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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Thursday, January 30, 2014


FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 7: 18 - 19, 24 - 29

18 And David went in, and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?
19 But yet this hath seemed little in thy sight, O Lord God, unless thou didst also speak of the house of thy servant for a long time to come: for this is the law of Adam, O Lord God.
24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be an everlasting people: and thou, O Lord God, art become their God.
25 And now, O Lord God, raise up for ever the word that thou hast spoken, concerning thy servant and concerning his house: and do as thou hast spoken,
26 That thy name may be magnified for ever, and it may be said: The Lord of hosts is God over Israel. And the house of thy servant David shall be established before the Lord.
27 Because thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, saying: I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer to thee.
28 And now, O Lord God, thou art God, and thy words shall be true: for thou hast spoken to thy servant these good things.
29 And now begin, and bless the house of thy servant, that it may endure for ever before thee: because thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it, and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

PSALM: Psalms 132: 1 - 5, 11 - 14

1 O Lord, remember David, and all his meekness.
2 How he swore to the Lord, he vowed a vow to the God of Jacob:
3 If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house: if I shall go up into the bed wherein I lie:
4 If I shall give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Or rest to my temples: until I find out a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
11 The Lord hath sworn truth to David, and he will not make it void: of the fruit of thy womb I will set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep thy covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them: Their children also for evermore shall sit upon thy throne.
13 For the Lord hath chosen Sion: he hath chosen it for his dwelling.
14 This is my rest for ever and ever: here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.

GOSPEL: Mark 4: 21 - 25

21 And he said to them: Doth a candle come in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be made manifest: neither was it made secret, but that it may come abroad.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he said to them: Take heed what you hear. In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again, and more shall be given to you.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, that also which he hath shall be taken away from him.


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, January 29, 2014

"The Sower" -- by James Tissot
"The Sower" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 7: 4 - 17

4 But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:
5 Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?
6 Whereas I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt even to this day: but have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent.
7 In all the places that I have gone through with all the children of Israel, did ever I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?
8 And now thus shalt thou speak to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: a I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel:
9 And I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before,
11 From the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house.
12 And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.
15 But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before my face.
16 And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

PSALM: Psalms 89: 4 - 5, 27 - 30

4 I have made a covenant with my elect: I have sworn to David my servant:
5 Thy seed will I settle for ever. And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation.
27 He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father: my God, and the support of my salvation.
28 And I will make him my firstborn, high above the kings of the earth.
29 I will keep my mercy for him for ever: and my covenant faithful to him.
30 And I will make his seed to endure for evermore: and his throne as the days of heaven.

GOSPEL: Mark 4: 1 - 20

1 And again he began to teach by the sea side; and a great multitude was gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a ship, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side.
2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine:
3 Hear ye: Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4 And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up.
5 And other some fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and it shot up immediately, because it had no depth of earth.
6 And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And some fell upon good ground; and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased and yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred.
9 And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked him the parable.
11 And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? and how shall you know all parables?
14 He that soweth, soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these likewise are they that are sown on the stony ground: who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17 And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time: and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized.
18 And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word,
19 And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless.
20 And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit, the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred.


Monday, January 27, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Tuesday, January 28, 2014




FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 6: 12 - 15, 17 - 19

12 And it was told king David, that the Lord had blessed Obededom, and all that he had, because of the ark of God. So David went, and brought away the ark of God out of the house of Obededom into the city of David with joy. And there were with David seven choirs, and calves for victims.
13 And when they that carried the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a ram:
14 And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 And David and all the house of Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet.
17 And they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle, which David had pitched for it: and David offered holocausts, and peace offerings before the Lord.
18 And when he had made an end of offering holocausts and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
19 And he distributed to all the multitude of Israel both men and women, to every one, a cake of bread, and a piece of roasted beef, and fine flour fried with oil: and all the people departed every one to his house.

PSALM: Psalms 24: 7 - 10

7 Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.
8 Who is this King of Glory? the Lord who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.
10 Who is this King of Glory? the Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.

GOSPEL: Mark 3: 31 - 35

31 And his mother and his brethren came; and standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32 And the multitude sat about him; and they say to him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33 And answering them, he said: Who is my mother and my brethren?
34 And looking round about on them who sat about him, he saith: Behold my mother and my brethren.
35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother.


Catholic Mass Readings For Monday, January 27, 2014


FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 5: 1 - 7, 10

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron, saying: Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 Moreover yesterday also and the day before, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that did lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee: Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.
3 The ancients also of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David to be king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5 In Hebron he reigned over Juda seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned three and thirty years over all Israel and Juda.
6 And the king and all the men that were with him went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites the inhabitants of the land: and they said to David: Thou shalt not come in hither unless thou take away the blind and the lame that say: David shall not come in hither.
7 But David took the castle of Sion, the same is the city of David.
10 And he went on prospering and growing up, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.

PSALM: Psalms 89: 20 - 22, 25 - 26

20 Then thou spokest in a vision to thy saints, and saidst: I have laid help upon one that is mighty, and have exalted one chosen out of my people.
21 I have found David my servant: with my holy oil I have anointed him.
22 For my hand shall help him: and my arm shall strengthen him.
25 And my truth and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
26 And I will set his hand in the sea; and his right hand in the rivers.

GOSPEL: Mark 3: 22 - 30

22 And the scribes who were come down from Jerusalem, said: He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils he casteth out devils.
23 And after he had called them together, he said to them in parables: How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan be risen up against himself, he is divided, and cannot stand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into the house of a strong man and rob him of his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, and then shall he plunder his house.
28 Amen I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphemies wherewith they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin.
30 Because they said: He hath an unclean spirit.