Mass Readings for Saturday, February 6, 2010

 Saints Peter Baptist, OFM, Paul Miki, and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)

FIRST READING: 1 Kings 3: 4 - 13

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4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings upon that altar.

5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."

6 And Solomon said, "Thou hast shown great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.

9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people?"

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

11 And God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,

12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.

13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 
 

PSALM: Psalms 119: 9 - 14

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9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word.

10 With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!

11 I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.

12 Blessed be thou, O LORD; teach me thy statutes!

13 With my lips I declare all the ordinances of thy mouth.

14 In the way of thy testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 
 

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 30 - 34

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30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.

33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.

34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Mass Readings for Friday, February 5, 2010

Saint Agatha, Virgin, Martyr (Memorial)

FIRST READING: Sirach 47: 2 - 11

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2 As the fat is selected from the peace offering, so David was selected from the sons of Israel.

3 He played with lions as with young goats, and with bears as with lambs of the flock.

4 In his youth did he not kill a giant, and take away reproach from the people, when he lifted his hand with a stone in the sling and struck down the boasting of Goliath?

5 For he appealed to the Lord, the Most High, and he gave him strength in his right hand to slay a man mighty in war, to exalt the power of his people.

6 So they glorified him for his ten thousands, and praised him for the blessings of the Lord, when the glorious diadem was bestowed upon him.

7 For he wiped out his enemies on every side, and annihilated his adversaries the Philistines; he crushed their power even to this day.

8 In all that he did he gave thanks to the Holy One, the Most High, with ascriptions of glory; he sang praise with all his heart, and he loved his Maker.

9 He placed singers before the altar, to make sweet melody with their voices.

10 He gave beauty to the feasts, and arranged their times throughout the year, while they praised God's holy name, and the sanctuary resounded from early morning.

11 The Lord took away his sins, and exalted his power for ever; he gave him the covenant of kings and a throne of glory in Israel. 
 

PSALM: Psalms 18: 31, 47, 50 - 51

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31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?

47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;

50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants for ever. 
 

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 14 - 29

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14 King Herod heard of it; for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him."

15 But others said, "It is Eli'jah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

16 But when Herod heard of it he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

17 For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.

18 For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 And Hero'di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,

20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee.

22 For when Hero'di-as' daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it."

23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom."

24 And she went out, and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer."

25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.

27 And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,

28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Mass Readings for Thursday, February 4, 2010

 Saint Joseph of Leonessa, Capuchin, Priest (Memorial)

FIRST READING: 1 Kings 2: 1 - 4, 10 - 12

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1 When David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,

2 "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man,

3 and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;

4 that the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, `If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.'

10 Then David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 So Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established.

PSALM: 1 Chronicles 29: 10 - 12

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10 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed art thou, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

12 Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over all. In thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 

 

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 Wednesday, February 3, 2010

 Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr (Optional Memorial)

FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 24: 2, 9 - 17

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2 So the king said to Jo'ab and the commanders of the army, who were with him, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people."

9 And Jo'ab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.

10 But David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, I pray thee, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly."

11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

12 "Go and say to David, `Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you."

13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me."

14 Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man."

15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and there died of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

16 And when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented of the evil, and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, "It is enough; now stay your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Arau'nah the Jeb'usite.

17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was smiting the people, and said, "Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house."

PSALM: Psalms 32: 1 - 2, 5 - 7

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1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

5 I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. [Selah]

6 Therefore let every one who is godly offer prayer to thee; at a time of distress, in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

7 Thou art a hiding place for me, thou preservest me from trouble; thou dost encompass me with deliverance. [Selah]

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 1 - 6

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1 He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him.

2 And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands!

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house."

5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them.

6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.