Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

FIRST READING: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

---

14 And Nabuchodonosor the king spoke to them, and said: Is it true, O Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, that you do not worship my gods, nor adore the golden statue that I have set up?

15 Now therefore if you be ready at what hour soever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, harp, sackbut, and psaltery, and symphony, and of all kind of music, prostrate yourselves, and adore the statue which I have made: but if you do not adore, you shall be cast the same hour into the furnace of burning fire: and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand?

16 Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago answered and said to king Nabuchodonosor: We have no occasion to answer thee concerning this matter.

17 For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of burning fire, and to deliver us out of thy hands, O king.

18 But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up.

19 Then was Nabuchodonosor filled with fury: and the countenance of his face was changed against Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times more than it had been accustomed to be heated.

20 And he commanded the strongest men that were in his army, to bind the feet of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and to cast them into the furnace of burning fire.

91 Then Nabuchodonosor the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and said to his nobles: Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered the king, and said: True, O king.

92 He answered, and said: Behold I see four men loose, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt in them, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

95 Then Nabuchodonosor breaking forth, said: Blessed be the God of them, to wit, of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that believed in him: and they changed the king's word, and delivered up their bodies that they might not serve, nor adore any god, except their own God.

PSALM: Daniel 3:52-56

---

52 Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of our fathers: and worthy to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all for ever: and blessed is the holy name of thy glory: and worthy to be praised, and exalted above all in all ages.

53 Blessed art thou in the holy temple of thy glory: and exceedingly to be praised, and exceeding glorious for ever.

54 Blessed art thou on the throne of thy kingdom, and exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all for ever.

55 Blessed art thou, that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims: and worthy to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

56 Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and worthy of praise, and glorious for ever.

GOSPEL: John 8:31-42

---

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews, who believed him: If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed.

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

33 They answered him: We are the seed of Abraham, and we have never been slaves to any man: how sayest thou: you shall be free?

34 Jesus answered them: Amen, amen I say unto you: that whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin.

35 Now the servant abideth not in the house for ever; but the son abideth for ever.

36 If therefore the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

37 I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do the things that you have seen with your father.

39 They answered, and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith to them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham.

40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have heard of God. This Abraham did not.

41 You do the works of your father. They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God.

42 Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded, and came; for I came not of myself, but he sent me.

Daily Mass Readings for Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

FIRST READING: Numbers 21:4-9

---

4 And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:

5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.

6 Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them.

7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said to him: Make brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.

9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

PSALM: Psalms 102:2-3, 16-21

---

2 Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.

3 Turn not away thy face from me: in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.

16 And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

17 For the Lord hath built up Sion: and he shall be seen in his glory.

18 He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he hath not despised their petition.

19 Let these things be written unto another generation: and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord:

20 Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary: from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.

21 That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters: that he might release the children of the slain.

GOSPEL: John 8:21-30

---

21 Again therefore Jesus said to them: I go, and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come.

22 The Jews therefore said: Will he kill himself, because he said: Whither I go, you cannot come?

23 And he said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.

24 Therefore I said to you, that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sin.

25 They said therefore to him: Who art thou? Jesus said to them: The beginning, who also speak unto you.

26 Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But he that sent me, is true: and the things I have heard of him, these same I speak in the world.

27 And they understood not, that he called God his Father.

28 Jesus therefore said to them: When you shall have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know, that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father hath taught me, these things I speak:

29 And he that sent me, is with me, and he hath not left me alone: for I do always the things that please him.

30 When he spoke these things, many believed in him.

Daily Mass Readings for Monday, March 19, 2018

Monday of the Fifth Week in Lent

Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16

---

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?

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.

16 And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.

PSALM: Psalms 89:2-5, 27, 29

---

2 The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. I will shew forth thy truth with my mouth to generation and generation.

3 For thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up for ever in the heavens: thy truth shall be prepared in them.

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.

29 I will keep my mercy for him for ever: and my covenant faithful to him.

SECOND READING: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22

---

13 For not through the law was the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world; but through the justice of faith.

16 Therefore is it of faith, that according to grace the promise might be firm to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written: I have made thee a father of many nations,) before God, whom he believed, who quickeneth the dead; and calleth those things that are not, as those that are.

18 Who against hope believed in hope; that he might be made the father of many nations, according to that which was said to him: So shall thy seed be.

22 And therefore it was reputed to him unto justice.

GOSPEL: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24

---

16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

18 Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.

19 Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins.

24 And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.

OR

GOSPEL: Luke 2:41-51

---

41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch,

42 And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,

43 And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.

44 And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance.

45 And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.

46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions.

47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.

48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49 And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business?

50 And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them.

51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.

Sunday Mass Readings for March 18, 2018

"The Voice from on High"
-- by James Tissot

Fifth Sunday of Lent

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 31:31-34

---

31 Behold the days shall come, saith the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda:

32 Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt: the covenant which they made void, and I had dominion over them, saith the Lord.

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: Know the Lord: for all shall know me from the least of them even to the greatest, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

PSALM: Psalms 51:3-4, 12-15

---

3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

4 Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

12 Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.

13 Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

14 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

15 I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.

SECOND READING: Hebrews 5:7-9

---

7 Who in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offering up prayers and supplications to him that was able to save him from death, was heard for his reverence.

8 And whereas indeed he was the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things which he suffered:

9 And being consummated, he became, to all that obey him, the cause of eternal salvation.

GOSPEL: John 12:20-33

---

20 Now there were certain Gentiles among them, who came up to adore on the festival day.

21 These therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying: Sir, we would see Jesus.

22 Philip cometh, and telleth Andrew. Again Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying: The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24 Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die,

25 Itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal.

26 If any man minister to me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my minister be. If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour.

27 Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause I came unto this hour.

28 Father, glorify thy name. A voice therefore came from heaven: I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29 The multitude therefore that stood and heard, said that it thundered. Others said: An angel spoke to him.

30 Jesus answered, and said: This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.

33 (Now this he said, signifying what death he should die.)