Mass Readings For Friday, January 18, 2013

"The Palsied Man Let Down through the Roof" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Hebrews 4: 1 - 5, 11

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1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it.

2 For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers.

3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, `They shall never enter my rest, '"although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

5 And again in this place he said, "They shall never enter my rest."

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.

PSALM: Psalms 78: 3, 4, 6 - 8

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3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought.

6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

GOSPEL: Mark 2: 1 - 12

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1 And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.

3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,

7 "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts?

9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?

10 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he said to the paralytic --

11 "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."

12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Mass Readings For Thursday, January 17, 2013

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

FIRST READING: Hebrews 3: 7 - 14

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7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, when you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9 where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.

10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, `They always go astray in their hearts; they have not known my ways.'

11 As I swore in my wrath, `They shall never enter my rest.'"

12 Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today, " that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.

PSALM: Psalms 95: 6 - 11

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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.

10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who err in heart, and they do not regard my ways."

11 Therefore I swore in my anger that they should not enter my rest.

GOSPEL: Mark 1: 40 - 45

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40 And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."

41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean."

42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

43 And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once,

44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."

45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

Mass Readings For Wednesday, January 16, 2013

"All the City Was Gathered at His Door" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Hebrews 2: 14 - 18

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14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.

16 For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham.

17 Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people.

18 For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

PSALM: Psalms 105: 1 - 4, 6 - 9

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1 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works!

3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

4 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

9 the covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac.

GOSPEL: Mark 1: 29 - 39

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29 And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her.

31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.

33 And the whole city was gathered together about the door.

34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.

36 And Simon and those who were with him pursued him,

37 and they found him and said to him, "Every one is searching for you."

38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out."

39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Mass Readings For Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"The Possessed Man in the Synagogue" -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Hebrews 2: 5 - 12

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5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.

6 It has been testified somewhere, "What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him?

7 Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor,

8 putting everything in subjection under his feet."Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

9 But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 saying, "I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee."

PSALM: Psalms 8: 2, 5 - 9

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2 by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.

6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea.

9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

GOSPEL: Mark 1: 21 - 28

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21 And they went into Caper'na-um; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit;

24 and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"

26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."

28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.