Sunday Mass Readings For September 23, 2012

"The First Shall Be Last" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Wisdom 2: 12, 17 - 20

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12 Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and

he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the

law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life.

17 Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen

to him, and we shall know what his end shall be.

18 For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him

from the hands of his enemies.

19 Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his

meekness and try his patience.

20 Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect

had unto him by his words.

PSALM: Psalms 54: 3 - 8

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3 For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after

my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.

4 For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.

5 Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in thy truth.

6 I will freely sacrifice to thee, and will give praise, O God, to thy name:

because it is good:

7 For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye hath looked

down upon my enemies.

SECOND READING: James 3: 16 - 4: 3

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16 For where envying and contention is: there is inconstancy and every evil

work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable,

modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and

good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation.

18 And the fruit of justice is sown in peace, to them that make peace.

1 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence,

from your concupiscences, which war in your members?

2 You covet, and have not: you kill and envy and cannot obtain. You

contend and war, and you have not: because you ask not.

3 You ask and receive not: because you ask amiss, that you may consume it

on your concupiscences.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 30 - 37

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30 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee: and he would

not that any man should know it.

31 And he taught his disciples and said to them: The Son of man shall be

betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is

killed, he shall rise again the third day.

32 But they understood not the word: and they were afraid to ask him.

33 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he

asked them: What did you treat of in the way?

34 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among

themselves, which of them should be the greatest.

35 And sitting down, he called the twelve and saith to them: If any man

desire to be first, he shall be the last of all and be minister of all.

36 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had

embraced, he saith to them:

37 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name receiveth me.

And whosoever shall receive me receiveth not me but him that sent me. 

Mass Readings For Saturday, September 22, 2012

"The Sower" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 15: 35 - 37, 42 - 49

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35 But some man will say: How do the dead rise again? Or with what manner of body shall they come?

36 Senseless man, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die first.

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be: but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption: it shall rise in incorruption.

43 It is sown in dishonour: it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness: it shall rise in power.

44 It is sown a natural body: it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written:

45 The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit.

46 Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural: afterwards that which is spiritual.

47 The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly.

48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.

49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

PSALM: Psalms 56: 10 - 14

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10 In God will I praise the word, in the Lord will I praise his speech.

11 In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do to me.

12 In me, O God, are vows to thee, which I will pay, praises to thee:

13 Because thou hast delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

GOSPEL: Luke 8: 4 - 15

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4 And when a very great multitude was gathered together, and hastened out of the cities unto him, he spoke by a similitude.

5 The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

6 And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

7 And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it.

8 And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

9 And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.

10 To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand.

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 And they by the way side are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved.

13 Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit.

15 But that on the good ground, are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.

Mass Readings for Friday, September 21, 2012

"The Calling of Saint Matthew" -- by James Tissot

Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

FIRST READING: Ephesians 4: 1 - 7, 11 - 13

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1 I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called,

2 With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.

3 Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling.

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

7 But to every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.

11 And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors,

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ.

PSALM: Psalms 19: 2 - 5

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2 The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands.

3 Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge.

4 There are no speeches nor languages, where their voices are not heard.

5 Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.

GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 9 - 13

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9 And when Jesus passed on from hence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he saith to him: Follow me. And he rose up and followed him.

10 And it came to pass as he was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.

11 And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners?

12 But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill.

13 Go then and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.

Mass Readings for Thursday, September 20, 2012

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

Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegŏn, Priest and Martyr and Saint Paul Chŏng Hasang, Martyr, and their companions, Martyrs

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 15: 1 - 11

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1 Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand;

2 By which also you are saved, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures:

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures:

5 And that he was seen by Cephas; and after that by the eleven.

6 Then he was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep.

7 After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles.

8 And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace in me hath not been void, but I have laboured more abundantly than all they: yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

11 For whether I, or they, so we preach, and so you have believed.

PSALM: Psalms 118: 1 - 2, 16 - 17, 28

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1 Give praise to Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Let Israel now say that he is good: that his mercy endureth for ever.

16 The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength: the right hand of the Lord hath exulted me: the right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength.

17 I shall not die, but live: and shall declare the works of the Lord.

28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, and I will exalt thee. I will praise thee, because thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

GOSPEL: Luke 7: 36 - 50

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36 And one of the Pharisees desired him to eat with him. And he went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat.

37 And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that he sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment;

38 And standing behind at his feet, she began to wash his feet, with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

39 And the Pharisee, who had invited him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: This man, if he were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, that she is a sinner.

40 And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. But he said: Master, say it.

41 A certain creditor had two debtors, the one who owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42 And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most?

43 Simon answering, said: I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him: Thou hast judged rightly.

44 And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them.

45 Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet.

47 Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.

48 And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee.

49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

50 And he said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.