Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, September 21, 2011

 Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

FIRST READING: Ephesians 4: 1 - 7, 11 - 13

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1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,

3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

11 And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

PSALM: Psalms 19: 2 - 5

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2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;

4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5 which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 9 - 13

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9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Daily Mass Readings for Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegõn, Priest and Martyr and  Saint Paul Chõng Hasang, Martyr and their companions, Martyrs

FIRST READING: Ezra 6: 7 - 8, 12, 14 - 20

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7 let the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.

8 Moreover I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God; the cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River.

12 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people that shall put forth a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence."

14 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechari'ah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Ar-ta-xerx'es king of Persia;

15 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles kept the passover.

20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves;

PSALM: Psalms 122: 1 - 5

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1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"

2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,

4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.

5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

GOSPEL: Luke 8: 19 - 21

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19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd.

20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you."

21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Daily Mass Readings for Monday, September 19, 2011

FIRST READING: Ezra 1: 1 - 6

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1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel -- he is the God who is in Jerusalem;

4 and let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem."

5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, every one whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem;

6 and all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.

PSALM: Psalms 126: 1 - 6

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1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb!

5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!

6 He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

GOSPEL: Luke 8: 16 - 18

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16 "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.

17 For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.

18 Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."

Daily Mass Readings for Sunday, September 18, 2011

FIRST READING: Isaiah 55: 6 - 9

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6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

PSALM: Psalms 145: 2 - 3, 8 - 9, 17 - 18

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2 Every day I will bless thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

SECOND READING: Philippians 1: 20 - 24, 27

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20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22 If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

GOSPEL: Matthew 20: 1 - 16

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1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place;

4 and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.

5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?'

7 They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.'

8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'

9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.

11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder,

12 saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'

13 But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you.

15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'

16 So the last will be first, and the first last."