Daily Mass Readings

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, March 01, 2012

FIRST READING: Esther C: 12, 14 - 16, 23 - 25

Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord.

She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said: "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,

for I am taking my life in my hand.

As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O Lord, always free those who are pleasing to you.

Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord, my God. "And now, come to help me, an orphan.

Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.

Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.

PSALM: Psalms 138: 1 - 3, 7 - 8

1 I give thee thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise;

2 I bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness; for thou hast exalted above everything thy name and thy word.

3 On the day I called, thou didst answer me, my strength of soul thou didst increase.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou dost preserve my life; thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand delivers me.

8 The LORD will fulfil his purpose for me; thy steadfast love, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of thy hands.

GOSPEL: Matthew 7: 7 - 12

7 "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Steve Smith

I am a 68 year old single man from the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, February 29, 2012

FIRST READING: Jonah 3: 1 - 10

1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,

2 "Arise, go to Nin'eveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you."

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nin'eveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nin'eveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.

4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he cried, "Yet forty days, and Nin'eveh shall be overthrown!"

5 And the people of Nin'eveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 Then tidings reached the king of Nin'eveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And he made proclamation and published through Nin'eveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water,

8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands.

9 Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?"

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.

PSALM: Psalms 51: 3 - 4, 12 - 13, 18 - 19

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.

12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.

18 Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

19 then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.

GOSPEL: Luke 11: 29 - 32

29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin'eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.

31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

32 The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.