Daily Mass Readings for Monday, September 26, 2011

FIRST READING: Zechariah 8: 1 - 8

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1 And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,

2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.

3 Thus says the LORD: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.

4 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand for very age.

5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

6 Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, says the LORD of hosts?

7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country;

8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness."

PSALM: Psalms 102: 16 - 21, 29, 22 - 23

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16 For the LORD will build up Zion, he will appear in his glory;

17 he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their supplication.

18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:

19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,

20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;

21 that men may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise,

29 The children of thy servants shall dwell secure; their posterity shall be established before thee.

22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

23 He has broken my strength in mid-course; he has shortened my days.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 46 - 50

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46 And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.

47 But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side,

48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me; for he who is least among you all is the one who is great."

49 John answered, "Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us."

50 But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you."

Daily Mass Readings for Sunday, September 25, 2011

FIRST READING: Ezekiel 18: 25 - 28

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25 "Yet you say, `The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die.

27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life.

28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

PSALM: Psalms 25: 4 - 9

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4 Make me to know thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long.

6 Be mindful of thy mercy, O LORD, and of thy steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions; according to thy steadfast love remember me, for thy goodness' sake, O LORD!

8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

SECOND READING: Philippians 2: 1 - 11 Or Philippians 2: 1 - 5

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1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Or

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL: Matthew 21: 28 - 32

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28 "What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

29 And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he repented and went.

30 And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,' but did not go.

31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.

Daily Mass Readings for Saturday, September 24, 2011

FIRST READING: Zechariah 2: 5 - 9, 14 - 15

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5 Then, raising my eyes, I had a vision. There was a man with a measuring line in his hand.

6 I asked him, 'Where are you going?' He said, 'To measure Jerusalem, to calculate her width and length.'

7 And then, while the angel who was talking to me walked away, another angel came out to meet him.

8 He said to him, 'Run, and tell that young man this, "Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle inside.

9 For I shall be a wall of fire all round her and I shall be the Glory within her." '

14 Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion, for now I am coming to dwell among you says the Lord.

15 And on that day many nations will be converted to the Lord. Yes, they will become his people, and he will dwell among you.

PSALM: Jeremiah 31: 10 - 13

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10 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands afar off; say, `He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.'

11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.

13 Then shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 43 - 45

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43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he did, he said to his disciples,

44 "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men."

45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Daily Mass Readings for Friday, September 23, 2011

Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Priest 

FIRST READING: Haggai 2: 1 - 9

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1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet,

2 "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of She-alti-el, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,

3 'Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?

4 Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts,

5 according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit abides among you; fear not.

6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;

7 and I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts.

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts.

9 The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.'"

PSALM: Psalms 43: 1 - 4

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1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from deceitful and unjust men deliver me!

2 For thou art the God in whom I take refuge; why hast thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me, let them bring me to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling!

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise thee with the lyre, O God, my God.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 18 - 22

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18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?"

19 And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen."

20 And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

21 But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

22 saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."