Daily Mass Readings for Saturday, March 10, 2012

FIRST READING: Micah 7: 14 - 15, 18 - 20

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14 Shepherd thy people with thy staff, the flock of thy inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.

15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt I will show them marvelous things.

18 Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger for ever because he delights in steadfast love.

19 He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

20 Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

PSALM: Psalms 103: 1 - 4, 9 - 12

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1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

GOSPEL: Luke 15: 1 - 3, 11 - 32

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1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.

2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

3 So he told them this parable:

11 And he said, "There was a man who had two sons;

12 and the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them.

13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living.

14 And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want.

15 So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything.

17 But when he came to himself he said, `How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."'

20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

21 And the son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 But the father said to his servants, `Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet;

23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry;

24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to make merry.

25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant.

27 And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.'

28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,

29 but he answered his father, `Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.

30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!'

31 And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32 It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

Daily Mass Readings for Friday, March 09, 2012

FIRST READING: Genesis 37: 3 - 4, 12 - 13, 17 - 28

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3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves.

4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.

13 And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am."

17 And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, `Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.

18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.

19 They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.

20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."

22 And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him" -- that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;

24 and they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ish'maelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?

27 Come, let us sell him to the Ish'maelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers heeded him.

28 Then Mid'ianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ish'maelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.

PSALM: Psalms 105: 16 - 21

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16 When he summoned a famine on the land, and broke every staff of bread,

17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

18 His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron;

19 until what he had said came to pass the word of the LORD tested him.

20 The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free;

21 he made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions.

GOSPEL: Matthew 21: 33 - 43, 45 - 46

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33 "Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.

34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit;

35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them.

37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.'

39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"

41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.

46 But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.

Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, March 08, 2012

Saint John of God, Religious (Optional Memorial)

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 17: 5 - 10

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5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?

10 "I the LORD search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."

PSALM: Psalms 1: 1 - 4, 6

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1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.

6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

GOSPEL: Luke 16: 19 - 31

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19 "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, full of sores,

21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;

23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom.

24 And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.'

25 But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'

27 And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house,

28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'

29 But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'

30 And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

31 He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity, Martyrs (Optional Memorial)

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 18: 18 - 20

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18 Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not heed any of his words."

19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to my plea.

20 Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them.

PSALM: Psalms 31: 5 - 6, 14 - 16

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5 Into thy hand I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

6 Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the LORD.

14 But I trust in thee, O LORD, I say, "Thou art my God."

15 My times are in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors!

16 Let thy face shine on thy servant; save me in thy steadfast love!

GOSPEL: Matthew 20: 17 - 28

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17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,

18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,

19 and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.

21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."

22 But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave;

28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."