Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, May 23, 2012

FIRST READING: Acts 20: 28 - 38

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28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.

34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me.

35 In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

36 And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

37 And they all wept and embraced Paul and kissed him,

38 sorrowing most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they should see his face no more. And they brought him to the ship.

PSALM: Psalms 68: 29 - 30, 33 - 36

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29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to thee.

30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.

33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; lo, he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.

34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and his power is in the skies.

35 Terrible is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel, he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

GOSPEL: John 17: 11 - 19

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11 And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

12 While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.

18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Daily Mass Readings for Tuesday, May 22, 2012

FIRST READING: Acts 20: 17 - 27

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17 And from Mile'tus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.

18 And when they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,

19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews;

20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,

21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there;

23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.

24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

25 And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you,

27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

PSALM: Psalms 68: 10 - 11, 20 - 21

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10 thy flock found a dwelling in it; in thy goodness, O God, thou didst provide for the needy.

11 The Lord gives the command; great is the host of those who bore the tidings:

20 Our God is a God of salvation; and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

GOSPEL: John 17: 1 - 11

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1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee,

2 since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.

3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

4 I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do;

5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.

6 "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee;

8 for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine;

10 all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Daily Mass Readings for Monday, May 21, 2012

FIRST READING: Acts 19: 1 - 8

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1 While Apol'los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."

4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus."

5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

7 There were about twelve of them in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God.

PSALM: Psalms 68: 2 - 7

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2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before fire, let the wicked perish before God!

3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; his name is the LORD, exult before him!

5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

6 God gives the desolate a home to dwell in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7 O God, when thou didst go forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness, [Selah]

GOSPEL: John 16: 29 - 33

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29 His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure!

30 Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God."

31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

33 I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Sunday Mass Readings For May 20, 2012

"The Ascension" - by James Tissot

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

FIRST READING: Acts 1: 1 - 11

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1 In the first book, O The-oph'ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me,

5 for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth."

9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,

11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

PSALM: Psalms 47: 2 - 3, 6 - 9

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2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.

3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!

SECOND READING: Ephesians 1: 17 - 23 Or 4: 1 - 13 Or 4: 1 - 7, 11 - 13

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17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might

20 which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;

22 and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,

23 which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.

Or

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.

8 Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."

9 (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

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;

Or

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;

GOSPEL: Mark 16: 15 - 20

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15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.