Mass Readings for Thursday, September 08, 2011

 Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING: Micah 5: 1 - 4 Or Romans 8: 28 - 30

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1 Now you are walled about with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike upon the cheek the ruler of Israel.

2 But you, O Bethlehem Eph'rathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. 

 

Or

28 We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

PSALM: Psalms 13: 6

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6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

GOSPEL: Matthew 1: 1 - 16, 18 - 23 Or Matthew 1: 18 - 23

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1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,

4 and Ram the father of Ammin'adab, and Ammin'adab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5 and Salmon the father of Bo'az by Rahab, and Bo'az the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri'ah,

7 and Solomon the father of Rehobo'am, and Rehobo'am the father of Abi'jah, and Abi'jah the father of Asa,

8 and Asa the father of Jehosh'aphat, and Jehosh'aphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzzi'ah,

9 and Uzzi'ah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezeki'ah,

10 and Hezeki'ah the father of Manas'seh, and Manas'seh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josi'ah,

11 and Josi'ah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni'ah was the father of She-al'ti-el, and She-al'ti-el the father of Zerub'babel,

13 and Zerub'babel the father of Abi'ud, and Abi'ud the father of Eli'akim, and Eli'akim the father of Azor,

14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eli'ud,

15 and Eli'ud the father of Elea'zar, and Elea'zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,

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

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;

19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;

21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). 

 

Or

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;

19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;

21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).

Mass Readings for Monday, September 05, 2011

FIRST READING: Colossians 1: 24 - 2: 3

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24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

25 of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints.

27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28 Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ.

29 For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.

1 For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at La-odicea, and for all who have not seen my face,

2 that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ,

3 in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

PSALM: Psalms 62: 6 - 7, 9

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6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

9 Men of low estate are but a breath, men of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 6 - 11

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6 On another sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered.

7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him.

8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there.

9 And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?"

10 And he looked around on them all, and said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored.

11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Mass Readings for Sunday, September 04, 2011

"Two or Three Gathered in my Name" - James Tissot

FIRST READING: Ezekiel 33: 7 - 9

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7 "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.

8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.

9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

PSALM: Psalms 95: 1 - 2, 6 - 9

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1 O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice!

8 Harden not your hearts, as at Mer'ibah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9 when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

SECOND READING: Romans 13: 8 - 10

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8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

GOSPEL: Matthew 18: 15 - 20

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15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Mass Readings for Saturday, September 03, 2011

 Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING: Colossians 1: 21 - 23

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21 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him,

23 provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

PSALM: Psalms 54: 3 - 4, 6, 8

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3 For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them. [Selah]

4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to thee; I will give thanks to thy name, O LORD, for it is good.

GOSPEL: Luke 6: 1 - 5

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1 On a sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?"

3 And Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?"

5 And he said to them, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath."