Mass Readings for Thursday, November 29, 2012

FIRST READING: Revelation 18: 1 - 2, 21 - 23; 19: 1 - 3, 9

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1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.

2 And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird;

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So shall Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and shall be found no more;

22 and the sound of harpers and minstrels, of flute players and trumpeters, shall be heard in thee no more; and a craftsman of any craft shall be found in thee no more; and the sound of the millstone shall be heard in thee no more;

23 and the light of a lamp shall shine in thee no more; and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall be heard in thee no more; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth, and all nations were deceived by thy sorcery.

1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2 for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants."

3 Once more they cried, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."

9 And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

PSALM: Psalms 100: 1 - 5

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1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

GOSPEL: Luke 21: 20 - 28

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20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.

21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it;

22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written.

23 Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people;

24 they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25 "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

26 men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Mass Readings for Wednesday, November 28, 2012

FIRST READING: Revelation 15: 1 - 4

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1 Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with

seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.

2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those

who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name,

standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.

3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the

Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages!

4 Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All

nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed."

PSALM: Psalms 98: 1 - 3, 7 - 9

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1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right

hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.

2 The LORD has made known his victory, he has revealed his vindication in

the sight of the nations.

3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!

8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together

9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world

with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

GOSPEL: Luke 21: 12 - 19

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12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you,

delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought

before kings and governors for my name's sake.

13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony.

14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will

be able to withstand or contradict.

16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and

friends, and some of you they will put to death;

17 you will be hated by all for my name's sake.

18 But not a hair of your head will perish.

19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Mass Readings for Tuesday, November 27, 2012

FIRST READING: Revelation 14: 14 - 19

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14 Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.

15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe."

16 So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.

18 Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe."

19 So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

PSALM: Psalms 96: 10 - 13

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10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy

13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

GOSPEL: Luke 21: 5 - 11

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5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,

6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?"

8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.

9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once."

10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;

11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Mass Readings for Monday, November 26, 2012

FIRST READING: Revelation 14: 1 - 5

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1 Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a

hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name

written on their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the

sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing

on their harps,

3 and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living

creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the

hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.

4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste;

it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed

from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb,

5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.

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].

GOSPEL: Luke 21: 1 - 4

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1 He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury;

2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins.

3 And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of

them;

4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put

in all the living that she had."