Mass Readings for Thursday February 18, 2010

 

 Thursday after Ash Wednesday

FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 30: 15 - 20

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15 "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil.

16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it.

17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,

18 I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live,

20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

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 9: 22 - 25

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22 saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

23 And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

24 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.

25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Mass Readings for Wednesday February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday

FIRST READING: Joel 2: 12 - 18

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12 "Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13 and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil.

14 Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly;

16 gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare thy people, O LORD, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, `Where is their God?'"

18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

PSALM: Psalms 51: 3 - 6, 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.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

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. 

 

SECOND READING: 2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 21 – 6: 1 - 2

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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.

1 Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.

2 For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 

GOSPEL: Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 18

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1 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Mass Readings for Tuesday February 16, 2010

FIRST READING: James 1: 12 - 18

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12 Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one;

14 but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

17 Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 

 

PSALM: Psalms 94: 12 - 15, 18 - 19

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12 Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O LORD, and whom thou dost teach out of thy law

13 to give him respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.

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.

18 When I thought, "My foot slips," thy steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

19 When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul. 

 

GOSPEL: Mark 8: 14 - 21

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14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

16 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "We have no bread."

17 And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?

18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve."

20 "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven."

21 And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

Mass Readings for Monday February 15, 2010

FIRST READING: James 1: 1 - 11

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1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greeting.

2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials,

3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man,

8 unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,

10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away.

11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

PSALM: Psalms 119: 67 - 68, 71 - 72, 75 - 76

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67 Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I keep thy word.

68 Thou art good and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.

72 The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.

76 Let thy steadfast love be ready to comfort me according to thy promise to thy servant. 

 

GOSPEL: Mark 8: 11 - 13

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11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him.

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

13 And he left them, and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side.