Mass Readings for Saturday, September 03, 2011

 Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING: Colossians 1: 21 - 23

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21 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him,

23 provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

PSALM: Psalms 54: 3 - 4, 6, 8

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3 For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them. [Selah]

4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to thee; I will give thanks to thy name, O LORD, for it is good.

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 1 - 5

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1 On a sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?"

3 And Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?"

5 And he said to them, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

Mass Readings for Friday,September 02, 2011

FIRST READING: Colossians 1: 15 - 20

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15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;

16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him.

17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.

19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell,

20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

PSALM: Psalms 100: 2 - 5

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2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

GOSPEL: Luke 5: 33 - 39

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33 And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink."

34 And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

35 The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days."

36 He told them a parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.

38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, `The old is good.'"

Mass Readings for Monday, August 29, 2011

"Saint John the Baptist's Head On A Charger" - James Tissot

The Memorial of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 1: 17 - 19

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17 But you, gird up your loins; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.

18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land.

19 They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you."

PSALM: Psalms 71: 1 - 6, 15, 17

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1 In thee, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!

2 In thy righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline thy ear to me, and save me!

3 Be thou to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

5 For thou, O Lord, art my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

6 Upon thee I have leaned from my birth; thou art he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of thee.

15 My mouth will tell of thy righteous acts, of thy deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.

17 O God, from my youth thou hast taught me, and I still proclaim thy wondrous deeds.

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 17 - 29

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17 For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.

18 For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 And Hero'di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,

20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee.

22 For when Hero'di-as' daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it."

23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom."

24 And she went out, and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer."

25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.

27 And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,

28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Mass Readings for Sunday, August 28, 2011

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 20: 7 - 9

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7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me.

8 For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.

9 If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

PSALM: Psalms 63: 2 - 6, 8 - 9

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2 So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory.

3 Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee.

4 So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name.

5 My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat, and my mouth praises thee with joyful lips,

6 when I think of thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the watches of the night;

8 My soul clings to thee; thy right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth.

SECOND READING: Romans 12: 1 - 2

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1 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

GOSPEL: Matthew 16: 21 - 27

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21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

22 And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you."

23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men."

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.