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Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, October 02, 2013




FIRST READING: Nehemiah 2: 1 - 8

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king: that wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king: and I was as one languishing away before his face.
2 And the king said to me: Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou dost not appear to be sick? this is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in thy heart. And I was seized with an exceeding great fear:
3 And I said to the king: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchres of my fathers is desolate, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire?
4 Then the king said to me: For what dost thou make request? And I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 And I said to the king: If it seem good to the king, and if thy servant hath found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me into Judea to the city of the sepulchre of my father, and I will build it.
6 And the king said to me, and the queen that sat by him: For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king, and he sent me: and I fixed him a time.
7 And I said to the king: If it seem good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors of the country beyond the river, that they convey me over, till I come into Judea:
8 And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, to give me timber that I may cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I shall enter into. And the king gave me according to the good hand of my God with me.

PSALM: Psalms 137: 1 - 6

1 Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept: when we remembered Sion:
2 On the willows in the midst thereof we hung up our instruments.
3 For there they that led us into captivity required of us the words of songs. And they that carried us away, said: Sing ye to us a hymn of the songs of Sion.
4 How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten.
6 Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee: If I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my joy.

GOSPEL: Matthew 18: 1 - 5, 10

1 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them,
3 And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

10 See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Catholic Mass Readings For Tuesday, October 01, 2013




FIRST READING: Zechariah 8: 20 - 23

20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, until people come, and dwell in many cities,
21 And the inhabitants go one to another, saying: Let us go, and entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts: I also will go.
22 And many peoples, and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the face of the Lord.
23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: In those days, wherein ten men of all languages of the Gentiles shall take hold, and shall hold fast the shirt of one that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

PSALM: Psalms 87: 1 - 7

1 The foundations thereof are in the holy mountains:
2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sion above all the tabernacles of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of thee, O city of God.
4 I will be mindful of Rahab and of Babylon knowing me. Behold the foreigners, and Tyre, and the people of the Ethiopians, these were there.
5 Shall not Sion say: This man and that man is born in her? and the Highest himself hath founded her.
6 The Lord shall tell in his writings of peoples and of princes, of them that have been in her.
7 The dwelling in thee is as it were of all rejoicing.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 51 - 56

51 And it came to pass, when the days of his assumption were accomplishing, that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
52 And he sent messengers before his face; and going, they entered into a city of the Samaritans, to prepare for him.
53 And they received him not, because his face was of one going to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John had seen this, they said: Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?
55 And turning, he rebuked them, saying: You know not of what spirit you are.
56 The Son of man came not to destroy souls, but to save. And they went into another town.


Sunday, September 29, 2013

Catholic Mass Readings For Monday, September 30, 2013

Luke 9: 46 - 50
"The First Shall Be Last" -- by James Tissot (1886-1896) [Click image for full size view]



FIRST READING: Zechariah 8: 1 - 8

1 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying:
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I have been jealous for Sion with a great jealousy, and with a great indignation have I been jealous for her.
3 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am returned to Sion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called The city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, The sanctified mountain.
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem: and every man with his staff in his hand through multitude of days.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls, playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: If it seem hard in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days: shall it be hard in my eyes, saith the Lord of hosts?
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold I will save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the going down of the sun.
8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and in justice.

PSALM: Psalms 102: 16 - 21, 29, 22 - 23

16 For the Lord hath built up Sion: and he shall be seen in his glory.
17 He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he hath not despised their petition.
18 Let these things be written unto another generation: and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord:
19 Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary: from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.
20 That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters: that he might release the children of the slain:
21 That they may declare the name of the Lord in Sion: and his praise in Jerusalem;
29 The children of thy servants shall continue: and their seed shall be directed for ever.
22 When the people assemble together, and kings, to serve the Lord.
23 He answered him in the way of his strength: Declare unto me the fewness of my days.

GOSPEL: Luke 9: 46 - 50

46 And there entered a thought into them, which of them should be greater.
47 But Jesus seeing the thoughts of their heart, took a child and set him by him,
48 And said to them: Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth him that sent me. For he that is the lesser among you all, he is the greater.
49 And John, answering, said: Master, we saw a certain man casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us.
50 And Jesus said to him: Forbid him not; for he that is not against you, is for you.


Saturday, September 28, 2013

Sunday Catholic Mass Readings For September 29, 2013

Luke 16: 19 - 31
"The Poor Lazarus at the Rich Man’s Door" -- by James Tissot (1886-1894) [Click image to view full size]

FIRST READING: Amos 6: 1, 4 - 7

1 Woe to you that are wealthy in Sion, and to you that have confidence in the mountain of Samaria: ye great men, heads of the people, that go in with state into the house of Israel.
4 You that sleep upon beds of ivory, and are wanton on your couches: that eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the herd;
5 You that sing to the sound of the psaltery: they have thought themselves to have instruments of music like David;
6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best ointments: and they are not concerned for the affliction of Joseph.
7 Wherefore now they shall go captive at the head of them that go into captivity: and the faction of the luxurious ones shall be taken away.

PSALM: Psalms 146: 7 - 10

7 Who keepeth truth for ever: who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong: who giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth them that are fettered:
8 The Lord enlighteneth the blind. The Lord lifteth up them that are cast down: the Lord loveth the just.
9 The Lord keepeth the strangers, he will support the fatherless and the widow: and the ways of sinners he will destroy.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever: thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation.

SECOND READING: 1 Timothy 6: 11 - 16

11 But thou, O man of God, fly these things: and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith: lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast confessed a good confession before many witnesses.
13 I charge thee before God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate, a good confession,
14 That thou keep the commandment without spot, blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Which in his times he shall shew who is the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and empire everlasting. Amen.

GOSPEL: Luke 16: 19 - 31

19 There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen; and feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores,
21 Desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover the dogs came, and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell.
23 And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom:
24 And he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame.
25 And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazareth evil things, but now he is comforted; and thou art tormented.
26 And besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you, cannot, nor from thence come hither.
27 And he said: Then, father, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren,
28 That he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments.
29 And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 But he said: No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance.
31 And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.