Mass Readings for Tuesday, August 23, 2011

FIRST READING: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1 - 8

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1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain;

2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philip'pi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition.

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile;

4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts.

5 For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness;

6 nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

7 But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children.

8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

PSALM: Psalms 139: 1 - 3, 4 - 6

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1 O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me!

2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar.

3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou dost beset me behind and before, and layest thy hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.

GOSPEL: Matthew 23: 23 - 26

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23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

24 You blind guides, straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity.

26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Mass Readings for Saturday, August 20, 2011

 Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING: Ruth 2: 1 - 3, 8 - 11; 4: 13 - 17

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1 Now Na'omi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of wealth, of the family of Elim'elech, whose name was Bo'az.

2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Na'omi, "Let me go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."

3 So she set forth and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Bo'az, who was of the family of Elim'elech.

8 Then Bo'az said to Ruth, "Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my maidens.

9 Let your eyes be upon the field which they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to molest you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn."

10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?"

11 But Bo'az answered her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.

13 So Bo'az took Ruth and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

14 Then the women said to Na'omi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next of kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel!

15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him."

16 Then Na'omi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse.

17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Na'omi." They named him Obed; he was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

PSALM: Psalms 128: 1 - 5

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1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

GOSPEL: Matthew 23: 1 - 12

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1 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples,

2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;

3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.

4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,

7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.

9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ.

11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant;

12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Mass Readings for Tuesday, August 02, 2011

FIRST READING: Numbers 12: 1 - 13

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1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman;

2 and they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.

3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth.

4 And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out.

5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward.

6 And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.

7 Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house.

8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed;

10 and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

11 And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb."

13 And Moses cried to the LORD, "Heal her, O God, I beseech thee."

PSALM: Psalms 51: 3 - 7, 12 - 13

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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.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

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.

GOSPEL: Matthew 14: 22 - 36

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22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."

28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."

29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;

30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?"

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick,

36 and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

Mass Readings for Monday, August 01, 2011

 Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING: Numbers 11: 4 - 15

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4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving; and the people of Israel also wept again, and said, "O that we had meat to eat!

5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;

6 but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."

7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

8 The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.

9 When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

11 Moses said to the LORD, "Why hast thou dealt ill with thy servant? And why have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou dost lay the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I bring them forth, that thou shouldst say to me, `Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries the sucking child, to the land which thou didst swear to give their fathers?'

13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, `Give us meat, that we may eat.'

14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, the burden is too heavy for me.

15 If thou wilt deal thus with me, kill me at once, if I find favor in thy sight, that I may not see my wretchedness."

PSALM: Psalms 81: 12 - 16

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12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.

13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

14 I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.

15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last for ever.

16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

GOSPEL: Matthew 14: 22 - 36

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22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."

28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."

29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;

30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?"

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick,

36 and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.