Official Translation
Reading 1 – Jeremiah 17.5-10
Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in man,
and makes flesh his arm,
and whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like the heath in the desert,
and shall not see any good come,
but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
a salt land and uninhabited.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
and whose trust is the Lord.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters,
that spreads out its roots by the river,
and shall not fear when heat comes,
but its leaf shall be green;
and shall not be worried in the year of drought,
and shall not cease from yielding fruit.
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and it is exceedingly corrupt:
who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the mind,
I test the heart,
to give to every man
according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.
Responsorial – Psalm 1.1-2, 3, 4+6 Resp. 40.5a
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand on the sinners’ path,
nor sit in the scoffers’ seat,
but whose delight is in the Lord’s law.
On his law he meditates day and night.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
He will be like a tree
planted by the streams of water,
that produces its fruit in its season,
whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does shall prosper.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
The wicked are not so,
but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
For the Lord watches the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked shall perish.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Gospel – Luke 16.19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“Now there was a certain rich man,
clothed in purple and fine linen,
living in luxury every day.
A certain beggar, named Lazarus,
lay at his gate, full of sores,
desiring to be fed with the crumbs
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The beggar died,
and he was carried away by the angels
to Abraham’s bosom.
The rich man also died, and was buried.
In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment,
and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his bosom.
He cried and said,
‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,
and cool my tongue!
For I am in anguish in this flame.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Child,
remember that you, in your lifetime,
received your good things,
and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things.
But now here he is comforted
and you are in anguish.
Besides all this, between us and you
there is a great gulf fixed,
that those who want to pass
from here to you are not able,
and that no one may cross over from there to us.’
“He said, ‘Then I beg you, father,
to send him to my father’s house;
for I have five brothers,
that he may testify to them,
so they will not also come into this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said to him,
‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
“He said, ‘No, father Abraham,
but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen
to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if one rises from the dead.’”
Mass Readings
Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Jeremiah 18.18-20
Then the people of Judah
and citizens of Jerusalem said,
“Come, and let us devise a plot against Jeremiah,
for the law shall not perish from the priest,
nor counsel from the wise,
nor the word from the prophet.
Come, and let us strike him with the tongue,
and let us not give heed
to any of his words.”
Give heed to me, O Lord,
and listen to the voice of those
who contend with me.
Shall evil be recompensed for good?
For they have dug a pit for my soul.
Remember how I stood before you
to speak good for them,
to turn away your wrath from them.
Responsorial – Psalm 31.5-6, 14, 15-16 Resp. 17b
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me,
for you are my stronghold.
Into your hand I commend my spirit.
You redeem me, O Lord, God of truth.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side;
while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
But I trust in you, O Lord.
I said, “You are my God.”
My fate is in your hand: deliver me
from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
Gospel – Matthew 20.17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the twelve disciples aside,
and on the way he said to them,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Human will be delivered
to the chief priests and scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and will hand him over to the Gentiles
to mock, to scourge, and to crucify;
and on the third day he will be raised up.”
Then the mother
of the sons of Zebedee
came to him with her sons,
kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.
He said to her, “What do you want?”
She said to him, “Command that these, my two sons,
may sit, one on your right hand,
and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom.”
But Jesus answered, “You do not know
what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the chalice
that I am about to drink?”
They said to him, “We are able.”
He said to them,
“You will indeed drink my chalice,
but to sit on my right hand
and on my left hand
is not mine to give;
but it is for those for whom
it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard it,
they were indignant with the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them, and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones
exercise authority over them.
It shall not be so among you,
but whoever desires
to become great among you shall be your servant.
Whoever desires to be first among you
shall be your slave,
even as the Son of Human came not to be served,
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Reading 1 – Jeremiah 18.18-20
Then the people of Judah
and citizens of Jerusalem said,
“Come, and let us devise a plot against Jeremiah,
for the law shall not perish from the priest,
nor counsel from the wise,
nor the word from the prophet.
Come, and let us strike him with the tongue,
and let us not give heed
to any of his words.”
Give heed to me, O Lord,
and listen to the voice of those
who contend with me.
Shall evil be recompensed for good?
For they have dug a pit for my soul.
Remember how I stood before you
to speak good for them,
to turn away your wrath from them.
Responsorial – Psalm 31.5-6, 14, 15-16 Resp. 17b
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me,
for you are my stronghold.
Into your hand I commend my spirit.
You redeem me, O Lord, God of truth.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side;
while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
But I trust in you, O Lord.
I said, “You are my God.”
My fate is in your hand: deliver me
from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your loving kindness.
Gospel – Matthew 20.17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the twelve disciples aside,
and on the way he said to them,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Human will be delivered
to the chief priests and scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and will hand him over to the Gentiles
to mock, to scourge, and to crucify;
and on the third day he will be raised up.”
Then the mother
of the sons of Zebedee
came to him with her sons,
kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.
He said to her, “What do you want?”
She said to him, “Command that these, my two sons,
may sit, one on your right hand,
and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom.”
But Jesus answered, “You do not know
what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the chalice
that I am about to drink?”
They said to him, “We are able.”
He said to them,
“You will indeed drink my chalice,
but to sit on my right hand
and on my left hand
is not mine to give;
but it is for those for whom
it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard it,
they were indignant with the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them, and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones
exercise authority over them.
It shall not be so among you,
but whoever desires
to become great among you shall be your servant.
Whoever desires to be first among you
shall be your slave,
even as the Son of Human came not to be served,
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Tuesday of the Second Week in Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 - Isaiah 1.10, 16-20
Hear the word of the Lord,
rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the law of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
Wash yourselves,
make yourself clean.
Put away the evil of your doings
from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Relieve the oppressed.
Judge the fatherless.
Plead for the widow.
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord,
“Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.”
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured with the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it!
Responsorial – Psalm 50.8-9, 16bc-17, 21+23 Resp. 23b
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices.
Your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I have no need for a bull from your stall,
nor male goats from your pens.
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
“What right do you have to declare my statutes,
and to have my covenant on your lips,
since you hate instruction,
and throw my words behind you?
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
You have done these things, and I kept silent,
so you thought that I was just like you.
I will rebuke you, and accuse you before your own eyes.
Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me,
and to him who rightly goes his way, I will show God’s salvation .”
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
Gospel – Matthew 23.1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, saying:
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have sat in the chair of Moses.
Therefore, observe and do all things whatsoever they say to you,
but do not act according to their works.
For they speak and do not act.
For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens
and lay them on the shoulders of humans:
but they do not wish to move them with their own finger.
They do all their works for the attention of humans.
For they make their phylacteries broad and enlarge their fringes.
And they love the first places at feasts and the first chairs in the synagogues,
and salutations in the marketplace, and to be called by humans, ‘Rabbi’.
But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’.
For one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.
And do not call your father upon the earth,
For one is your Heavenly Father.
And do not be called masters: for your master is one: the Christ.
But the greatest of you, will be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Reading 1 - Isaiah 1.10, 16-20
Hear the word of the Lord,
rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the law of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
Wash yourselves,
make yourself clean.
Put away the evil of your doings
from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Relieve the oppressed.
Judge the fatherless.
Plead for the widow.
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord,
“Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.”
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured with the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it!
Responsorial – Psalm 50.8-9, 16bc-17, 21+23 Resp. 23b
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices.
Your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I have no need for a bull from your stall,
nor male goats from your pens.
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
“What right do you have to declare my statutes,
and to have my covenant on your lips,
since you hate instruction,
and throw my words behind you?
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
You have done these things, and I kept silent,
so you thought that I was just like you.
I will rebuke you, and accuse you before your own eyes.
Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me,
and to him who rightly goes his way, I will show God’s salvation .”
R. I will show God’s salvation to the just.
Gospel – Matthew 23.1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, saying:
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have sat in the chair of Moses.
Therefore, observe and do all things whatsoever they say to you,
but do not act according to their works.
For they speak and do not act.
For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens
and lay them on the shoulders of humans:
but they do not wish to move them with their own finger.
They do all their works for the attention of humans.
For they make their phylacteries broad and enlarge their fringes.
And they love the first places at feasts and the first chairs in the synagogues,
and salutations in the marketplace, and to be called by humans, ‘Rabbi’.
But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’.
For one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.
And do not call your father upon the earth,
For one is your Heavenly Father.
And do not be called masters: for your master is one: the Christ.
But the greatest of you, will be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Monday of the Second Week in Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Daniel 9.4b-10
O Lord, great and awesome God,
who keep your covenant and loving kindness
toward those who love you
and keep your commandments:
We have sinned,
and have dealt perversely,
and have done wickedly,
and have rebelled,
even turning aside
from your precepts and from your ordinances;
we have not listened
to your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name
to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
and to all the people of the land.
Lord, righteousness belongs to you,
but to us confusion of face, as on this day;
we men of Judah,
and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, who are near,
and who are far off,
through all the countries
where you have driven them,
because of their trespass
that they have trespassed against you.
Lord, to us belongs confusion of face,
to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers,
because we have sinned against you.
To the Lord our God belong
mercies and forgiveness;
for we have rebelled against him,
and have not obeyed the voice
of the Lord our God,
to walk in your laws,
which you set before us
by you servants the prophets.
Responsorial – Psalm 79.8, 9, 11+13 R. 103:10a
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Do not hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us.
Let your tender mercies speedily meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name.
Deliver us, and forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you.
According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
So we, your people and sheep of your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
We will praise you forever, to all generations.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Gospel – Luke 6.36-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful,
even as your Father is also merciful.
Do not judge,
and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned.
Release, and you will be released.
Give, and it will be given to you:
good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, and running over,
will be given to you.
For with the same measure you measure,
will it be measured back to you.”
Reading 1 – Daniel 9.4b-10
O Lord, great and awesome God,
who keep your covenant and loving kindness
toward those who love you
and keep your commandments:
We have sinned,
and have dealt perversely,
and have done wickedly,
and have rebelled,
even turning aside
from your precepts and from your ordinances;
we have not listened
to your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name
to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
and to all the people of the land.
Lord, righteousness belongs to you,
but to us confusion of face, as on this day;
we men of Judah,
and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, who are near,
and who are far off,
through all the countries
where you have driven them,
because of their trespass
that they have trespassed against you.
Lord, to us belongs confusion of face,
to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers,
because we have sinned against you.
To the Lord our God belong
mercies and forgiveness;
for we have rebelled against him,
and have not obeyed the voice
of the Lord our God,
to walk in your laws,
which you set before us
by you servants the prophets.
Responsorial – Psalm 79.8, 9, 11+13 R. 103:10a
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Do not hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us.
Let your tender mercies speedily meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name.
Deliver us, and forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you.
According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
So we, your people and sheep of your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
We will praise you forever, to all generations.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Gospel – Luke 6.36-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful,
even as your Father is also merciful.
Do not judge,
and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned.
Release, and you will be released.
Give, and it will be given to you:
good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, and running over,
will be given to you.
For with the same measure you measure,
will it be measured back to you.”
Second Sunday of Lent (C)
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Genesis 15.5-12, 17-18
The Lord brought Abram outside, and said,
“Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”
He said to Abram, “So shall your descendents be.”
He believed the Lord, and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
He said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees,
to give you this land to inherit it."
He said, "Lord God, how will I know that I will inherit it?"
He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old,
a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle,
and laid each half opposite the other, but he did not divide the birds.
Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram,
and terror and great darkness fell on him.
It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark,
behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
"To your seed I have given this land,
from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates."
Responsorial – Psalm 27.1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice.
Have mercy on me, and answer me.
My heart said to you, “I will seek your face, O Lord.”
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Your face, O Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me.
Do not put your servant away in anger.
You have been my help. Do not abandon me.
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be of good courage.
He will strengthen your heart. Wait for the LORD.
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Reading 2 – Philippians 3.17-4.1
Brothers and sisters, be imitators together of me,
and note those who walk this way,
even as you have us for an example.
For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping,
as enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction,
whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame,
who think about earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await a Savior: the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will change our lowly body to be conformed to his glorified Body,
according to the power by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown,
stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Gospel – Luke 9.28b-36
Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling.
Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory,
and spoke of his exodus, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake,
they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
As they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here.
Let us make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said.
While he said these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them,
and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.
A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”
When the voice came, Jesus was found alone.
They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
Reading 1 – Genesis 15.5-12, 17-18
The Lord brought Abram outside, and said,
“Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”
He said to Abram, “So shall your descendents be.”
He believed the Lord, and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
He said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees,
to give you this land to inherit it."
He said, "Lord God, how will I know that I will inherit it?"
He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old,
a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle,
and laid each half opposite the other, but he did not divide the birds.
Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram,
and terror and great darkness fell on him.
It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark,
behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
"To your seed I have given this land,
from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates."
Responsorial – Psalm 27.1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice.
Have mercy on me, and answer me.
My heart said to you, “I will seek your face, O Lord.”
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Your face, O Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me.
Do not put your servant away in anger.
You have been my help. Do not abandon me.
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be of good courage.
He will strengthen your heart. Wait for the LORD.
R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Reading 2 – Philippians 3.17-4.1
Brothers and sisters, be imitators together of me,
and note those who walk this way,
even as you have us for an example.
For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping,
as enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction,
whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame,
who think about earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await a Savior: the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will change our lowly body to be conformed to his glorified Body,
according to the power by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown,
stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Gospel – Luke 9.28b-36
Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling.
Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory,
and spoke of his exodus, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake,
they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
As they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here.
Let us make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said.
While he said these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them,
and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.
A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”
When the voice came, Jesus was found alone.
They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
Saturday of the First Week in Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 26.16-19
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the Lord your God
commands you to do
these statutes and ordinances.
You shall therefore keep and do them
with all your heart and with all your soul.
You have declared this day
that the Lord is your God,
and that you would walk in his ways,
and keep his statutes,
and his commandments,
and his ordinances,
and listen to his voice.
The Lord has declared this day
that you are a people peculiarly his own,
as he has promised you,
and that you should keep
all his commandments.
He will make you high
above all nations that he has made,
in praise, in name, and in honor;
and that you may be
a holy people to the Lord your God,
as he has spoken.”
Responsorial – Psalm 119.1-2, 4-5, 7-8 Resp. 1b
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the Lord’s law.
Blessed are those who keep his statutes,
who seek him with their whole heart.
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
You have commanded your precepts,
that we should fully obey them.
O that my ways were steadfast
to obey your statutes!
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart,
when I learn your righteous judgments.
I will observe your statutes.
Do not utterly forsake me.
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
Gospel - Matthew 5.43-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor,
and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who
mistreat you and persecute you,
that you may be children
of your Father who is in heaven.
For he makes his sun
to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you,
what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors
do the same?
If you only greet your brothers and sisters,
what more do you do than others?
Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?
Therefore you shall be perfect,
just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 26.16-19
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the Lord your God
commands you to do
these statutes and ordinances.
You shall therefore keep and do them
with all your heart and with all your soul.
You have declared this day
that the Lord is your God,
and that you would walk in his ways,
and keep his statutes,
and his commandments,
and his ordinances,
and listen to his voice.
The Lord has declared this day
that you are a people peculiarly his own,
as he has promised you,
and that you should keep
all his commandments.
He will make you high
above all nations that he has made,
in praise, in name, and in honor;
and that you may be
a holy people to the Lord your God,
as he has spoken.”
Responsorial – Psalm 119.1-2, 4-5, 7-8 Resp. 1b
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the Lord’s law.
Blessed are those who keep his statutes,
who seek him with their whole heart.
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
You have commanded your precepts,
that we should fully obey them.
O that my ways were steadfast
to obey your statutes!
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart,
when I learn your righteous judgments.
I will observe your statutes.
Do not utterly forsake me.
R. Blessed are those who walk according to the Lord’s law.
Gospel - Matthew 5.43-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor,
and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who
mistreat you and persecute you,
that you may be children
of your Father who is in heaven.
For he makes his sun
to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you,
what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors
do the same?
If you only greet your brothers and sisters,
what more do you do than others?
Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?
Therefore you shall be perfect,
just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Official Translation
Reading 1 – 1 Peter 5.1-4
Beloved:
Therefore I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
who will also share in the glory that will be revealed:
shepherd the flock of God which is among you,
exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily,
not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
nor as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Responsorial – Psalm 23.1-3a, 4, 5, 6 Resp. 1
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He has me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff –
they comfort me.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
You prepare a table before me,
in the presence of my foes.
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Gospel – Matthew 16.13-19
When Jesus came into
the region of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, saying,
“Who do humans say that the Son of Human is?”
They said, “Some say John the Baptist,
some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah,
or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father who is in heaven.
I also tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the underworld will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth
will have been bound in heaven;
and whatever you release on earth
will be released in heaven.”
Reading 1 – 1 Peter 5.1-4
Beloved:
Therefore I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
who will also share in the glory that will be revealed:
shepherd the flock of God which is among you,
exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily,
not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
nor as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Responsorial – Psalm 23.1-3a, 4, 5, 6 Resp. 1
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He has me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff –
they comfort me.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
You prepare a table before me,
in the presence of my foes.
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Gospel – Matthew 16.13-19
When Jesus came into
the region of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, saying,
“Who do humans say that the Son of Human is?”
They said, “Some say John the Baptist,
some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah,
or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father who is in heaven.
I also tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the underworld will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth
will have been bound in heaven;
and whatever you release on earth
will be released in heaven.”
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Official Translation
The first reading today from Esther is very strange. I have consulted the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and many translations, but cannot see how they ended up with the reading. Not even the NAB, the basis of the lectionary, has anything like it. So I collected a first reading from Esther that while a prayer by Esther is significantly different.
Reading 1 - Esther C.12, 14-16, 23-25 (14.1-2abd,3-5abc,13-14, 19)
Queen Esther was in fear of death
and resorted to the Lord.
She took off her splendid garments
and put on the clothing of weeping and mourning
and she utterly humbled her body
And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel, saying,
“O Lord, my only King.
Help me, who am alone, and have no helper but you.
for my danger is in my own hands.
Since birth, I have heard in the tribe of my family
that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations.
Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion
and turn his heart to hate the man who fights against us,
so that he and those who agree with him may be finished.
Save us by your hand, and help me, who am alone
and heave no helper but you, O Lord.
O God almighty,
hear the voice of the despairing,
and save us from the hands of evildoers,
and save me from my fear.
Responsorial – Psalm 138.1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 Resp. 3a
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
I will give you thanks with my whole heart.
for you have heard the words of my mouth
before the gods I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your Name.
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
Because of your loving kindness and your truth,
for you have exalted above all
your Name and your Word.
In the day that I called, you answered me.
You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
Your right hand will save me.
The Lord will fulfill that which concerns me;
your loving kindness, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the works of your own hands.
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
Gospel – Matthew 7.7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask, and it will be given to you.
Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened for you.
For everyone who asks receives.
They who seek, find.
To the one who knocks, it will be opened.
Who is there among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you then, being perverse, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Therefore whatever you desire for humans to do to you, you shall also do to them;
for this is the law and the prophets.”
The first reading today from Esther is very strange. I have consulted the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and many translations, but cannot see how they ended up with the reading. Not even the NAB, the basis of the lectionary, has anything like it. So I collected a first reading from Esther that while a prayer by Esther is significantly different.
Reading 1 - Esther C.12, 14-16, 23-25 (14.1-2abd,3-5abc,13-14, 19)
Queen Esther was in fear of death
and resorted to the Lord.
She took off her splendid garments
and put on the clothing of weeping and mourning
and she utterly humbled her body
And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel, saying,
“O Lord, my only King.
Help me, who am alone, and have no helper but you.
for my danger is in my own hands.
Since birth, I have heard in the tribe of my family
that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations.
Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion
and turn his heart to hate the man who fights against us,
so that he and those who agree with him may be finished.
Save us by your hand, and help me, who am alone
and heave no helper but you, O Lord.
O God almighty,
hear the voice of the despairing,
and save us from the hands of evildoers,
and save me from my fear.
Responsorial – Psalm 138.1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 Resp. 3a
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
I will give you thanks with my whole heart.
for you have heard the words of my mouth
before the gods I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your Name.
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
Because of your loving kindness and your truth,
for you have exalted above all
your Name and your Word.
In the day that I called, you answered me.
You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
Your right hand will save me.
The Lord will fulfill that which concerns me;
your loving kindness, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the works of your own hands.
R. Lord, on the day that I called, you answered me.
Gospel – Matthew 7.7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask, and it will be given to you.
Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened for you.
For everyone who asks receives.
They who seek, find.
To the one who knocks, it will be opened.
Who is there among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you then, being perverse, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Therefore whatever you desire for humans to do to you, you shall also do to them;
for this is the law and the prophets.”
Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Jonah 3.1-10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah again, saying,
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and preach to it the message that I give you.”
So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh,
according to the Lord’s word.
Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,
three days’ journey across.
Jonah began to enter into the city
one day’s journey,
and he cried out, and said,
“In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”
The people of Nineveh believed God;
and they proclaimed a fast,
and put on sackcloth,
from their greatest even to their least.
The news reached the king of Nineveh,
and he arose from his throne,
and took off his royal robe,
covered himself with sackcloth,
and sat in ashes.
He made a proclamation
and published through Nineveh
by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,
“Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock,
taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
but let them be covered with sackcloth,
both man and animal,
and let them cry mightily to God.
Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way,
and from the violence that is in his hands.
Who knows whether God will not turn and relent,
and turn away from his fierce anger,
so that we might not perish?”
God saw their works,
that they turned from their evil way.
God relented of the disaster
which he said he would do to them,
and he did not do it.
Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 12-13, 18-19 Resp. 19b
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me out from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
For you do not delight in sacrifice.
I would give a burnt offering, but you have no pleasure in it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit.
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Gospel - Luke 11.29-32
While the crowds were gathering together to Jesus, he began to say,
“This kind is a perverse kind.
It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah, the prophet.
For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Human be to this kind.
At the judgment, the queen of the south will rise up with the men of this kind,
and will 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.
The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this kind, and will condemn it:
for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
Reading 1 – Jonah 3.1-10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah again, saying,
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and preach to it the message that I give you.”
So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh,
according to the Lord’s word.
Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,
three days’ journey across.
Jonah began to enter into the city
one day’s journey,
and he cried out, and said,
“In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”
The people of Nineveh believed God;
and they proclaimed a fast,
and put on sackcloth,
from their greatest even to their least.
The news reached the king of Nineveh,
and he arose from his throne,
and took off his royal robe,
covered himself with sackcloth,
and sat in ashes.
He made a proclamation
and published through Nineveh
by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,
“Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock,
taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
but let them be covered with sackcloth,
both man and animal,
and let them cry mightily to God.
Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way,
and from the violence that is in his hands.
Who knows whether God will not turn and relent,
and turn away from his fierce anger,
so that we might not perish?”
God saw their works,
that they turned from their evil way.
God relented of the disaster
which he said he would do to them,
and he did not do it.
Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 12-13, 18-19 Resp. 19b
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me out from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
For you do not delight in sacrifice.
I would give a burnt offering, but you have no pleasure in it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit.
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Gospel - Luke 11.29-32
While the crowds were gathering together to Jesus, he began to say,
“This kind is a perverse kind.
It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah, the prophet.
For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Human be to this kind.
At the judgment, the queen of the south will rise up with the men of this kind,
and will 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.
The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this kind, and will condemn it:
for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Isaiah 55.10-11
Thus says the LORD:
For as the rain and the snow
come down from the heavens,
and do not return there,
until they water the earth,
and makes it grow and bud,
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be
that goes out of my mouth:
it shall not return to me void,
but it shall accomplish my will,
and it shall prosper
in what I sent it to do.
Responsorial – Psalm 34.4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19 Resp. 18b
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
Oh magnify the Lord with me.
Let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
They looked to him, and were radiant.
Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
The eyes of the Lord are on the just,
and his ears are for their prayers.
But the face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off remembrance of them from the earth.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
The just cried, and the Lord heard them,
and delivered them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and he will save the humble of spirit.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
Gospel – Matthew 6.7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
In praying, do not pile up words,
as the Gentiles do;
for they think that
in their many words
they will be heard.
So do not be like them,
for your Father knows
what things you need
before you ask him.
Pray like this:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive those who owe debts to us.
lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive humans their missteps,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive humans their missteps,
neither will your Father forgive your missteps.
Reading 1 – Isaiah 55.10-11
Thus says the LORD:
For as the rain and the snow
come down from the heavens,
and do not return there,
until they water the earth,
and makes it grow and bud,
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be
that goes out of my mouth:
it shall not return to me void,
but it shall accomplish my will,
and it shall prosper
in what I sent it to do.
Responsorial – Psalm 34.4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19 Resp. 18b
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
Oh magnify the Lord with me.
Let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
They looked to him, and were radiant.
Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
The eyes of the Lord are on the just,
and his ears are for their prayers.
But the face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off remembrance of them from the earth.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
The just cried, and the Lord heard them,
and delivered them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and he will save the humble of spirit.
R. The Lord delivered the just out of all their troubles.
Gospel – Matthew 6.7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
In praying, do not pile up words,
as the Gentiles do;
for they think that
in their many words
they will be heard.
So do not be like them,
for your Father knows
what things you need
before you ask him.
Pray like this:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive those who owe debts to us.
lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive humans their missteps,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive humans their missteps,
neither will your Father forgive your missteps.
Monday of the First Week of Lent
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Leviticus 19.1-2, 11-18
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to all the congregation
of the children of Israel, and tell them,
‘You shall be holy;
for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie.
You shall not deceive one another.
You shall not swear by my name falsely,
and profane the name of your God.
I am the Lord.”
“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.
The wages of a hired servant
shall not remain with you
all night until the morning.
You shall not curse the deaf,
nor put a stumbling block
in front of the blind;
but you shall fear your God.
I am the Lord.”
“You shall do no injustice in judging.
You shall not be partial to the poor,
nor show favoritism to the great;
but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
You shall not go up and down
as a slanderer among your people.
You shall not stand by
while the blood of your neighbor is threatened.
I am the Lord.”
“You shall not hate your brother
in your heart.
You shall surely rebuke your neighbor,
and not bear sin because of him.
You shall not take vengeance,
nor bear any grudge
against the children of your people;
but you shall love
your neighbor as yourself.
I am the Lord.”
Responsorial – Psalm 19.8, 9, 10, 15 Resp. John 6:63b
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring the soul.
The covenant of the Lord is sure,
making the simple wise.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
Gospel – Matthew 25.31-46
Jesus said to his disciples,
“When the Son of human comes in his glory,
and all the holy angels with him,
then he will sit upon the throne of his glory.
Before him shall be gathered all the Gentiles,
and he will separate them, one from another,
as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats.
He will make the sheep stand at his right hand
and the goats at his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right hand,
‘Come, blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
For I was an hungry, and you gave me to eat.
I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink.
I was a stranger and you brought me in.
I was naked, and you clothed me.
I was sick, and you visited me.
I was in prison, and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?
Or thirsty, and gave you drink?
When did we see you a stranger, and brought you in?
Or naked, and clothed thee?
When did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to you?’
And the King shall answer and say to them,
‘Amen, I say unto you,
inasmuch as you have done it
for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you have done it for me.’
Then he will say also to those at his left hand,
‘Depart from me, you cursed,
into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was an hungry, and you did not give me to eat.
I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink.
I was a stranger and you did not bring me in.
I was naked, and you did not clothe me.
I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Then they will also answer him, saying,
‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not minister to you?’
Then he will answer them, saying,
‘Amen, I say unto you,
inasmuch as you did it not
for one of the least of these,
you did not do it for me.’
And they will go away to everlasting punishment,
but the righteous to life eternal.”
Reading 1 – Leviticus 19.1-2, 11-18
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to all the congregation
of the children of Israel, and tell them,
‘You shall be holy;
for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie.
You shall not deceive one another.
You shall not swear by my name falsely,
and profane the name of your God.
I am the Lord.”
“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.
The wages of a hired servant
shall not remain with you
all night until the morning.
You shall not curse the deaf,
nor put a stumbling block
in front of the blind;
but you shall fear your God.
I am the Lord.”
“You shall do no injustice in judging.
You shall not be partial to the poor,
nor show favoritism to the great;
but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
You shall not go up and down
as a slanderer among your people.
You shall not stand by
while the blood of your neighbor is threatened.
I am the Lord.”
“You shall not hate your brother
in your heart.
You shall surely rebuke your neighbor,
and not bear sin because of him.
You shall not take vengeance,
nor bear any grudge
against the children of your people;
but you shall love
your neighbor as yourself.
I am the Lord.”
Responsorial – Psalm 19.8, 9, 10, 15 Resp. John 6:63b
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring the soul.
The covenant of the Lord is sure,
making the simple wise.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.
R. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
Gospel – Matthew 25.31-46
Jesus said to his disciples,
“When the Son of human comes in his glory,
and all the holy angels with him,
then he will sit upon the throne of his glory.
Before him shall be gathered all the Gentiles,
and he will separate them, one from another,
as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats.
He will make the sheep stand at his right hand
and the goats at his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right hand,
‘Come, blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
For I was an hungry, and you gave me to eat.
I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink.
I was a stranger and you brought me in.
I was naked, and you clothed me.
I was sick, and you visited me.
I was in prison, and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?
Or thirsty, and gave you drink?
When did we see you a stranger, and brought you in?
Or naked, and clothed thee?
When did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to you?’
And the King shall answer and say to them,
‘Amen, I say unto you,
inasmuch as you have done it
for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you have done it for me.’
Then he will say also to those at his left hand,
‘Depart from me, you cursed,
into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was an hungry, and you did not give me to eat.
I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink.
I was a stranger and you did not bring me in.
I was naked, and you did not clothe me.
I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Then they will also answer him, saying,
‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not minister to you?’
Then he will answer them, saying,
‘Amen, I say unto you,
inasmuch as you did it not
for one of the least of these,
you did not do it for me.’
And they will go away to everlasting punishment,
but the righteous to life eternal.”
First Sunday of Lent (C)
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Deuteronomy 26.4-10
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
The priest shall take the basket out of your hand,
and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
You shall answer and say before the Lord your God,
‘A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt,
and sojourned there, few in number, and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard bondage,
and we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers,
and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression,
and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm,
and with great terror, and with signs, and with wonders,
and he has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the ground, which you, the Lord, have given me.’
You shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God.
Responsorial – Psalm 91.1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 Resp. 15b
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
who rests in the shadow of the Almighty,
says to the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.
For he will put his angels in charge of you,
to guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
They will bear you up in their hands,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the viper.
You will trample the young lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him.
I will set him on high, because he has known my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him, and honor him.
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
Reading 2 – Romans 10.8-13
Brothers and sisters:
What do the Scriptures say?
“The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart”
this is the word of faith, which we preach:
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead,
you shall be saved.
For with the heart, one believes unto justification,
and with the lips, one confesses unto salvation.
For the scripture says,
“Whoever believes in him shall not be ashamed.”
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek,
for the same Lord is Lord of all, with riches for all who call upon him.
For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Gospel – Luke 4.1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan,
and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing in those days.
When they were completed, he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, saying,
“It is written, ‘The human shall not live by bread alone.’”
The devil, leading him up on a high mountain,
showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
He said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory,
for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
If you will worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him alone.’”
He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, for it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you;’
and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”
When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a time.
Reading 1 – Deuteronomy 26.4-10
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
The priest shall take the basket out of your hand,
and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
You shall answer and say before the Lord your God,
‘A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt,
and sojourned there, few in number, and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard bondage,
and we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers,
and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression,
and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm,
and with great terror, and with signs, and with wonders,
and he has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the ground, which you, the Lord, have given me.’
You shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God.
Responsorial – Psalm 91.1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 Resp. 15b
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
who rests in the shadow of the Almighty,
says to the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.
For he will put his angels in charge of you,
to guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
They will bear you up in their hands,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the viper.
You will trample the young lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him.
I will set him on high, because he has known my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him, and honor him.
R. Be with me in trouble, Lord.
Reading 2 – Romans 10.8-13
Brothers and sisters:
What do the Scriptures say?
“The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart”
this is the word of faith, which we preach:
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead,
you shall be saved.
For with the heart, one believes unto justification,
and with the lips, one confesses unto salvation.
For the scripture says,
“Whoever believes in him shall not be ashamed.”
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek,
for the same Lord is Lord of all, with riches for all who call upon him.
For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Gospel – Luke 4.1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan,
and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing in those days.
When they were completed, he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, saying,
“It is written, ‘The human shall not live by bread alone.’”
The devil, leading him up on a high mountain,
showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
He said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory,
for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
If you will worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him alone.’”
He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, for it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you;’
and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”
When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a time.
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Isaiah 58.9b-14
Thus says the LORD:
“If you take away from your midst the yoke,
the finger-pointing and wicked speech,
and if you pour out your soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul:
then your light shall rise in darkness,
and your gloom be as the noonday;
and the Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your soul in dry places,
and make strong your bones;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
Those ruins of yours shall be rebuilt.
You shall raise up the foundations
of many generations;
and you shall be called
The Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Paths to Dwell In.
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your business on my holy day;
and call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
nor pursuing your own business,
nor speaking your own words:
then you shall be delighted in the Lord;
and I will make you to ride
on the high places of the earth;
and I will feed you with the heritage
of Jacob your father:
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”
Responsorial – Psalm 86.1-2, 3-4, 5-6 Resp. 11ab
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Hear, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am godly.
Save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Be merciful to me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to the soul of your servant,
for to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive;
abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer.
Listen to the voice of my petition.
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Gospel – Luke 5.27-32
After these things Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting upon the tax chair,
and said to him, “Follow me!”
He left everything, and rose up and followed him.
Levi made a great feast for him in his house.
There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured to his disciples, saying,
“Why, with tax collectors and sinners, do you eat and drink?”
And answering, Jesus said to them,
“Those who are healthy have no need for a healer, but those carrying evil do.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to reconsider.”
Reading 1 – Isaiah 58.9b-14
Thus says the LORD:
“If you take away from your midst the yoke,
the finger-pointing and wicked speech,
and if you pour out your soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul:
then your light shall rise in darkness,
and your gloom be as the noonday;
and the Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your soul in dry places,
and make strong your bones;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
Those ruins of yours shall be rebuilt.
You shall raise up the foundations
of many generations;
and you shall be called
The Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Paths to Dwell In.
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your business on my holy day;
and call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
nor pursuing your own business,
nor speaking your own words:
then you shall be delighted in the Lord;
and I will make you to ride
on the high places of the earth;
and I will feed you with the heritage
of Jacob your father:
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”
Responsorial – Psalm 86.1-2, 3-4, 5-6 Resp. 11ab
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Hear, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am godly.
Save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Be merciful to me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to the soul of your servant,
for to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive;
abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer.
Listen to the voice of my petition.
R. Instruct me in your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Gospel – Luke 5.27-32
After these things Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting upon the tax chair,
and said to him, “Follow me!”
He left everything, and rose up and followed him.
Levi made a great feast for him in his house.
There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured to his disciples, saying,
“Why, with tax collectors and sinners, do you eat and drink?”
And answering, Jesus said to them,
“Those who are healthy have no need for a healer, but those carrying evil do.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to reconsider.”
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Official Translation
Reading 1 - Isaiah 58.1-9a
Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Cry aloud and do not hold back,
lift up your voice like a trumpet,
and declare to my people their disobedience,
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me daily,
and desire to know my ways:
as a nation that did righteousness,
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you do not see it?
Why have we afflicted our soul,
and you take no notice of it?’
“Behold, in the day of your fast
you carry out your own pursuits,
and work all your laborers.
Behold, you fast for strife and contention,
and to strike with the fist of wickedness:
O that you would fast this day
so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is such the fast that I have chosen?
Is this a day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head as a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
This is the fast that I have chosen:
to release the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke,
to distribute your bread to the hungry,
and bring the poor who are cast out
into your house.
When you see the naked, cover them;
and do not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break out as the dawn,
and your healing shall spring out speedily;
and your righteousness shall go before you;
the Lord’s glory shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19 Resp. 19b
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight;
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
For you do not delight in sacrifice.
I would give a burnt offering, but you have no pleasure in it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit.
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Gospel – Matthew 9.14-15
Then John’s disciples came to Jesus, saying,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus said to them,
“Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn,
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come
when the bridegroom will be taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
Reading 1 - Isaiah 58.1-9a
Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Cry aloud and do not hold back,
lift up your voice like a trumpet,
and declare to my people their disobedience,
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me daily,
and desire to know my ways:
as a nation that did righteousness,
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you do not see it?
Why have we afflicted our soul,
and you take no notice of it?’
“Behold, in the day of your fast
you carry out your own pursuits,
and work all your laborers.
Behold, you fast for strife and contention,
and to strike with the fist of wickedness:
O that you would fast this day
so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is such the fast that I have chosen?
Is this a day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head as a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
This is the fast that I have chosen:
to release the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke,
to distribute your bread to the hungry,
and bring the poor who are cast out
into your house.
When you see the naked, cover them;
and do not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break out as the dawn,
and your healing shall spring out speedily;
and your righteousness shall go before you;
the Lord’s glory shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19 Resp. 19b
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight;
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
For you do not delight in sacrifice.
I would give a burnt offering, but you have no pleasure in it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit.
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
R. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Gospel – Matthew 9.14-15
Then John’s disciples came to Jesus, saying,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus said to them,
“Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn,
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come
when the bridegroom will be taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Official Translation
Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 30.15-20
Moses said to the people:
Behold, I have set before you this day
life and prosperity, death and doom.
For I command you this day
to love the Lord your God,
to walk in his ways,
and to keep his commandments,
his statutes,
and his ordinances,
that you may live and multiply,
and that the Lord your God
may bless you in the land
you go to possess.
But if your hearts turn away,
and you will not hear,
but are drawn away,
and worship other gods, and serve them;
I denounce to you this day,
that you will surely perish.
You will not prolong your days
in the land where
you pass over the Jordan
to go to possess.
I call heaven and earth
to witness against you this day,
that I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Therefore choose life,
that you may live,
you and your descendants;
to love the Lord your God,
to obey his voice, and to cling to him;
for he is your life,
and the length of your days;
that you may dwell in the land
which the Lord swore to give your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Responsorial – Psalm 1.1-2, 3, 4+6 Resp. 40.5a
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand on the sinners’ path,
nor sit in the scoffers’ seat,
but whose delight is in the Lord’s law.
On his law he meditates day and night.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
He will be like a tree
planted by the streams of water,
that produces its fruit in its season,
whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does shall prosper.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
The wicked are not so,
but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
For the Lord watches the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked shall perish.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Gospel – Luke 9.22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Human must suffer many things,
and be rejected
by the elders, chief priests, and scribes,
and be killed,
and on the third day be raised up.”
He said to all,
“If anyone desires to come after me,
let them deny themself,
take up their cross,
and follow me.
For whoever desires to save their life
will lose it,
but whoever will lose their life
for my sake,
they will save it.
For what does it profit
a human if they gain the whole world,
yet loses or forfeits themself?
Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 30.15-20
Moses said to the people:
Behold, I have set before you this day
life and prosperity, death and doom.
For I command you this day
to love the Lord your God,
to walk in his ways,
and to keep his commandments,
his statutes,
and his ordinances,
that you may live and multiply,
and that the Lord your God
may bless you in the land
you go to possess.
But if your hearts turn away,
and you will not hear,
but are drawn away,
and worship other gods, and serve them;
I denounce to you this day,
that you will surely perish.
You will not prolong your days
in the land where
you pass over the Jordan
to go to possess.
I call heaven and earth
to witness against you this day,
that I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Therefore choose life,
that you may live,
you and your descendants;
to love the Lord your God,
to obey his voice, and to cling to him;
for he is your life,
and the length of your days;
that you may dwell in the land
which the Lord swore to give your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Responsorial – Psalm 1.1-2, 3, 4+6 Resp. 40.5a
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand on the sinners’ path,
nor sit in the scoffers’ seat,
but whose delight is in the Lord’s law.
On his law he meditates day and night.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
He will be like a tree
planted by the streams of water,
that produces its fruit in its season,
whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does shall prosper.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
The wicked are not so,
but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
For the Lord watches the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked shall perish.
R. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
Gospel – Luke 9.22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Human must suffer many things,
and be rejected
by the elders, chief priests, and scribes,
and be killed,
and on the third day be raised up.”
He said to all,
“If anyone desires to come after me,
let them deny themself,
take up their cross,
and follow me.
For whoever desires to save their life
will lose it,
but whoever will lose their life
for my sake,
they will save it.
For what does it profit
a human if they gain the whole world,
yet loses or forfeits themself?
Ash Wednesday
Official Translation
Reading 1 - Joel 2.12-18
“Yet even now,” says the Lord,
“turn to me with all your heart,
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
Tear your heart, and not your garments,
and return to the Lord, your God;
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
and relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
even a meal offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
Sanctify a fast.
Call a solemn assembly.
Gather the people.
Sanctify the assembly.
Assemble the elders.
Gather the children,
and those who nurse from breasts.
Let the bridegroom go out of his room,
and the bride out of her room.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
weep between the entrance and the altar,
and let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the nations,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the Lord was jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.
Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14+17 Resp. 3a
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight;
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me out from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Uphold me with a willing spirit.
O Lord, open my lips
My mouth will proclaim your praise
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Reading 2 – 2 Corinthians 5.20-6.2
Brothers and sisters:
We are therefore ambassadors
on behalf of Christ,
as though God were
imploring through us:
we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For, on our behalf,
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in him.
Working together,
we implore also
that you do not receive
the grace of God in vain,
for he says,
“At an acceptable time I listened to you,
in a day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the ever-so-acceptable time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Gospel – Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be careful lest you
do you righteous deeds in front of humans,
in order to be seen by them.
If you do not at least do this,
you will have no pay
from your Father in heaven.
Therefore when you do merciful deeds,
do not sound a trumpet before yourself,
as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and on the streets,
that they may get glory from humans.
Amen I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But when you do merciful deeds,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand does,
so that your merciful deeds
may be in secret,
and your Father
who sees into the secret
will pay you.
And when you pray,
you shall not be
like the hypocrites,
that love to stand praying
in the synagogues
and on the streetcorners,
that they may be on display for humans.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But you, when you pray,
go into your closet,
and shut your door;
pray to your Father
who is in secret,
and your Father
who sees into the secret
will pay you.
And when you fast,
Do not be like the gloomy hypocrites,
For they disfigure their faces,
so that they may be fasting on display for humans.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But you, when you fast,
anoint your head,
and wash your face;
so that you are not fasting on display for humans,
but for your Father
who is in secret,
and your Father,
who sees into the secret,
will pay you.
Reading 1 - Joel 2.12-18
“Yet even now,” says the Lord,
“turn to me with all your heart,
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
Tear your heart, and not your garments,
and return to the Lord, your God;
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
and relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
even a meal offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
Sanctify a fast.
Call a solemn assembly.
Gather the people.
Sanctify the assembly.
Assemble the elders.
Gather the children,
and those who nurse from breasts.
Let the bridegroom go out of his room,
and the bride out of her room.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
weep between the entrance and the altar,
and let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the nations,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the Lord was jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.
Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14+17 Resp. 3a
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight;
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me out from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Uphold me with a willing spirit.
O Lord, open my lips
My mouth will proclaim your praise
R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Reading 2 – 2 Corinthians 5.20-6.2
Brothers and sisters:
We are therefore ambassadors
on behalf of Christ,
as though God were
imploring through us:
we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For, on our behalf,
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in him.
Working together,
we implore also
that you do not receive
the grace of God in vain,
for he says,
“At an acceptable time I listened to you,
in a day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the ever-so-acceptable time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Gospel – Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be careful lest you
do you righteous deeds in front of humans,
in order to be seen by them.
If you do not at least do this,
you will have no pay
from your Father in heaven.
Therefore when you do merciful deeds,
do not sound a trumpet before yourself,
as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and on the streets,
that they may get glory from humans.
Amen I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But when you do merciful deeds,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand does,
so that your merciful deeds
may be in secret,
and your Father
who sees into the secret
will pay you.
And when you pray,
you shall not be
like the hypocrites,
that love to stand praying
in the synagogues
and on the streetcorners,
that they may be on display for humans.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But you, when you pray,
go into your closet,
and shut your door;
pray to your Father
who is in secret,
and your Father
who sees into the secret
will pay you.
And when you fast,
Do not be like the gloomy hypocrites,
For they disfigure their faces,
so that they may be fasting on display for humans.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But you, when you fast,
anoint your head,
and wash your face;
so that you are not fasting on display for humans,
but for your Father
who is in secret,
and your Father,
who sees into the secret,
will pay you.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (I)
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Hebrews 12.1-4
Brothers and sisters:
Being surrounded then by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us then lay aside every burden and sin which clings to us,
and let us run with perseverance in the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider he who has endured against himself such contradiction by sinners,
lest you grow weary, fainting in your souls.
You have not yet resisted to the point of blood in striving against sin.
Responsorial – Psalm 22.26b-27, 28+30, 31-32 Resp. 27b
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
I will pay my vows before those who fear the Lord.
The humble shall eat and be satisfied.
They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
May your hearts live forever.
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
Only to him shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth.
All those shall bow before him,
who go down to the dust.
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
To him my soul shall live.
Posterity shall serve him.
Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
They shall declare to a people yet to be born,
his righteousness that he has done.
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
Gospel – Mark 5.21-43
When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side,
a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea.
Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came.
Seeing him, he fell at his feet, and begged him much, saying,
“My little daughter is at the point of death.
Please come and lay your hands on her,
that she may be made healthy, and live.”
He went with him, and a great multitude followed him.
A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years,
and had suffered many things by many physicians,
and had spent all that she had, and was no better,
but rather grew worse,
having heard the things concerning Jesus,
came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes.
For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up,
and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Immediately, Jesus, perceiving in himself
that the power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd, and asked,
“Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples said to him,
“You see the multitude pressing against you,
and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
But the woman, fearing and trembling,
knowing what had been done to her,
came and fell down before him,
and told him all the truth.
He said to her,
“Daughter, your faith has made you well.
Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
While he was still speaking,
people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying,
“Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken,
immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue,
“Do not be afraid, only believe.”
He allowed no one to follow him,
except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
He came to the synagogue ruler’s house,
and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing.
When he had entered in, he said to them,
“Why do you make an uproar and weep?
The child is not dead, but is asleep.”
They ridiculed him.
But he, having put them all out,
took the father of the child,
her mother, and those who were with him,
and went in where the child was lying.
Taking the child by the hand, he said to her,
“Talitha koum!”
which translated means “Girl, I tell you, get up!”
Immediately the girl rose up and walked;
she was twelve years old.
They were amazed with great amazement.
He strictly ordered them that no one should know this,
and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.
Reading 1 – Hebrews 12.1-4
Brothers and sisters:
Being surrounded then by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us then lay aside every burden and sin which clings to us,
and let us run with perseverance in the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider he who has endured against himself such contradiction by sinners,
lest you grow weary, fainting in your souls.
You have not yet resisted to the point of blood in striving against sin.
Responsorial – Psalm 22.26b-27, 28+30, 31-32 Resp. 27b
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
I will pay my vows before those who fear the Lord.
The humble shall eat and be satisfied.
They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
May your hearts live forever.
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
Only to him shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth.
All those shall bow before him,
who go down to the dust.
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
To him my soul shall live.
Posterity shall serve him.
Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
They shall declare to a people yet to be born,
his righteousness that he has done.
R. They shall praise the Lord who seek after him.
Gospel – Mark 5.21-43
When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side,
a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea.
Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came.
Seeing him, he fell at his feet, and begged him much, saying,
“My little daughter is at the point of death.
Please come and lay your hands on her,
that she may be made healthy, and live.”
He went with him, and a great multitude followed him.
A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years,
and had suffered many things by many physicians,
and had spent all that she had, and was no better,
but rather grew worse,
having heard the things concerning Jesus,
came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes.
For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up,
and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Immediately, Jesus, perceiving in himself
that the power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd, and asked,
“Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples said to him,
“You see the multitude pressing against you,
and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
But the woman, fearing and trembling,
knowing what had been done to her,
came and fell down before him,
and told him all the truth.
He said to her,
“Daughter, your faith has made you well.
Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
While he was still speaking,
people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying,
“Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken,
immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue,
“Do not be afraid, only believe.”
He allowed no one to follow him,
except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
He came to the synagogue ruler’s house,
and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing.
When he had entered in, he said to them,
“Why do you make an uproar and weep?
The child is not dead, but is asleep.”
They ridiculed him.
But he, having put them all out,
took the father of the child,
her mother, and those who were with him,
and went in where the child was lying.
Taking the child by the hand, he said to her,
“Talitha koum!”
which translated means “Girl, I tell you, get up!”
Immediately the girl rose up and walked;
she was twelve years old.
They were amazed with great amazement.
He strictly ordered them that no one should know this,
and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Jeremiah 1.4-5, 17-19
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
Before you were born, I dedicated you.
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
“You, gird your loins, arise,
and say to them all that I command you.
Be not dismayed because of them,
as though I would leave you dismayed before them.
For, behold, I have made you today a fortified city,
an iron pillar, and bronze walls,
against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah,
against its princes, against its priests,
and against the people of the land.
They will fight against you,
but they will not prevail against you;
for I am with you”, says the Lord, “to rescue you.”
Responsorial – Psalm 71.1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab+17 Resp. 15ab
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
In you, Lord, I take refuge.
Never let me be disappointed.
Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me.
Turn your ear to me, and save me.
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a safe stronghold.
You are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my confidence from my youth.
I have relied on you from the womb.
You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb.
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
My mouth will tell about your righteousness,
and of your salvation all day,
God, you have taught me from my youth.
Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
Reading 2 – 1 Corinthians 12.31-13.13
Brothers and sisters:
Earnestly strive through imitation for the greater charisms.
And I will show you a way still beyond:
If I speak with the tongues of humans and angels, but do not have love,
I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I donate all my possessions, and if I give my body to be burned,
but do not have love, it gains me nothing.
Love is patient; Love is kind;
Love is not jealous, nor bragging, nor proud, nor rude,
It does not seek its own way, nor is provoked to anger, nor counts up evils;
nor rejoices in unrighteousness, but rejoices together with the truth.
It bears all; believes all; hopes all; endures all.
Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will cease.
If tongues, they will stop.
If knowledge, it will cease.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
but when the goal comes, the in part will cease.
When I was immature, I spoke immaturely,
I thought immaturely, I reasoned immaturely.
Since I have become a man, the immaturity has ceased.
For now we see in a mirror, enigmatically, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I will acknowledge, just as I am acknowledged.
Now faith, hope, and love remain, these three,
and the greatest of these is love.
Gospel - Luke 4.21-30
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
“Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
All witnessed to him
and wondered at the gracious words
which proceeded out of his mouth,
and they asked, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable:
‘Physician, heal thyself!
What we have heard was done at Capernaum,
do also here in your hometown.’”
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
Truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah when the sky was shut up three and a half years,
when a great famine came over all the land.
Elijah was sent to none of them, but rather to Zarephath,
in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel
in the time of Elisha the prophet,
yet not one of them was cleansed,
but rather Naaman, the Syrian.”
Those in the synagogue were all filled with wrath
when they heard these things.
They rose up, threw him out of the city
and led him to the brow of the hill
that their city was built on,
that they might throw him off the cliff.
But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.
Reading 1 – Jeremiah 1.4-5, 17-19
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
Before you were born, I dedicated you.
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
“You, gird your loins, arise,
and say to them all that I command you.
Be not dismayed because of them,
as though I would leave you dismayed before them.
For, behold, I have made you today a fortified city,
an iron pillar, and bronze walls,
against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah,
against its princes, against its priests,
and against the people of the land.
They will fight against you,
but they will not prevail against you;
for I am with you”, says the Lord, “to rescue you.”
Responsorial – Psalm 71.1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab+17 Resp. 15ab
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
In you, Lord, I take refuge.
Never let me be disappointed.
Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me.
Turn your ear to me, and save me.
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a safe stronghold.
You are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my confidence from my youth.
I have relied on you from the womb.
You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb.
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
My mouth will tell about your righteousness,
and of your salvation all day,
God, you have taught me from my youth.
Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
R. My mouth will tell of your salvation.
Reading 2 – 1 Corinthians 12.31-13.13
Brothers and sisters:
Earnestly strive through imitation for the greater charisms.
And I will show you a way still beyond:
If I speak with the tongues of humans and angels, but do not have love,
I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I donate all my possessions, and if I give my body to be burned,
but do not have love, it gains me nothing.
Love is patient; Love is kind;
Love is not jealous, nor bragging, nor proud, nor rude,
It does not seek its own way, nor is provoked to anger, nor counts up evils;
nor rejoices in unrighteousness, but rejoices together with the truth.
It bears all; believes all; hopes all; endures all.
Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will cease.
If tongues, they will stop.
If knowledge, it will cease.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
but when the goal comes, the in part will cease.
When I was immature, I spoke immaturely,
I thought immaturely, I reasoned immaturely.
Since I have become a man, the immaturity has ceased.
For now we see in a mirror, enigmatically, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I will acknowledge, just as I am acknowledged.
Now faith, hope, and love remain, these three,
and the greatest of these is love.
Gospel - Luke 4.21-30
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
“Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
All witnessed to him
and wondered at the gracious words
which proceeded out of his mouth,
and they asked, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable:
‘Physician, heal thyself!
What we have heard was done at Capernaum,
do also here in your hometown.’”
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
Truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah when the sky was shut up three and a half years,
when a great famine came over all the land.
Elijah was sent to none of them, but rather to Zarephath,
in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel
in the time of Elisha the prophet,
yet not one of them was cleansed,
but rather Naaman, the Syrian.”
Those in the synagogue were all filled with wrath
when they heard these things.
They rose up, threw him out of the city
and led him to the brow of the hill
that their city was built on,
that they might throw him off the cliff.
But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Malachi 3.1-4
Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I send my messenger,
and he will prepare the way before me;
and the Lord, whom you seek,
will suddenly come to his temple;
and the messenger of the covenant,
whom you desire,
behold, he comes!”
says the Lord of Hosts.
“But who can endure the day of his coming?
And who will stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire,
and like the fuller’s lye;
and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
and refine them like gold and silver;
and they shall offer to the Lord
righteous sacrifices.
Then the sacrifices of Judah and Jerusalem
will be pleasant to the Lord,
as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
Responsorial – Psalm 24.7, 8, 9, 10 Resp. 8
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is the King of glory?
the Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up your heads, you gates;
yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this King of glory?
the Lord of Hosts is the King of glory!
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Reading 2 – Hebrews 2.14-18
Since the children have shared in flesh and blood,
Jesus himself in the same way partook of the same,
that through death he might bring to nothing
him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and might deliver all of those
who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
For most certainly, he does not give help to angels,
but he does give help to the seed of Abraham.
Therefore he was obligated in all things
to be made like his brothers and sisters,
that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest before God,
to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Since he himself was tested by suffering,
he is able to help those who are tested.
Gospel – Luke 2.22-40
When the days were fulfilled of
their purification according to the law of Moses
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem,
to present him to the Lord
as it is written in the law of the Lord:
“Every male who opens the womb
shall be called holy to the Lord”,
and to offer a sacrifice
according to that which is said
in the law of the Lord:
“A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
looking for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was on him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
He came in the Spirit into the temple.
When the parents brought in the child, Jesus,
to do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
he took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now you may release your servant, Master,
according to your word, in peace;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
a light for revelation to the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things
which were spoken concerning him,
and Simeon blessed them,
and said to Mary, his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign which will be contradicted.
(Indeed, a sword will pierce through your own soul)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age,
having lived with a husband
seven years from her virginity,
and as a widow for about eighty-four years.
She did not depart from the temple,
worshiping with fasting and petitions night and day.
Coming up at the same hour,
she gave thanks to the Lord,
and spoke of him to all those
who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
When they had accomplished all things
that were according to the law of the Lord,
they returned into Galilee,
to their own city, Nazareth.
The child grew,
and became strong in spirit,
being filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him.
Reading 1 – Malachi 3.1-4
Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I send my messenger,
and he will prepare the way before me;
and the Lord, whom you seek,
will suddenly come to his temple;
and the messenger of the covenant,
whom you desire,
behold, he comes!”
says the Lord of Hosts.
“But who can endure the day of his coming?
And who will stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire,
and like the fuller’s lye;
and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
and refine them like gold and silver;
and they shall offer to the Lord
righteous sacrifices.
Then the sacrifices of Judah and Jerusalem
will be pleasant to the Lord,
as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
Responsorial – Psalm 24.7, 8, 9, 10 Resp. 8
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is the King of glory?
the Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up your heads, you gates;
yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this King of glory?
the Lord of Hosts is the King of glory!
R. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord!
Reading 2 – Hebrews 2.14-18
Since the children have shared in flesh and blood,
Jesus himself in the same way partook of the same,
that through death he might bring to nothing
him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and might deliver all of those
who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
For most certainly, he does not give help to angels,
but he does give help to the seed of Abraham.
Therefore he was obligated in all things
to be made like his brothers and sisters,
that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest before God,
to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Since he himself was tested by suffering,
he is able to help those who are tested.
Gospel – Luke 2.22-40
When the days were fulfilled of
their purification according to the law of Moses
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem,
to present him to the Lord
as it is written in the law of the Lord:
“Every male who opens the womb
shall be called holy to the Lord”,
and to offer a sacrifice
according to that which is said
in the law of the Lord:
“A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
looking for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was on him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
He came in the Spirit into the temple.
When the parents brought in the child, Jesus,
to do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
he took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now you may release your servant, Master,
according to your word, in peace;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
a light for revelation to the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things
which were spoken concerning him,
and Simeon blessed them,
and said to Mary, his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign which will be contradicted.
(Indeed, a sword will pierce through your own soul)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age,
having lived with a husband
seven years from her virginity,
and as a widow for about eighty-four years.
She did not depart from the temple,
worshiping with fasting and petitions night and day.
Coming up at the same hour,
she gave thanks to the Lord,
and spoke of him to all those
who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
When they had accomplished all things
that were according to the law of the Lord,
they returned into Galilee,
to their own city, Nazareth.
The child grew,
and became strong in spirit,
being filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him.
Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time (I)
Official Translation
Reading 1 – Hebrews 10.32-39
Remember days past, when, after you were enlightened,
you endured a great struggle with sufferings.
Being exposed sometimes both to reproaches and oppression,
and sometimes in fellowship with those who were treated so.
For you had compassion on the imprisoned,
and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your possessions,
knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
“In a little while, he who comes will come, and will not delay.
But the righteous will live by faith.
If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
But we are not of those who shrink back and perish,
but of those who have faith in the salvation of souls.
Responsorial – Psalm 37.3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40 Resp. 39a
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Trust in the Lord, and do good.
Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Commit your way to the Lord.
Trust also in him, and he will do this:
he will make your righteousness come out as the light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
The ways of man are established by the Lord.
He approves his path.
Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for the Lord holds him up with his hand.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them, and rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Gospel – Mark 4.26-34
Jesus said to the crowds,
“The Kingdom of God is like when a human casts seed on the earth,
and sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed springs up and grows,
they know not how.
For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
But when the fruit is ripe, immediately they put in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He said, “To what will we compare the Kingdom of God?
Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth,
is smaller than the other seeds that are on the earth,
yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the plants,
and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
Without a parable he did not speak to them;
but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
Reading 1 – Hebrews 10.32-39
Remember days past, when, after you were enlightened,
you endured a great struggle with sufferings.
Being exposed sometimes both to reproaches and oppression,
and sometimes in fellowship with those who were treated so.
For you had compassion on the imprisoned,
and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your possessions,
knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
“In a little while, he who comes will come, and will not delay.
But the righteous will live by faith.
If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
But we are not of those who shrink back and perish,
but of those who have faith in the salvation of souls.
Responsorial – Psalm 37.3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40 Resp. 39a
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Trust in the Lord, and do good.
Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Commit your way to the Lord.
Trust also in him, and he will do this:
he will make your righteousness come out as the light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
The ways of man are established by the Lord.
He approves his path.
Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for the Lord holds him up with his hand.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them, and rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Gospel – Mark 4.26-34
Jesus said to the crowds,
“The Kingdom of God is like when a human casts seed on the earth,
and sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed springs up and grows,
they know not how.
For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
But when the fruit is ripe, immediately they put in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He said, “To what will we compare the Kingdom of God?
Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth,
is smaller than the other seeds that are on the earth,
yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the plants,
and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
Without a parable he did not speak to them;
but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
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