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Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Mass Readings For Thursday, June 06, 2013


FIRST READING: Tobit 6: 10 - 11; 7: 1, 9 - 17; 8: 4 - 9

10 the angel said to the young man, "Brother, today we shall stay with Raguel. He is your relative, and he has an only daughter named Sarah. I will suggest that she be given to you in marriage,
11 because you are entitled to her and to her inheritance, for you are her only eligible kinsman.
1 When they reached Ecbatana and arrived at the house of Raguel, Sarah met them and greeted them. They returned her greeting, and she brought them into the house.
9 So he communicated the proposal to Raguel. And Raguel said to Tobias, "Eat, drink, and be merry;
10 for it is your right to take my child. But let me explain the true situation to you.
11 I have given my daughter to seven husbands, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present be merry." And Tobias said, "I will eat nothing here until you make a binding agreement with me."
12 So Raguel said, "Take her right now, in accordance with the law. You are her relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will guide you both for the best."
13 Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he gave her to Tobias to be his wife, saying, "Here she is; take her according to the law of Moses, and take her with you to your father." And he blessed them.
14 Next he called his wife Edna, and took a scroll and wrote out the contract; and they set their seals to it.
15 Then they began to eat.
16 And Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, "Sister, make up the other room, and take her into it."
17 so she did as he said, and took her there; and the girl began to weep. But the mother comforted her daughter in her tears.
4 When the door was shut and the two were alone, Tobias got up from the bed and said, "Sister, get up, and let us pray that the Lord may have mercy upon us."
5 And Tobias began to pray, "Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers, and blessed be thy holy and glorious name for ever. Let the heavens and all thy creatures bless thee.
6 Thou madest Adam and gavest him Eve his wife as a helper and support. From them the race of mankind has sprung. Thou didst say, `It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.'
7 And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her."
8 And she said with him, "Amen."
9 Then they both went to sleep for the night. But Raguel arose and went and dug a grave,

PSALM: Psalms 128: 1 - 5

1 Blessed are all they that fear the Lord: that walk in his ways.
2 For thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee.
3 Thy wife as a fruitful vine, on the sides of thy house.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless thee out of Sion: and mayest thou see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 28 - 34

28 And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all.
29 And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him.
33 And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.
34 And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.


Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Mass Readings For Wednesday, June 05, 2013



FIRST READING: Tobit 3: 1 - 11, 16 - 17

1 Then in my grief I wept, and I prayed in anguish, saying,
2 "Righteous art thou, O Lord; all thy deeds and all they ways are mercy and truth, and thou dost render true and righteous judgment for ever.
3 Remember me and look favorably upon me; do not punish me for my sins and for my unwitting offences and those which my fathers committed before thee.
4 For they disobeyed thy commandments, and thou gavest us over to plunder, captivity, and death; thou madest us a byword of reproach in all the nations among which we have been dispersed.
5 And now thy many judgments are true in exacting penalty from me for my sins and those of my fathers, because we did not keep thy commandments. For we did not walk in truth before thee.
6 And now deal with me according to thy pleasure; command my spirit to be taken up, that I may depart and become dust. For it is better for me to die than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and great is the sorrow within me. Command that I now be released from my distress to go to the eternal abode; do not turn thy face away from me."
7 On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was reproached by her father's maids,
8 because she had been given to seven husbands, and the evil demon Asmodeus had slain each of them before he had been with her as his wife. So the maids said to her, "Do you not know that you strangle your husbands? You already have had seven and have had no benefit from any of them.
9 Why do you beat us? If they are dead, go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours!"
10 When she heard these things she was deeply grieved, even to the thought of hanging herself. But she said, "I am the only child of my father; if I do this, it will be a disgrace to him, and I shall bring his old age down in sorrow to the grave.
11 So she prayed by her window and said, "Blessed art thou, O Lord my God, and blessed is thy holy and honored name for ever. May all thy works praise thee for ever.
16 The prayer of both was heard in the presence of the glory of the great God.
17 And Raphael was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit's eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Raguel in marriage to Tobias the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmodeus the evil demon, because Tobias was entitled to possess her. At that very moment Tobit returned and entered his house and Sarah the daughter of Raguel came down from her upper room.

PSALM: Psalms 25: 2 - 9

2 In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.
3 Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded.
4 Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
5 Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long.
6 Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world.
7 The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.
8 The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
9 He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 18 - 27

18 And there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying:
19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.
20 Now there were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue.
21 And the second took her, and died: and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like manner.
22 And the seven all took her in like manner; and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died.
23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answering, saith to them: Do ye not therefore err, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?
25 For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven.
26 And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err.


Mass Readings For Tuesday, June 04, 2013

"The Tribute Money" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Tobit 2: 9 - 14

9 On the same night I returned from burying him, and because I was defiled I slept by the wall of the courtyard, and my face was uncovered.
10 I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall and their fresh droppings fell into my open eyes and white films formed on my eyes. I went to physicians, but they did not help me. Ahikar, however, took care of me until he went to Elymais.
11 Then my wife Anna earned money at women's work.
12 She used to send the product to the owners. Once when they paid her wages, they also gave her a kid;
13 and when she returned to me it began to bleat. So I said to her, "Where did you get the kid? It is not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for it is not right to eat what is stolen."
14 And she said, "It was given to me as a gift in addition to my wages." But I did not believe her, and told her to return it to the owners; and I blushed for her. Then she replied to me, "Where are your charities and your righteous deeds? You seem to know everything!"

PSALM: Psalms 112: 1 - 2, 7 - 9

1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
7 The just shall be in everlasting remembrance: he shall not hear the evil hearing. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord:
8 His heart is strengthened, he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.
9 He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 13 - 17

13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians; that they should catch him in his words.
14 Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and carest not for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar; or shall we not give it?
15 Who knowing their wiliness, saith to them: Why tempt you me? bring me a penny that I may see it.
16 And they brought it him. And he saith to them: Whose is this image and inscription? They say to him, Caesar's.
17 And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.


Sunday, June 02, 2013

Mass Readings For Monday, June 03, 2013

"The Corner Stone" -- by James Tissot


FIRST READING: Tobit 1: 3; 2: 1 - 8

3 I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh.
1 When I arrived home and my wife Anna and my son Tobias were restored to me, at the feast of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of the seven weeks, a good dinner was prepared for me and I sat down to eat.
2 Upon seeing the abundance of food I said to my son, "Go and bring whatever poor man of our brethren you may find who is mindful of the Lord, and I will wait for you."
3 But he came back and said, "Father, one of our people has been strangled and thrown into the market place."
4 So before I tasted anything I sprang up and removed the body to a place of shelter until sunset.
5 And when I returned I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow.
6 Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he said, "Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your festivities into lamentation." And I wept.
7 When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body.
8 And my neighbors laughed at me and said, "He is no longer afraid that he will be put to death for doing this; he once ran away, and here he is burying the dead again!"

PSALM: Psalms 112: 1 - 6

1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the LORD is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered for ever.

GOSPEL: Mark 12: 1 - 12

1 And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.
2 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.
5 And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed.
6 He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
8 And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others.
10 Have you not read this scripture: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner;
11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
12 And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.