Mass Readings For Monday, February 11, 2013

"The Sick Awaiting the Passage of Jesus"  -- by James Tissot

Our Lady of Lourdes (Optional Memorial)

FIRST READING: Genesis 1: 1 - 19

---

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

6 And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

7 And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.

10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so.

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,

15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so.

16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth,

18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

PSALM: Psalms 104: 1 - 2, 5 - 6, 10, 12, 24, 35

---

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, thou art very great! Thou art clothed with honor and majesty,

2 who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent,

5 Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be shaken.

6 Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

10 Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,

12 By them the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.

24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures.

35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 53 - 56

---

53 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennes'aret, and moored to the shore.

54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him,

55 and ran about the whole neighborhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was.

56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

Sunday Mass Readings For February 10, 2013

"Jesus Preaches in a Ship" (top) & "The Miraculous Draught of Fishes" (bottom) -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Isaiah 6: 1 - 2, 3 - 8

---

1 In the year that King Uzzi'ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.

2 Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

6 Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven."

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

PSALM: Psalms 138: 1 - 5, 7 - 8

---

1 I give thee thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise;

2 I bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness; for thou hast exalted above everything thy name and thy word.

3 On the day I called, thou didst answer me, my strength of soul thou didst increase.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, for they have heard the words of thy mouth;

5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou dost preserve my life; thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand delivers me.

8 The LORD will fulfil his purpose for me; thy steadfast love, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of thy hands.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15: 1 - 11 Or 15: 3 - 8, 11

---

1 Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand,

2 by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit 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 toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Or

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

GOSPEL: Luke 5: 1 - 11

---

1 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret.

2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

5 And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."

6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking,

7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men."

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Mass Readings For Saturday, February 09, 2013

"Jesus Commands the Apostles to Rest" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Hebrews 13: 15 - 17, 20 - 21

---

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

PSALM: Psalms 23: 1 - 6

---

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;

2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;

3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 30 - 34

---

30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.

33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.

34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Mass Readings For Friday, February 08, 2013

"The Daughter of Herodias Dancing" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Hebrews 13: 1 - 8

---

1 Let brotherly love continue.

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body.

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous.

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you."

6 Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?"

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

PSALM: Psalms 27: 1, 3, 5, 8 - 9

---

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?

3 Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will set me high upon a rock.

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!

GOSPEL: Mark 6: 14 - 29

---

14 King Herod heard of it; for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him."

15 But others said, "It is Eli'jah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

16 But when Herod heard of it he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

17 For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her.

18 For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 And Hero'di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,

20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee.

22 For when Hero'di-as' daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it."

23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom."

24 And she went out, and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer."

25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.

27 And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,

28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.