Mass Readings for Friday, November 02, 2012

TheCommemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

FIRST READING: Wisdom 3: 1 - 9

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1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.

2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,

3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.

4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.

5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;

6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.

7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.

8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever.

9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

PSALM: Psalms 27: 1, 4, 7 - 9, 13 - 14

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1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!

8 Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, LORD, do I seek."

9 Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation!

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

SECOND READING: Romans 5: 5 - 11

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5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

6 While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.

8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

9 Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

GOSPEL: John 11: 17 - 27

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17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Laz'arus had already been in the tomb four days.

18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,

19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house.

21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

26 and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

Mass Readings for Thursday, November 01, 2012

Solemnity of All Saints

FIRST READING: Revelation 7: 2 - 4, 9 - 14

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2 Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,

3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."

4 And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!"

11 And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?"

14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

PSALM: Psalms 24: 1 - 6

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1 The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein;

2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]

SECOND READING: 1 John 3: 1 - 3

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1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

2 Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

GOSPEL: Matthew 5: 1 - 12

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1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Mass Readings for Wednesday, October 31, 2012

"He Went Through the Villages on the Way to Jerusalem" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Ephesians 6: 1 - 9

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1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a

promise),

3 "that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the

discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and

trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ;

6 not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ,

doing the will of God from the heart,

7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men,

8 knowing that whatever good any one does, he will receive the same again

from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

9 Masters, do the same to them, and forbear threatening, knowing that he who

is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with

him.

PSALM: Psalms 145: 10 - 14

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10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall

bless thee!

11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,

12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious

splendor of thy kingdom.

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures

throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious

in all his deeds.

14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed

down.

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 22 - 30

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22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying

toward Jerusalem.

23 And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And

he said to them,

24 "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter

and will not be able.

25 When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin

to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, `Lord, open to us.' He will

answer you, `I do not know where you come from.'

26 Then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in your presence, and you

taught in our streets.'

27 But he will say, `I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart

from me, all you workers of iniquity!'

28 There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and

Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you

yourselves thrust out.

29 And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit

at table in the kingdom of God.

30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be

last."

Mass Readings for Tuesday, October 30, 2012

FIRST READING: Ephesians 5: 21 - 33

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21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

24 As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

28 Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

29 For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,

30 because we are members of his body.

31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

32 This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;

33 however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

PSALM: Psalms 128: 1 - 5

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1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

GOSPEL: Luke 13: 18 - 21

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18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."

20 And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."