Mass Readings For Monday, May 02, 2011

Memorial of Saint Athanasius,  Bishop and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING: Acts 4: 23 - 31

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23 When they were released they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

25 who by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit, `Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things?

26 The kings of the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed' --

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

28 to do whatever thy hand and thy plan had predestined to take place.

29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness,

30 while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus."

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

PSALM: Psalms 2: 1 - 9

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1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,

3 "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us."

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill."

7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son, today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

GOSPEL: John 3: 1 - 8

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1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode'mus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.'

8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit."

Mass Readings For Sunday, May 01, 2011

"The Disbelief of Saint Thomas" - James Tissot

Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday

FIRST READING: Acts 2: 42 - 47

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42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common;

45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

PSALM: Psalms 118: 2 - 4, 13 - 15, 22 - 24

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2 Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures for ever."

3 Let the house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love endures for ever."

4 Let those who fear the LORD say, "His steadfast love endures for ever."

13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

15 Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: "The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,

22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.

23 This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

SECOND READING: 1 Peter 1: 3 - 9

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3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

5 who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials,

7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

8 Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.

9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

GOSPEL: John 20: 19 - 31

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19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."

27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."

28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Mass Readings For Saturday, April 30, 2011

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

FIRST READING: Acts 4: 13 - 21

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13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

14 But seeing the man that had been healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred with one another,

16 saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to any one in this name."

18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge;

20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."

21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for all men praised God for what had happened.

PSALM: Psalms 118: 1, 14 - 21

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1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!

14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

15 Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: "The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,

16 the right hand of the LORD is exalted, the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!"

17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.

18 The LORD has chastened me sorely, but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.

20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.

21 I thank thee that thou hast answered me and hast become my salvation.

GOSPEL: Mark 16: 9 - 15

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9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.

13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

Mass Readings For Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday in the Octave of Easter

FIRST READING: Acts 4: 1 - 12

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1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,

2 annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the morrow, for it was already evening.

4 But many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

5 On the morrow their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem,

6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders,

9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed,

10 be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.

11 This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner.

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

PSALM: Psalms 118: 1 - 2, 4, 22 - 27

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1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!

2 Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures for ever."

4 Let those who fear the LORD say, "His steadfast love endures for ever."

22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.

23 This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we beseech thee, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech thee, give us success!

26 Blessed be he who enters in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.

27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar!

GOSPEL: John 21: 1 - 14

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1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberi-as; and he revealed himself in this way.

2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathana-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.

3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

5 Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No."

6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.

7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea.

8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."

11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.

13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.

14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.