphael was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit's eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Raguel in marriage to Tobias the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmodeus the evil demon, because Tobias was entitled to possess her. At that very moment Tobit returned and entered his house and Sarah the daughter of Raguel came down from her upper room.

PSALM: Psalms 25: 2 - 9

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2 In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.

3 Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded.

4 Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. 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: Mark 12: 18 - 27

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18 And there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying:

19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

20 Now there were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue.

21 And the second took her, and died: and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like manner.

22 And the seven all took her in like manner; and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died.

23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

24 And Jesus answering, saith to them: Do ye not therefore err, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?

25 For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven.

26 And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err.

Mass Readings For Tuesday, June 04, 2013

"The Tribute Money" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Tobit 2: 9 - 14

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9 On the same night I returned from burying him, and because I was defiled I slept by the wall of the courtyard, and my face was uncovered.

10 I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall and their fresh droppings fell into my open eyes and white films formed on my eyes. I went to physicians, but they did not help me. Ahikar, however, took care of me until he went to Elymais.

11 Then my wife Anna earned money at women's work.

12 She used to send the product to the owners. Once when they paid her wages, they also gave her a kid;

13 and when she returned to me it began to bleat. So I said to her, "Where did you get the kid? It is not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for it is not right to eat what is stolen."

14 And she said, "It was given to me as a gift in addition to my wages." But I did not believe her, and told her to return it to the owners; and I blushed for her. Then she replied to me, "Where are your charities and your righteous deeds? You seem to know everything!"

PSALM: Psalms 112: 1 - 2, 7 - 9

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1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.

2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.

7 The just shall be in everlasting remembrance: he shall not hear the evil hearing. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord:

8 His heart is strengthened, he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.

9 He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 13 - 17

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13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians; that they should catch him in his words.

14 Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and carest not for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar; or shall we not give it?

15 Who knowing their wiliness, saith to them: Why tempt you me? bring me a penny that I may see it.

16 And they brought it him. And he saith to them: Whose is this image and inscription? They say to him, Caesar's.

17 And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

Mass Readings For Monday, June 03, 2013

"The Corner Stone" -- by James Tissot

Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

FIRST READING: Tobit 1: 3; 2: 1 - 8

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3 I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh.

1 When I arrived home and my wife Anna and my son Tobias were restored to me, at the feast of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of the seven weeks, a good dinner was prepared for me and I sat down to eat.

2 Upon seeing the abundance of food I said to my son, "Go and bring whatever poor man of our brethren you may find who is mindful of the Lord, and I will wait for you."

3 But he came back and said, "Father, one of our people has been strangled and thrown into the market place."

4 So before I tasted anything I sprang up and removed the body to a place of shelter until sunset.

5 And when I returned I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow.

6 Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he said, "Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your festivities into lamentation." And I wept.

7 When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body.

8 And my neighbors laughed at me and said, "He is no longer afraid that he will be put to death for doing this; he once ran away, and here he is burying the dead again!"

PSALM: Psalms 112: 1 - 6

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1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!

2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures for ever.

4 Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the LORD is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.

6 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered for ever.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 1 - 12

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1 And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.

2 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.

3 And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

5 And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed.

6 He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'

8 And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others.

10 Have you not read this scripture: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner;

11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

12 And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.