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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Thursday, February 27, 2014



FIRST READING: James 5: 1 - 6

1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries, which shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted: and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered: and the rust of them shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up to yourselves wrath against the last days.
4 Behold the hire of the labourers, who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 You have feasted upon earth: and in riotousness you have nourished your hearts, in the day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and put to death the Just One, and he resisted you not.

PSALM: Psalms 49: 14 - 20

14 This way of theirs is a stumblingblock to them: and afterwards they shall delight in their mouth.
15 They are laid in hell like sheep: death shall feed upon them. And the just shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their help shall decay in hell from their glory.
16 But God will redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when he shall receive me.
17 Be not thou afraid, when a man shall be made rich, and when the glory of his house shall be increased.
18 For when he shall die he shall take nothing away; nor shall his glory descend with him.
19 For in his lifetime his soul will be blessed: and he will praise thee when thou shalt do well to him.
20 He shall go in to the generations of his fathers: and he shall never see light.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 41 - 50

41 For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
42 And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
45 And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
47 And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire: and every victim shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavoury; wherewith will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, February 26, 2014



FIRST READING: James 4: 13 - 17

13 But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year, and will traffic, and make our gain.
14 Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.
15 For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and if we shall live, we will do this or that.
16 But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.
17 To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.

PSALM: Psalms 49: 2 - 3, 6 - 11

2 Hear these things, all ye nations: give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.
3 All you that are earthborn, and you sons of men: both rich and poor together.
6 Why shall I fear in the evil day? the iniquity of my heel shall encompass me.
7 They that trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude of their riches,
8 No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem: he shall not give to God his ransom,
9 Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for ever,
10 And shall still live unto the end.
11 He shall not see destruction, when he shall see the wise dying: the senseless and the fool shall perish together: And they shall leave their riches to strangers.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 38 - 40

38 John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him.
39 But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name, and can soon speak ill of me.
40 For he that is not against you, is for you.


Monday, February 24, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Tuesday, February 25, 2014

"The First Shall Be Last" -- by James Tissot.jpg
"The First Shall Be Last" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: James 4: 1 - 10

1 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?
2 You covet, and have not: you kill, and envy, and can not obtain. You contend and war, and you have not, because you ask not.
3 You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.
4 Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?
6 But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
7 Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.
10 Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

PSALM: Psalms 55: 7 - 11, 23

7 And I said: Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?
8 Lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness.
9 I waited for him that hath saved me from pusillanimity of spirit, and a storm.
10 Cast down, O Lord, and divide their tongues; for I have seen iniquity and contradiction in the city.
11 Day and night shall iniquity surround it upon its walls: and in the midst thereof are labour,
23 Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 30 - 37

30 And he taught his disciples, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.
31 But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.
32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?
33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
34 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.
35 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them:
36 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
37 John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him.


Sunday, February 23, 2014

Catholic Mass Readings For Monday, February 24, 2014

"The Possessed Boy at the Foot of Mount Tabor" -- by James Tissot.jpg
"The Possessed Boy at the Foot of Mount Tabor" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: James 3: 13 - 18

13 Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew, by a good conversation, his work in the meekness of wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter zeal, and there be contentions in your hearts; glory not, and be not liars against the truth.
15 For this is not wisdom, descending from above: but earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and contention is, there is inconstancy, and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom, that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation.
18 And the fruit of justice is sown in peace, to them that make peace.

PSALM: Psalms 19: 8 - 10, 15

8 The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.
9 The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes.
10 The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.
15 And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in thy sight. O Lord, my helper, and my redeemer.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 14 - 29

14 And presently all the people seeing Jesus, were astonished and struck with fear; and running to him, they saluted him.
15 And he asked them: What do you question about among you?
16 And one of the multitude, answering, said: Master, I have brought my son to thee, having a dumb spirit.
17 Who, wheresoever he taketh him, dasheth him, and he foameth, and gnasheth with the teeth, and pineth away; and I spoke to thy disciples to cast him out, and they could not.
18 Who answering them, said: O incredulous generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
19 And they brought him. And when he had seen him, immediately the spirit troubled him; and being thrown down upon the ground, he rolled about foaming.
20 And he asked his father: How long time is it since this hath happened unto him? But he said: From his infancy:
21 And oftentimes hath he cast him into the fire and into waters to destroy him. But if thou canst do any thing, help us, having compassion on us.
22 And Jesus saith to him: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
23 And immediately the father of the boy crying out, with tears said: I do believe, Lord: help my unbelief.
24 And when Jesus saw the multitude running together, he threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him: Deaf and dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him; and enter not any more into him.
25 And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead.
26 But Jesus taking him by the hand, lifted him up; and he arose.
27 And when he was come into the house, his disciples secretly asked him: Why could not we cast him out?
28 And he said to them: This kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
29 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee, and he would not that any man should know it.