Mass Readings for Wednesday January 31, 2007

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest

Reading 1

Heb 12:4-7, 11-15

Brothers and sisters:In your struggle against sinyou have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lordor lose heart when reproved by him;for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;he scourges every son he acknowledges.Endure your trials as "discipline";God treats you as his sons.For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousnessto those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.Make straight paths for your feet,that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

Strive for peace with everyone,and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God,that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble,through which many may become defiled.

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Responsorial Psalm

Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a

R. (see 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits.

R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,

For he knows how we are formed;

he remembers that we are dust.

R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity

to eternity toward those who fear him,

And his justice toward children’s children

among those who keep his covenant.

R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

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Gospel

Mk 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?"And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them,"A prophet is not without honor except in his native placeand among his own kin and in his own house."So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.He was amazed at their lack of faith.

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Mass Readings for Tuesday January 30, 2007

Reading 1

Heb 12:1-4

Brothers and sisters:Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to usand persevere in running the race that lies before uswhile keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,the leader and perfecter of faith.For the sake of the joy that lay before himJesus endured the cross, despising its shame,and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.In your struggle against sinyou have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

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Responsorial Psalm

Ps 22:26b-27, 28, and 30, 31-32

R. (see 27b) They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.

The lowly shall eat their fill;

they who seek the LORD shall praise him:

“May your hearts be ever merry!”

R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

All the ends of the earth

shall remember and turn to the LORD;

All the families of the nations

shall bow down before him.

To him alone shall bow down

all who sleep in the earth;

Before him shall bend

all who go down into the dust.

R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

And to him my soul shall live;

my descendants shall serve him.

Let the coming generation be told of the LORD

that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born

the justice he has shown.

R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

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Gospel

Mk 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,"My daughter is at the point of death.Please, come lay your hands on herthat she may get well and live."He went off with himand a large crowd followed him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctorsand had spent all that she had.Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowdand touched his cloak.She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."Immediately her flow of blood dried up.She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"But his disciples said to him,"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,and yet you ask, Who touched me?"And he looked around to see who had done it.The woman, realizing what had happened to her,approached in fear and trembling.She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."

While he was still speaking,people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"Disregarding the message that was reported,Jesus said to the synagogue official,"Do not be afraid; just have faith."He did not allow anyone to accompany him insideexcept Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion,people weeping and wailing loudly.So he went in and said to them,"Why this commotion and weeping?The child is not dead but asleep."And they ridiculed him.Then he put them all out.He took along the child’s father and motherand those who were with himand entered the room where the child was.He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.At that they were utterly astounded.He gave strict orders that no one should know thisand said that she should be given something to eat.

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Mass Readings for Monday January 29, 2007

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Heb 11:32-40

Brothers and sisters:What more shall I say?I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,of David and Samuel and the prophets,who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises;they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires,escaped the devouring sword;out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle,and turned back foreign invaders.Women received back their dead through resurrection.Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance,in order to obtain a better resurrection.Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment.They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword(s point;they went about in skins of sheep or goats,needy, afflicted, tormented.The world was not worthy of them.They wandered about in deserts and on mountains,in caves and in crevices in the earth.

Yet all these, though approved because of their faith,did not receive what had been promised.God had foreseen something better for us,so that without us they should not be made perfect.

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Responsorial Psalm

Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24

R. (25) Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

How great is the goodness, O LORD,

which you have in store for those who fear you,

And which, toward those who take refuge in you,

you show in the sight of the children of men.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence

from the plottings of men;

You screen them within your abode

from the strife of tongues.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

Blessed be the LORD whose wondrous mercy

he has shown me in a fortified city.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

Once I said in my anguish,

“I am cut off from your sight”;

Yet you heard the sound of my pleading

when I cried out to you.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!

The LORD keeps those who are constant,

but more than requites those who act proudly.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

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Gospel

Mk 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,to the territory of the Gerasenes.When he got out of the boat,at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.The man had been dwelling among the tombs,and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,and no one was strong enough to subdue him.Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsideshe was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,he ran up and prostrated himself before him,crying out in a loud voice,"What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!")He asked him, "What is your name?"

He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us."And he pleaded earnestly with himnot to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.And they pleaded with him,"Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,where they were drowned.The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the townand throughout the countryside.And people came out to see what had happened.As they approached Jesus,they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,sitting there clothed and in his right mind.And they were seized with fear.Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happenedto the possessed man and to the swine.Then they began to beg him to leave their district.As he was getting into the boat,the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,"Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapoliswhat Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

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