Mass Readings for Saturday, June 19, 2010

 FIRST READING: 2 Chronicles 24: 17 - 25

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17 Now after the death of Jehoi'ada the princes of Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king hearkened to them.

18 And they forsook the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Ashe'rim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.

19 Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD; these testified against them, but they would not give heed.

20 Then the Spirit of God took possession of Zechari'ah the son of Jehoi'ada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, `Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"

21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.

22 Thus Jo'ash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoi'ada, Zechari'ah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"

23 At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Jo'ash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

24 Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Jo'ash.

25 When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoi'ada the priest, and slew him on his bed. So he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

PSALM: Psalms 89: 4 - 5, 29 - 34

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4 `I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'" [Selah]

5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O LORD, thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

29 I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances,

31 if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,

32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with scourges;

33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness.

34 I will not violate my covenant, or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

GOSPEL: Matthew 6: 24 - 34

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24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;

29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'

32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Mass Readings for Friday, June 18, 2010

FIRST READING: 2 Kings 11: 1 - 4, 9 - 18, 20

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1 Now when Athali'ah the mother of Ahazi'ah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family.

2 But Jehosh'eba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahazi'ah, took Jo'ash the son of Ahazi'ah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be slain, and she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. Thus she hid him from Athali'ah, so that he was not slain;

3 and he remained with her six years, hid in the house of the LORD, while Athali'ah reigned over the land.

4 But in the seventh year Jehoi'ada sent and brought the captains of the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the LORD; and he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the LORD, and he showed them the king's son.

9 The captains did according to all that Jehoi'ada the priest commanded, and each brought his men who were to go off duty on the sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the sabbath, and came to Jehoi'ada the priest.

10 And the priest delivered to the captains the spears and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the LORD;

11 and the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house.

12 Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they proclaimed him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, "Long live the king!"

13 When Athali'ah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the LORD to the people;

14 and when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Athali'ah rent her clothes, and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

15 Then Jehoi'ada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, "Bring her out between the ranks; and slay with the sword any one who follows her." For the priest said, "Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD."

16 So they laid hands on her; and she went through the horses' entrance to the king's house, and there she was slain.

17 And Jehoi'ada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people, that they should be the LORD's people; and also between the king and the people.

18 Then all the people of the land went to the house of Ba'al, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they slew Mattan the priest of Ba'al before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the LORD.

20 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet after Athali'ah had been slain with the sword at the king's house.

PSALM: Psalms 132: 11 - 14, 17 - 18

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11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.

12 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies which I shall teach them, their sons also for ever shall sit upon your throne."

13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:

14 "This is my resting place for ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself his crown will shed its luster."

GOSPEL: Matthew 6: 19 - 23

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19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light;

23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Mass Readings for Thursday, June 17, 2010

 

 Memorial Saint Emily de Vialar

FIRST READING: Sirach 48: 1 - 14

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1 Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch.

2 He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.

3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, and also three times brought down fire.

4 How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! And who has the right to boast which you have?

5 You who raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High;

6 who brought kings down to destruction, and famous men from their beds;

7 who heard rebuke at Sinai and judgments of vengeance at Horeb;

8 who anointed kings to inflict retribution, and prophets to succeed you.

9 You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire;

10 you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

11 Blessed are those who saw you, and those who have been adorned in love; for we also shall surely live.

12 It was Elijah who was covered by the whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit; in all his days he did not tremble before any ruler, and no one brought him into subjection.

13 Nothing was too hard for him, and when he was dead his body prophesied.

14 As in his life he did wonders, so in death his deeds were marvelous.

PSALM: Psalms 97: 1 - 7

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1 The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!

2 Clouds and thick darkness are round about him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 Fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries round about.

4 His lightnings lighten the world; the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.

7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.

GOSPEL: Matthew 6: 7 - 15

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7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread;

12 And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us ;

13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;

15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mass Readings for Wednesday, June 16, 2010

FIRST READING: 2 Kings 2: 1, 6 - 14

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1 Now when the LORD was about to take Eli'jah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Eli'jah and Eli'sha were on their way from Gilgal.

6 Then Eli'jah said to him, "Tarry here, I pray you; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.

7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.

8 Then Eli'jah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Eli'jah said to Eli'sha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Eli'sha said, "I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit."

10 And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so."

11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Eli'jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Eli'sha saw it and he cried, "My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.

13 And he took up the mantle of Eli'jah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

14 Then he took the mantle of Eli'jah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of Eli'jah?" And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other; and Eli'sha went over.

PSALM: Psalms 31: 20 - 21, 24

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20 In the covert of thy presence thou hidest them from the plots of men; thou holdest them safe under thy shelter from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as in a besieged city.

24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

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.