Mass Readings For Wednesday, November 1, 2006

All Saints (Solemnity)

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.

Mass Readings For Tuesday, October 31, 2006

FIRST READING: Ephesians 5: 21 - 33

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21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

24 As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

28 Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

29 For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,

30 because we are members of his body.

31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

32 This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;

33 however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

PSALM: Psalms 128: 1 - 5

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1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

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."

Mass Readings For Monday, October 30, 2006

FIRST READING: Ephesians 4: 32 -- 5: 1 - 8

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32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints.

4 Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving.

5 Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

7 Therefore do not associate with them,

8 for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light

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 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.

Mass Readings For Sunday, October 29, 2006

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 31: 7 - 9

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7 For thus says the LORD: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, `The LORD has saved his people, the remnant of Israel.'

8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here.

9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and E'phraim is my first-born.

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.

SECOND READING: Hebrews 5: 1 - 6

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1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.

3 Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.

4 And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee";

6 as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiz'edek."

GOSPEL: Mark 10: 46 - 52

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46 And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimae'us, a blind beggar, the son of Timae'us, was sitting by the roadside.

47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

49 And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you."

50 And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus.

51 And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight."

52 And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.