Daily Mass Readings for Sunday, December 04, 2011

Second Sunday of Advent

FIRST READING: Isaiah 40: 1 - 5, 9 - 11

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1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"

10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

PSALM: Psalms 85: 9 - 14

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9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 Yea, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way.

SECOND READING: 2 Peter 3: 8 - 14

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8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,

12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire!

13 But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

14 Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

GOSPEL: Mark 1: 1 - 8

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1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way;

3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight -- "

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

5 And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.

7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Daily Mass Readings for Saturday, December 03, 2011

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest 

FIRST READING: Isaiah 30: 19 - 21, 23 - 26

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19 Yea, O people in Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.

20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.

21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your cattle will graze in large pastures;

24 and the oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat salted provender, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.

25 And upon every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the hurt of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

PSALM: Psalms 147: 1 - 6

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1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is seemly.

2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars, he gives to all of them their names.

5 Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden, he casts the wicked to the ground.

GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 35 - 10: 1, 5 - 8

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35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

38 pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,

6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.

Daily Mass Readings for Friday, December 02, 2011

FIRST READING: Isaiah 29: 17 - 24

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17 Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?

18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the ruthless shall come to nought and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,

21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.

23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 And those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction."

PSALM: Psalms 27: 1, 4, 13 - 14

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1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 27 - 31

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27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David."

28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord."

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."

30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it."

31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, December 01, 2011

FIRST READING: Isaiah 26: 1 - 6

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1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.

2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in.

3 Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.

4 Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

5 For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.

6 The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy."

PSALM: Psalms 118: 1, 8 - 9, 19 - 21, 25 - 27

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

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

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.

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: Matthew 7: 21, 24 - 27

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21 "Not every one who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

24 "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;

25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

26 And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;

27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."