Catholic Mass Readings For Wednesday, July 30, 2014

"The Pearl of Great Price", by Domenico Fetti, 17th century

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 15: 10, 16 - 21

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10 Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

16 I devoured your words when they came.They were my happiness and I felt full of joy when you made your Name rest on me. Never did I associate with worldly people,

17 amusing myself with scoffers! When your hand was upon me I stood apart and you filled me with your anger.

18 Why is there no end to my sorrow or healing for my wound? Why do you deceive me, and why does my spring suddenly dry up?

19 Then Yahweh spoke to me, "If you return I will take you back and you will serve me again. Draw the gold from the dross and you will be as my own mouth. You must draw them to you and not go over to them.

20 I will make you a fortress and a wall of bronze facing them; if they fight against you they will not overcome you;

21 I am with you to free you and save you. I will redeem you from the wicked and free you from the hands of tyrants."

PSALM: Psalms 59: 2 - 4, 10 - 11, 17 - 18

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2 Deliver me from my enemies, O God, from those who rise up against me.

3 Deliver me from evildoers; rescue me from the bloodthirsty.

4 Look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty conspiring against me, for no fault of mine, O Lord.

10 O my Strength, I look up to you, for you, O God, are my fortress.

11 My loving God will come to help me and let me see my enemies fall.

17 But I will sing of your might; in the morning I will sing of your love. For you have been a fortress to me, a refuge in time of distress.

18 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my stronghold; you are a loving God.

GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 44 - 46

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44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The one who finds it buries it again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field.

45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who is looking for fine pearls.

46 Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it.

Catholic Mass Readings For Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Memorial of Saint Martha

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 14: 17 - 22

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17 This you will say to them: Let my eyes shed tears night and day without ceasing! For with a great wound has the virgin daughter of my people been wounded, a most grievous wound.

18 If I go into the country, I see those slain by the sword. If I enter the city I see the ravages of famine. For the prophet and the priest did not understand what was happening in the land."

19 Have you then rejected Judah forever? Do you abhor Zion? Why have you wounded us and left us with no hope of recovery?

We hoped for salvation but received nothing good; we waited for healing, but terror came!

20 Yahweh, we know our wickedness and that of our fathers, and the times we have sinned against you.

21 For your name's sake do not despise us; do not dishonor the throne of your glory. Remember us. Do not break your covenant with us!

22 Among the worthless idols of the nations, are there any who can bring rain, or make the skies send showers?

Only in you, Yahweh our God, do we hope, for it is you who do all this.

PSALM: Psalms 79: 8 - 9, 11, 13

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8 Do not remember against us the sins of our fathers. Let your compassion hurry to us, for we have been brought very low.

9 Help us, God, our savior, for the glory of your name; forgive us for the sake of your name.

11 Listen to the groans of the prisoners; by the strength of your arm, deliver those doomed to die.

13 Then we, your people, the flock of your pasture, will thank you forever. We will recount your praise from generation to generation.

GOSPEL: John 11: 19 - 27 OR Luke 10: 38 - 42

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19 many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to offer consolation at their brother's death.

20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him while Mary remained sitting in the house.

21 And she said to Jesus, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

23 Jesus said, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha replied, "I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day."

25 But Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection; whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live.

26 Whoever is alive by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

27 Martha then answered, "Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

OR

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he entered a village and a woman called Martha welcomed him to her house.

39 She had a sister named Mary who sat down at the Lord's feet to listen to his words.

40 Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving and finally she said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving?"

41 But the Lord answered, "Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things,

42 whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her."

Catholic Mass Readings For Monday, July 28, 2014

Mustard Seed

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 13: 1 - 11

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1 This is what Yahweh said to me: "Go! Buy yourself a linen belt and put it around your waist; do not put it in water."

2 So I bought the belt as Yahweh ordered and put it around my waist.

3 The word of Yahweh came to me a second time,

4 "Take the belt you bought, the one you put around your waist, and go to the torrent Perah; hide it there in a hole in the rock."

5 I went and hid it as Yahweh instructed me.

6 After many days Yahweh said to me, "Go to the torrent Perah and get the belt I ordered you to hide there."

7 I went to the torrent and dug up the belt but it was ruined and good for nothing,

8 and Yahweh said to me,

9 "In this way I will destroy the pride and great glory of Judah,

10 this wicked people who refuse to heed what I say, this stubborn people who go after other gods to serve and worship them. And they shall become like this belt which is now good for nothing.

11 For just as a belt is to be bound around a man's waist so was the people of Israel and Judah bound to me - it is Yahweh who speaks - to be my people, my glory and my honor; but they would not listen.

PSALM: Deuteronomy 32: 18 - 21

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18 They have disowned the Rock who fathered them; they have forgotten the God who gave them birth.

19 The Lord saw this, and in his anger rejected his sons and daughters.

20 He said, "I will hide my face from them and see what will become of them. They are so perverse, so unfaithful!

21 They made me jealous with their false gods and angered me with their idols. I will, therefore, make them envious of a foolish people, I will provoke them to anger with an empty-headed nation.

GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 31 - 35

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31 Jesus put another parable before them, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, that a man took and sowed in his field.

32 It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it has fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the birds come and rest in its branches."

33 He told them another parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to rise."

34 Jesus taught all this to the crowds by means of parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.

35 So what the Prophet had said was fulfilled: I will speak in parables. I will proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of the world.