Please Note

Whenever you use the links on my blog's to make purchases, such as from Mystic Monk Coffee, CCleaner, and others, I earn a small commission. This commission does not have any effect on your costs.


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Mass Readings For Thursday, March 14, 2013

"With Passover Approaching, Jesus Goes Up to Jerusalem" -- by James Tissot


FIRST READING: Exodus 32: 7 - 14

7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned.
8 They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
9 And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked:
10 Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to you seed, and you shall possess it for ever.
14 And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.

PSALM: Psalms 106: 19 - 23

19 They made also a calf in Horeb: and they adored the graven thing.
20 And they changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.
21 They forgot God, who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Cham: terrible things in the Red Sea.
23 And he said that he would destroy them: had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach: To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

GOSPEL: John 5: 31 - 47

31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
33 You sent to John, and he gave testimony to the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but I say these things, that you may be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining light: and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have a greater testimony than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to perfect; the works themselves, which I do, give testimony of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37 And the Father himself who hath sent me, hath given testimony of me: neither have you heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And you have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him you believe not.
39 Search the scriptures, for you think in them to have life everlasting; and the same are they that give testimony of me.
40 And you will not come to me that you may have life.
41 I receive glory not from men.
42 But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you.
43 I am come in the name of my Father, and you receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive.
44 How can you believe, who receive glory one from another: and the glory which is from God alone, you do not seek?
45 Think not that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you, Moses, in whom you trust.
46 For if you did believe Moses, you would perhaps believe me also; for he wrote of me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Mass Readings For Wednesday, March 13, 2013



FIRST READING: Isaiah 49: 8 - 15

8 Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have helped thee: and I have preserved thee, and given thee to be a covenant of the people, that thou mightest raise up the earth, and possess the inheritances that were destroyed:
9 That thou mightest say to them that are bound: Come forth: and to them that are in darkness: shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in every plain.
10 They shall not hunger, nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun strike them: for he that is merciful to them, shall be their shepherd, and at the fountains of waters he shall give them drink.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my paths shall be exalted.
12 Behold these shall come from afar, and behold these from the north and from the sea, and these from the south country.
13 Give praise, O ye heavens, and rejoice, O earth, ye mountains, give praise with jubilation: because the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy on his poor ones.
14 And Sion said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee.

PSALM: Psalms 145: 8 - 9, 13 - 14, 17 - 18

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy.
9 The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
13 Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages: and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words: and holy in all his works.
14 The Lord lifteth up all that fall: and setteth up all that are cast down.
17 The Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works.
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth.

GOSPEL: John 5: 17 - 30

17 But Jesus answered them: My Father worketh until now; and I work.
18 Hereupon therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he did not only break the sabbath, but also said God was his Father, making himself equal to God.
19 Then Jesus answered, and said to them: Amen, amen, I say unto you, the Son cannot do any thing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doth, these the Son also doth in like manner.
20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things which himself doth: and greater works than these will he shew him, that you may wonder.
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth life: so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.
22 For neither doth the Father judge any man, but hath given all judgment to the Son.
23 That all men may honour the Son, as they honour the Father. He who honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father, who hath sent him.
24 Amen, amen I say unto you, that he who heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath life everlasting; and cometh not into judgment, but is passed from death to life.
25 Amen, amen I say unto you, that the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself, so he hath given the Son also to have life in himself:
27 And he hath given him power to do judgment, because he is the Son of man.
28 Wonder not at this; for the hour cometh, wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God.
29 And they that have done good things, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.
30 I cannot of myself do any thing. As I hear, so I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.


Monday, March 11, 2013

Mass Readings For Tuesday, March 12, 2013

"The Piscina Probatica or Pool of Bethesda" -- by James Tissot (left) "The Man with an Infirmity of Thirty-Eight Years" -- by James Tissot (right)


FIRST READING: Ezekiel 47: 1 - 9, 12

1 And he brought me again to the gate of the house, and behold waters issued out from under the threshold of the house toward the east: for the forefront, of the house looked toward the east: but the waters came down to the right side of the temple to the south part of the altar.
2 And he led me out by the way of the north gate, and he caused me to turn to the way without the outward gate to the way that looked toward the east: and behold there ran out waters on the right side.
3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went out towards the east, he measured a thousand cubits: and he brought me through the water up to the ankles.
4 And again he measured a thousand, and he brought me through the water up to the knees.
5 And he measured a thousand, and he brought me through the water up to the loins. And he measured a thousand, and it was a torrent, which I could not pass over: for the waters were risen so as to make a deep torrent, which could not be passed over.
6 And he said to me: Surely thou hast seen, O son of man. And he brought me out, and he caused me to turn to the bank of the torrent.
7 And when I had turned myself, behold on the bank of the torrent were very many trees on both sides.
8 And he said to me: These waters that issue forth toward the hillocks of sand to the east, and go down to the plains of the desert, shall go into the sea, and shall go out, and the waters shall be healed.
9 And every living creature that creepeth whithersoever the torrent shall come, shall live: and there shall be fishes in abundance after these waters shall come thither, and they shall be healed, and all things shall live to which the torrent shall come.
12 And by the torrent on the banks thereof on both sides shall grow all trees that bear fruit: their leaf shall not fall off, and their fruit shall not fail: every month shall they bring forth firstfruits, because the waters thereof shall issue out of the sanctuary: and the fruits thereof shall be for food, and the leaves thereof for medicine.

PSALM: Psalms 46: 2 - 3, 5 - 6, 8 - 9

2 Therefore we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled; and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea.
3 Their waters roared and were troubled: the mountains were troubled with his strength.
5 God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved: God will help it in the morning early.
6 Nations were troubled, and kingdoms were bowed down: he uttered his voice, the earth trembled.
8 The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.
9 Come and behold ye the works of the Lord: what wonders he hath done upon earth.

GOSPEL: John 5: 1 - 16

1 After these things was a festival day of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem a pond, called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered; waiting for the moving of the water.
4 And an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water, was made whole, of whatsoever infirmity he lay under.
5 And there was a certain man there, that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity.
6 Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, he saith to him: Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The infirm man answered him: Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond. For whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed, and walked. And it was the sabbath that day.
10 The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed.
11 He answered them: He that made me whole, he said to me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 They asked him therefore: Who is that man who said to thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 But he who was healed, knew not who it was; for Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place.
14 Afterwards, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee.
15 The man went his way, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus who had made him whole.
16 Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.


Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Mass Readings For Thursday, March 07, 2013




FIRST READING: Jeremiah 7: 23 - 28

23 But this thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people: and walk ye in all the way that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.
24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear: but walked in their own will, and in the perversity of their wicked heart: and went backward and not forward,
25 From the day that their fathers came out of the land of Egypt, even to this day. And I have sent to you all my servants the prophets from day to day, rising up early and sending.
26 And they have not hearkened to me: nor inclined their ear: but have hardened their neck, and have done worse than their fathers.
27 And thou shalt speak to them all these words, but they will not hearken to thee: and thou shalt call them, but they will not answer thee.
28 And thou shalt say to them: This is a nation which hath not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, nor received instruction: Faith is lost, and is carried away out of their mouth.

PSALM: Psalms 95: 1 - 2, 6 - 9

1 Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
6 Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us.
7 For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
9 As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.

GOSPEL: Luke 11: 14 - 23

14 And he was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb: and when he had cast out the devil, the dumb spoke: and the multitudes were in admiration at it:
15 But some of them said: He casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils.
16 And others tempting, asked of him a sign from heaven.
17 But he seeing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself, shall be brought to desolation, and house upon house shall fall.
18 And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because you say, that through Beelzebub I cast out devils.
19 Now if I cast out devils by Beelzebub; by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
20 But if I by the finger of God cast out devils; doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesseth.
22 But if a stronger than he come upon him, and overcome him; he will take away all his armour wherein he trusted, and will distribute his spoils.
23 He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.