Mass Readings for Wednesday, September 8, 2010

 Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING: Micah 5: 1 - 4 Or Romans 8: 28 - 30

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1 Now you are walled about with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike upon the cheek the ruler of Israel.

2 But you, O Bethlehem Eph'rathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Or

28 We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

PSALM: Psalms 13: 6

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6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

GOSPEL: Matthew 1: 1 - 16, 18 - 23 Or 1: 18 - 23

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1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,

4 and Ram the father of Ammin'adab, and Ammin'adab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5 and Salmon the father of Bo'az by Rahab, and Bo'az the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri'ah,

7 and Solomon the father of Rehobo'am, and Rehobo'am the father of Abi'jah, and Abi'jah the father of Asa,

8 and Asa the father of Jehosh'aphat, and Jehosh'aphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzzi'ah,

9 and Uzzi'ah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezeki'ah,

10 and Hezeki'ah the father of Manas'seh, and Manas'seh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josi'ah,

11 and Josi'ah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni'ah was the father of She-al'ti-el, and She-al'ti-el the father of Zerub'babel,

13 and Zerub'babel the father of Abi'ud, and Abi'ud the father of Eli'akim, and Eli'akim the father of Azor,

14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eli'ud,

15 and Eli'ud the father of Elea'zar, and Elea'zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;

19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;

21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).

Or

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;

19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;

21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).

Mass Readings for Tuesday, September 7, 2010

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 6: 1 - 11

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1 When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life!

4 If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church?

5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood,

6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren.

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts,

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

PSALM: Psalms 149: 1 - 6, 9

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1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful!

2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker, let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King!

3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with timbrel and lyre!

4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.

5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,

9 to execute on them the judgment written! This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD!

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 12 - 19

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12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God.

13 And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles;

14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,

16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;

18 and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all.

Mass Readings for Monday, September 6, 2010

 FIRST READING: 1 Corinthian 5: 1 - 8

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1 It is absolutely heard, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as the like is not among the heathens; that one should have his father's wife.

2 And you are puffed up; and have not rather mourned, that he might be taken away from among you, that hath done this deed.

3 I indeed, absent in body, but present in spirit, have already judged, as though I were present, him that hath so done,

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus;

5 To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6 Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven corrupteth the whole lump?

7 Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened. For Christ our pasch is sacrificed.

8 Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

PSALM: Psalms 5: 5 - 7, 12

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5 In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.

6 Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes.

7 Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor.

12 But let all them be glad that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee.

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 6 - 11

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6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered.

7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him.

8 But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth.

9 Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy?

10 And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored.

11 And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus.

Mass Readings for Sunday, September 5, 2010

FIRST READING: Wisdom 9: 13 - 18

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13 For what man can learn the counsel of God? Or who can discern what the Lord wills?

14 For the reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail,

15 for a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.

16 We can hardly guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labor; but who has traced out what is in the heavens?

17 Who has learned thy counsel, unless thou hast given wisdom and sent thy holy Spirit from on high?

18 And thus the paths of those on earth were set right, and men were taught what pleases thee, and were saved by wisdom."

PSALM: Psalms 90: 3 - 6, 12 - 13, 14 - 17

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3 Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, "Turn back, O children of men!"

4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

5 Thou dost sweep men away; they are like a dream, like grass which is renewed in the morning:

6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on thy servants!

14 Satisfy us in the morning with thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad as many days as thou hast afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.

16 Let thy work be manifest to thy servants, and thy glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

SECOND READING: Philemon 1: 9 - 10, 12 - 17

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9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you -- I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus --

10 I appeal to you for my child, Ones'imus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment.

12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.

13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel;

14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.

15 Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back for ever,

16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.

GOSPEL: Luke 14: 25 - 33

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25 Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them,

26 "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,

30 saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'

31 Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace.

33 So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.