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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Sunday Mass Readings For September 23, 2012

"The First Shall Be Last" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Wisdom 2: 12, 17 - 20

12 Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and
he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the
law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life.
17 Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen
to him, and we shall know what his end shall be.
18 For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him
from the hands of his enemies.
19 Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his
meekness and try his patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect
had unto him by his words.

PSALM: Psalms 54: 3 - 8

3 For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after
my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.
4 For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
5 Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in thy truth.
6 I will freely sacrifice to thee, and will give praise, O God, to thy name:
because it is good:
7 For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye hath looked
down upon my enemies.

SECOND READING: James 3: 16 - 4: 3

16 For where envying and contention is: there is inconstancy and every evil
work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable,
modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and
good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation.
18 And the fruit of justice is sown in peace, to them that make peace.
1 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence,
from your concupiscences, which war in your members?
2 You covet, and have not: you kill and envy and cannot obtain. You
contend and war, and you have not: because you ask not.
3 You ask and receive not: because you ask amiss, that you may consume it
on your concupiscences.

GOSPEL: Mark 9: 30 - 37

30 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee: and he would
not that any man should know it.
31 And he taught his disciples and said to them: The Son of man shall be
betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is
killed, he shall rise again the third day.
32 But they understood not the word: and they were afraid to ask him.
33 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he
asked them: What did you treat of in the way?
34 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among
themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
35 And sitting down, he called the twelve and saith to them: If any man
desire to be first, he shall be the last of all and be minister of all.
36 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had
embraced, he saith to them:
37 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name receiveth me.
And whosoever shall receive me receiveth not me but him that sent me. 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Mass Readings For Saturday, September 22, 2012

"The Sower" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: 1 Corinthians 15: 35 - 37, 42 - 49

35 But some man will say: How do the dead rise again? Or with what manner of body shall they come?
36 Senseless man, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die first.
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be: but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption: it shall rise in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonour: it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness: it shall rise in power.
44 It is sown a natural body: it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written:
45 The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit.
46 Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural: afterwards that which is spiritual.
47 The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly.
48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

PSALM: Psalms 56: 10 - 14

10 In God will I praise the word, in the Lord will I praise his speech.
11 In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do to me.
12 In me, O God, are vows to thee, which I will pay, praises to thee:
13 Because thou hast delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

GOSPEL: Luke 8: 4 - 15

4 And when a very great multitude was gathered together, and hastened out of the cities unto him, he spoke by a similitude.
5 The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
7 And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it.
8 And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.
10 To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 And they by the way side are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved.
13 Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit.
15 But that on the good ground, are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.