Mass Readings for Saturday, July 07, 2012

FIRST READING: Amos 9: 11 - 15

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11 "In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;

12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name," says the LORD who does this.

13 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.

14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land which I have given them," says the LORD your God.

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.

GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 14 - 17

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14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.

17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

Mass Readings for Friday, July 06, 2012

"The Meal in the House of Matthew" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Amos 8: 4 - 6, 9 - 12

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4 Hear this, you who trample upon the needy, and bring the poor of the land to an end,

5 saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great, and deal deceitfully with false balances,

6 that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the refuse of the wheat?"

9 "And on that day," says the Lord GOD, "I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.

10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.

12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.

PSALM: Psalms 119: 2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131

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2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,

10 With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!

20 My soul is consumed with longing for thy ordinances at all times.

30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.

40 Behold, I long for thy precepts; in thy righteousness give me life!

131 With open mouth I pant, because I long for thy commandments.

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."

Mass Readings for Thursday, July 05, 2012

FIRST READING: Amos 7: 10 - 17

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10 Then Amazi'ah the priest of Bethel sent to Jerobo'am king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.

11 For thus Amos has said, `Jerobo'am shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'"

12 And Amazi'ah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there;

13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."

14 Then Amos answered Amazi'ah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,

15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

16 "Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, `Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.'

17 Therefore thus says the LORD: `Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'"

PSALM: Psalms 19: 8 - 11

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8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 1 - 8

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1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."

3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."

4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

5 For which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise and walk'?

6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he then said to the paralytic -- "Rise, take up your bed and go home."

7 And he rose and went home.

8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Mass Readings for Wednesday, July 04, 2012

FIRST READING: Amos 5: 14 - 15, 21 - 24

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14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.

15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

21 "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon.

23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

PSALM: Psalms 50: 7 - 13, 16 - 17

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7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.

8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9 I will accept no bull from your house, nor he-goat from your folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds of the air, * and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world and all that is in it is mine.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?

17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.

GOSPEL: Matthew 8: 28 - 34

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28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.

29 And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

30 Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them.

31 And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine."

32 And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters.

33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs.

34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.