Catholic Mass Readings For Saturday, February 22, 2014

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

FIRST READING: 1 Peter 5: 1 - 4

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1 The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech, who am myself also an ancient, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake, but voluntarily:

3 Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart.

4 And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.

PSALM: Psalms 23: 1 - 6

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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: Matthew 16: 13 - 19

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13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Catholic Mass Readings For Friday, February 21, 2014

Note: This post is late due to an area wide internet and telephone outage. I apologize for the delay.

FIRST READING: James 2: 14 - 24, 26

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14 What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?

15 And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food:

16 And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?

17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

18 But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.

19 Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God.

24 Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?

26 For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.

PSALM: Psalms 112: 1 - 6

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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.

3 Glory and wealth shall be in his house: and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.

4 To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness: he is merciful, and compassionate and just.

5 Acceptable is the man that sheweth mercy and lendeth: he shall order his words with judgment:

6 Because he shall not be moved for ever.

GOSPEL: Mark 8: 34 -- 9: 1

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34 And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

35 For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel, shall save it.

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?

37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

38 For he that shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation: the Son of man also will be ashamed of him, when he shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

1 And he said to them: Amen I say to you, that there are some of them that stand here, who shall not taste death, till they see the kingdom of God coming in power.

Catholic Mass Readings For Thursday, February 20, 2014

"The Primacy of Saint Peter" (top) and "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: James 2: 1 - 9

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1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with respect of persons.

2 For if there shall come into your assembly a man having a golden ring, in fine apparel, and there shall come in also a poor man in mean attire,

3 And you have respect to him that is clothed with the fine apparel, and shall say to him: Sit thou here well; but say to the poor man: Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool:

4 Do you not judge within yourselves, and are become judges of unjust thoughts?

5 Hearken, my dearest brethren: hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him?

6 But you have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you by might? and do not they draw you before the judgment seats?

7 Do not they blaspheme the good name that is invoked upon you?

8 If then you fulfill the royal law, according to the scriptures, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; you do well.

9 But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin, being reproved by the law as transgressors.

PSALM: Psalms 34: 2 - 7

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2 I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.

3 In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice.

4 O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol his name together.

5 I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my troubles.

6 Come ye to him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be confounded.

7 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.

GOSPEL: Mark 8: 27 - 33

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27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And in the way, he asked his disciples, saying to them: Whom do men say that I am?

28 Who answered him, saying: John the Baptist; but some Elias, and others as one of the prophets.

29 Then he saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Peter answering said to him: Thou art the Christ.

30 And he strictly charged them that they should not tell any man of him.

31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the ancients and by the high priests, and the scribes, and be killed: and after three days rise again.

32 And he spoke the word openly. And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him.

33 Who turning about and seeing his disciples, threatened Peter, saying: Go behind me, Satan, because thou savorest not the things that are of God, but that are of men.

Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, February 19, 2014

FIRST READING: James 1: 19 - 27

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19 You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger.

20 For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God.

21 Wherefore casting away all uncleanness, and abundance of naughtiness, with meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass.

24 For he beheld himself, and went his way, and presently forgot what manner of man he was.

25 But he that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and hath continued therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

27 Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation: and to keep one's self unspotted from this world.

PSALM: Psalms 15: 2 - 5

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2 He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:

3 He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.

4 In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not;

5 He that hath not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent: He that doth these things shall not be moved for ever.

GOSPEL: Mark 8: 22 - 26

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22 And they came to Bethsaida; and they bring to him a blind man, and they besought him that he would touch him.

23 And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the town; and spitting upon his eyes, laying his hands on him, he asked him if he saw any thing.

24 And looking up, he said: I see men as it were trees, walking.

25 After that again he laid his hands upon his eyes, and he began to see, and was restored, so that he saw all things clearly.

26 And he sent him into his house, saying: Go into thy house, and if thou enter into the town, tell nobody.