Mass Readings for Friday, February 25, 2011

FIRST READING: Sirach 6: 5 - 17

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5 A pleasant voice multiplies friends, and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.

6 Let those that are at peace with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand.

7 When you gain a friend, gain him through testing, and do not trust him hastily.

8 For there is a friend who is such at his own convenience, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.

9 And there is a friend who changes into an enemy, and will disclose a quarrel to your disgrace.

10 And there is a friend who is a table companion, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.

11 In prosperity he will make himself your equal, and be bold with your servants;

12 but if you are brought low he will turn against you, and will hide himself from your presence.

13 Keep yourself far from your enemies, and be on guard toward your friends.

14 A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure.

15 There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence.

16 A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him.

17 Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also.

PSALM: Psalms 119: 12, 16, 18, 27, 34 - 35

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

16 I will delight in thy statutes; I will not forget thy word.

18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

27 Make me understand the way of thy precepts, and I will meditate on thy wondrous works.

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep thy law and observe it with my whole heart.

35 Lead me in the path of thy commandments, for I delight in it.

GOSPEL: Mark 10: 1 - 12

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1 And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again; and again, as his custom was, he taught them.

2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

3 He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"

4 They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away."

5 But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

6 But from the beginning of creation, `God made them male and female.'

7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,

8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh.

9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."

10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.

11 And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her;

12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Mass Readings for Thursday, February 24, 2011

FIRST READING: Sirach 5: 1 - 8

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1 Set not thy heart upon unjust possessions, and say not: I have enough to live on: for it shall be of no service in the time of vengeance and darkness.

2 Follow not in thy strength the desires of thy heart:

3 And say not: How mighty am I? and who shall bring me under for my deeds? for God will surely take revenge.

4 Say not: I have sinned, and what harm hath befallen me? for the most High is a patient rewarder.

5 Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:

6 And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my sins.

7 For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners.

8 Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.

PSALM: Psalms 1: 1 - 4, 6

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1 Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.

4 Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 41 - 50

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41 For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.

42 And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

43 And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire:

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

45 And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

47And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

49 For every one shall be salted with fire: and every victim shall be salted with salt.

50 Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavoury; wherewith will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.

Mass Readings for Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop, Martyr and Early Church Father

FIRST READING: Sirach 4: 11 - 19

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11 Wisdom exalts her sons and gives help to those who seek her.

12 Whoever loves her loves life, and those who seek her early will be filled with joy.

13 Whoever holds her fast will obtain glory, and the Lord will bless the place she enters.

14 Those who serve her will minister to the Holy One; the Lord loves those who love her.

15 He who obeys her will judge the nations, and whoever gives heed to her will dwell secure.

16 If he has faith in her he will obtain her; and his descendants will remain in possession of her.

17 For at first she will walk with him on tortuous paths, she will bring fear and cowardice upon him, and will torment him by her discipline until she trusts him, and she will test him with her ordinances.

18 Then she will come straight back to him and gladden him, and will reveal her secrets to him.

19 If he goes astray she will forsake him, and hand him over to his ruin.

PSALM: Psalms 119: 165, 168, 171 - 172, 174 - 175

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165 Great peace have those who love thy law; nothing can make them stumble.

168 I keep thy precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before thee.

171 My lips will pour forth praise that thou dost teach me thy statutes.

172 My tongue will sing of thy word, for all thy commandments are right.

174 I long for thy salvation, O LORD, and thy law is my delight.

175 Let me live, that I may praise thee, and let thy ordinances help me.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 38 - 40

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38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."

39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is for us.

Mass Readings for Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter

FIRST READING: 1 Peter 5: 1 - 4

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1 The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech, who am myself also an ancient, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake, but voluntarily:

3 Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart.

4 And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.

PSALM: Psalms 23: 1 - 6

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1 The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.

2 He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:

3 He hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake.

4 For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.

5 Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!

6 And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

GOSPEL: Matthew 16: 13 - 19

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13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.