Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, December 29, 2011

Optional Memorial Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

FIRST READING: 1 John 2: 3 - 11

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3 And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:

6 he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

9 He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still.

10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in it there is no cause for stumbling.

11 But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

PSALM: Psalms 96: 1 - 3, 5 - 6

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1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens.

6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

GOSPEL: Luke 2: 22 - 35

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22 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,

28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;

30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation

31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel."

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him;

34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against

35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."

Daily Mass Readings for Wednsday, December 28, 2011

"The Massacre of the Innocents" by James Tissot

Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

FIRST READING: 1 John 1: 5 -- 2: 2

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5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth;

7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

2 and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

PSALM: Psalms 124: 2 - 5, 7 - 8

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2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us,

3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;

4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;

5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.

7 We have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!

8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

GOSPEL: Matthew 2: 13 - 18

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13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."

14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,

15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more."