Sunday Mass Readings For September 16, 2012

"The Primacy of Saint Peter" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Isaiah 50: 5 - 9

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5 The Lord God hath opened my ear, and I do not resist: I have not gone back.

6 I have given my body to the strikers, and my cheeks to them that plucked them: I have not turned away my face from them that rebuked me, and spit upon me.

7 The Lord God is my helper, therefore am I not confounded: therefore have I set my face as a most hard rock, and I know that I shall not be confounded.

8 He is near that justifieth me, who will contend with me? let us stand together, who is my adversary? let him come near to me.

9 Behold the Lord God is my helper: who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they shall all be destroyed as a garment, the moth shall eat them up.

PSALM: Psalms 116: 1 - 6, 8 - 9

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1 I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.

2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.

3 The sorrows of death have encompassed me: and the perils of hell have found me. I met with trouble and sorrow:

4 And I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, deliver my soul.

5 The Lord is merciful and just, and our God sheweth mercy.

6 The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was little and he delivered me.

8 For he hath delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.

9 I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

SECOND READING: James 2: 14 - 18

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14 What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?

15 And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food:

16 And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?

17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

18 But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.

GOSPEL: Mark 8: 27 - 35

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27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And in the way, he asked his disciples, saying to them: Whom do men say that I am?

28 Who answered him, saying: John the Baptist; but some Elias, and others as one of the prophets.

29 Then he saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Peter answering said to him: Thou art the Christ.

30 And he strictly charged them that they should not tell any man of him.

31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the ancients and by the high priests, and the scribes, and be killed: and after three days rise again.

32 And he spoke the word openly. And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him.

33 Who turning about and seeing his disciples, threatened Peter, saying: Go behind me, Satan, because thou savorest not the things that are of God, but that are of men.

34 And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

35 For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel, shall save it.

Mass Readings For Saturday, September 15, 2012

"Woman, Behold Thy Son" -- by James Tissot

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 10: 14 - 22

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14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, fly from the service of idols.

15 I speak as to wise men: judge ye yourselves what I say.

16 The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?

17 For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread.

18 Behold Israel according to the flesh: are not they, that eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the altar?

19 What then? Do I say, that what is offered in sacrifice to idols, is any thing? Or, that the idol is any thing?

20 But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils.

21 You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils.

22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.

PSALM: Psalms 116: 12 - 13, 17 - 18

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12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,

17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.

GOSPEL: John 19: 25 - 27 Or Luke 2: 33 - 35

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25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen.

26 When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son.

27 After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

Or

33 And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted;

35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.

Mass Readings for Friday, September 14, 2012

Feastof the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

FIRST READING: Numbers 21: 4 - 9

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4 And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red

Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of

their journey and labour:

5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring

us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we

any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.

6 Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit

them and killed many of them.

7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said; We have sinned, because

we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away

these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a

sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.

9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which

when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

PSALM: Psalms 78: 1 - 2, 34 - 38

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1 Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my

mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the

beginning.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came

to him early in the morning.

35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high

God their redeemer.

36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied

unto him:

37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in

his covenant.

38 But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them.

And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his

wrath.

SECOND READING: Philippians 2: 6 - 11

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6 Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with

God:

7 But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the

likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.

8 He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of

the cross.

9 For which cause, God also hath exalted him and hath given him a name

which is above all names:

10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in

heaven, on earth, and under the earth:

11 And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in

the glory of God the Father.

GOSPEL: John 3: 13 - 17

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13 And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from

heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of

man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life

everlasting.

16 For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that

whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world: but that

the world may be saved by him. 

Mass Readings for Thursday, September 13, 2012

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Father of the Church and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 8: 1 - 7, 11 - 13

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1 Now concerning those things that are sacrificed to idols: we know we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up: but charity edifieth.

2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he hath not yet known as he ought to know.

3 But if any man love God, the same is known by him.

4 But as for the meats that are sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one.

5 For although there be that are called gods, either in heaven or on earth (for there be gods many and lords many):

6 Yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him: and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

7 But there is not knowledge in every one. For some until this present, with conscience of the idol, eat as a thing sacrificed to an idol: and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ hath died?

12 Now when you sin thus against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

13 Wherefore, if meat scandalize my brother, I will never eat flesh, lest I should scandalize my brother.

PSALM: Psalms 139: 1 - 3, 13 - 14, 23 - 24

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1 Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me:

2 Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up.

3 Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched out.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.

23 Prove me, O God, and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths.

24 And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the eternal way.

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 27 - 38

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27 But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate you.

28 Bless them that curse you and pray for them that calumniate you.

29 And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.

30 Give to every one that asketh thee: and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.

31 And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.

32 And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? For sinners also love those that love them.

33 And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? For sinners also do this.

34 And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? For sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much.

35 But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.

36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

37 Judge not: and you shall not be judged. Condemn not: and you shall not be condemned. Forgive: and you shall be forgiven.

38 Give: and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.