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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Sunday Catholic Mass Readings For August 18, 2013



FIRST READING: Jeremiah 38: 4 - 6, 8 - 10

4 And the princes said to the king: We beseech thee that this man may be put to death: for on purpose he weakeneth the hands of the men of war, that remain in this city, and the hands of the people, speaking to them according to these words: for this man seeketh not peace to this people, but evil.
5 And king Sedecias said: Behold he is in your hands: for it is not lawful for the king to deny you any thing.
6 Then they took Jeremias and cast him into the dungeon of Melchias the son of Amelech, which was in the entry of the prison: and they let down Jeremias by ropes into the dungeon, wherein there was no water, but mire. And Jeremias sunk into the mire.
8 And Abdemelech went out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying:
9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done against Jeremias the prophet, casting him into the dungeon to die there with hunger, for there is no more bread in the city.
10 Then the king commanded Abdemelech the Ethiopian, saying: Take from hence thirty men with thee, and draw up Jeremias the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

PSALM: Psalms 40: 2 - 4, 18

2 And he heard my prayers, and brought me out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs. And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps.
3 And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many shall see, and shall fear: and they shall hope in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord; and who hath not had regard to vanities, and lying follies.
18 But I am a beggar and poor: the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.

SECOND READING: Hebrews 12: 1 - 4

1 And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us:
2 Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from sinners against himself; that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds.
4 For you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

GOSPEL: Luke 12: 49 - 53

49 I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?
50 And I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized: and how am I straitened until it be accomplished?
51 Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.
52 For there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided: three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against his father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.





Friday, August 16, 2013

Catholic Mass Readings For Saturday, August 17, 2013

"Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me " -- by James Tissot

FIRST READING: Joshua 24: 14 - 29

14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and most sincere heart: and put away the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
16 And the people answered, and said: God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods.
17 The Lord our God he brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: and did very great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way by which we journeyed, and among all the people through whom we passed.
18 And he hath cast out all the nations, the Amorrhite the inhabitant of the land into which we are come. Therefore we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said to the people: You will not be able to serve the Lord: for he is a holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not forgive your wickedness and sins.
20 If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done you.
21 And the people said to Joshua: No, it shall not be so as thou sayest, but we will serve the Lord.
22 And Joshua said to the people: You are witnesses, that you yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore, said he, put away strange gods from among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel.
24 And the people said to Joshua: We will serve the Lord our God, and we will be obedient to his commandments.
25 Joshua therefore on that day made a covenant, and set before the people commandments and judgments in Sichem.
26 And he wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the Lord: and he took a great stone, and set it under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.
27 And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie to the Lord your God.
28 And he sent the people away every one to their own possession.
29 And after these things Joshua the son of Null the servant of the Lord died, being a hundred and ten years old

PSALM: Psalms 16: 1 - 2, 5, 7 - 8, 11

1 Preserve me, O Lord, for I have put trust in thee.
2 I have said to the Lord, thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me.
7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding: moreover my reins also have corrected me even till night.
8 I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved.
11 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou shalt fill me with joy with thy countenance: at thy right hand are delights even to the end.

GOSPEL: Matthew 19: 13 - 15

13 Then were little children presented to him, that he should impose hands upon them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.
15 And when he had imposed hands upon them, he departed from thence.


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Catholic Mass Readings For Friday, August 16, 2013



FIRST READING: Joshua 24: 1 - 13

1 And Josue gathered together all the tribes of Israel in Sichem, and called for the ancients, and the princes, and the judges, and the masters: and they stood in the sight of the Lord:
2 And he spoke thus to the people: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of the river, Thare the father of Abraham, and Nachor: and they served strange gods.
3 And I took your father Abraham from the borders of Mesopotamia: and brought him into the land of Chanaan: and I multiplied his seed,
4 And gave him Isaac: and to him again I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau mount Seir for his possession: but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and wonders.
6 And I brought you and your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea: and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen, as far as the Red Sea.
7 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord: and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you dwelt in the wilderness a long time:
8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them.
9 And Balac son of Sephor king of Moab arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you:
10 And I would not hear him, but on the contrary I blessed you by him, and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 And you passed over the Jordan, and you came to Jericho. And the men of that city fought against you, the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Gergesite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite: and I delivered them into your hands.
12 And I sent before you hornets: and I drove them out from their places, the two kings of the Amorrhites, not with thy sword nor with thy bow.
13 And I gave you a land, in which you had not laboured, and cities to dwell in which you built not, vineyards and oliveyards, which you planted not.

PSALM: Psalms 136: 1 - 3, 16 - 18, 21 - 22, 24

1 Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Praise ye the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
16 Who led his people through the desert: for his mercy endureth for ever.
17 Who smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever.
18 And slew strong kings: for his mercy endureth for ever.
21 And he gave their land for an inheritance: for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 For an inheritance to his servant Israel: for his mercy endureth for ever.
24 And he redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

GOSPEL: Matthew 19: 3 - 12

3 And there came to him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 Who answering, said to them: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, Made them male and female? And he said:
5 For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh.
6 Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.
7 They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away?
8 He saith to them: Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9 And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery.
10 His disciples say unto him: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry.
11 Who said to them: All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given.
12 For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it.


Catholic Mass Readings For Thursday, August 15, 2013



Vigil Mass

FIRST READING: 1 Chronicles 15: 3 - 4, 15 - 16; 16: 1 - 2

3 And he gathered all Israel together into Jerusalem, that the ark of God might be brought into its place, which he had prepared for it.
4 And the sons of Aaron also, and the Levites.
15 And the sons of Levi took the ark of God as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord, upon their shoulders, with the staves.
16 And David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites, to appoint some of their brethren to be singers with musical instruments, to wit, on psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, that the joyful noise might resound on high.
1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent, which David had pitched for it: and they offered holocausts, and peace offerings before God.
2 And when David had made an end of offering holocausts, and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

PSALM: Psalms 132: 6 - 7, 9 - 10, 13 - 14

6 Behold we have heard of it in Ephrata: we have found it in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tabernacle: We will adore in the place where his feet stood.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with justice: and let thy saints rejoice.
10 For thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of thy anointed.
13 For the Lord hath chosen Sion: he hath chosen it for his dwelling.
14 This is my rest for ever and ever: here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15: 54 - 57

54 And when this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
56 Now the sting of death is sin: and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL: Luke 11: 27 - 28

27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.
28 But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.

* * * * * * *


Mass During the Day

FIRST READING: Revelation 11: 19; 12: 1 - 6, 10

19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple, and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail.
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.
3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems:
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.

PSALM: Psalms 45: 10 - 12, 16

10 Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear: and forget thy people and thy father's house.
11 And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty; for he is the Lord thy God, and him they shall adore.
12 And the daughters of Tyre with gifts, yea, all the rich among the people, shall entreat thy countenance.
16 Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee: thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15: 20 - 27

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep:
21 For by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the dead.
22 And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But every one in his own order: the firstfruits Christ, then they that are of Christ, who have believed in his coming.
24 Afterwards the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he shall have brought to nought all principality, and power, and virtue.
25 For he must reign, until he hath put all his enemies under his feet.
26 And the enemy death shall be destroyed last: For he hath put all things under his feet. And whereas he saith,
27 All things are put under him; undoubtedly, he is excepted, who put all things under him.

GOSPEL: Luke 1: 39 - 56

39 And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda.
40 And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.
46 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
51 He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
55 As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house.