Daily Reading

Monday of the First Week of Lent

Reading I Lv 19:1-2, 11-18

The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

Responsorial Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R.        (John 6:63b)  Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
            refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
            giving wisdom to the simple.
R.        Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
            rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
            enlightening the eye.
R.        Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
            enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
            all of them just.
R.        Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
            find favor before you,
            O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R.        Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Verse Before the Gospel 2 Cor 6:2b

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.

Gospel Mt 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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First Sunday of Lent

Reading I Dt 26:4-10

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
‘My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
And having set them before the LORD, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence.”

Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15. Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.

R. (cf. 15b)  Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
            who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,
            my God in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you,
            nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
            that they guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
            lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
            you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
            I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
            I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Reading II Rom 10:8-13

Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
            The word is near you,
                        in your mouth and in your heart
—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
            No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel Lk 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written
            You shall worship the Lord, your God,
                        and him alone shall you serve.
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
            He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
 and:
            With their hands they will support you,
            lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
            You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Reading I Is 58:9b-14

Thus says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
            false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
            and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
            and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
            and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
            and you shall be like a watered garden,
            like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
            and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
            “Restorer of ruined homesteads.”

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath
            from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
            and the LORD’s holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways,
            seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice–
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
            and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
            for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Responsorial Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R.        (11ab)  Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
            for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
            save your servant who trusts in you.
            You are my God.
R.        Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
            for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
            for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R.        Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
            abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
            and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R.        Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.

Verse Before the Gospel Ez 33:11

I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion, that he may live.

Gospel Lk 5:27-32

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Friday after Ash Wednesday

Reading I Is 58:1-9a

Thus says the Lord GOD:
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
            lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Tell my people their wickedness,
            and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day,
            and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
            and not abandoned the law of their God;
They ask me to declare what is due them,
            pleased to gain access to God.
“Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
            afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?”

Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
            and drive all your laborers.
Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,
            striking with wicked claw.
Would that today you might fast
            so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
            of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
            and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
            a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
            releasing those bound unjustly,
            untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed
            breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
            sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
            and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
            and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
            and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
            you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!

Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19

R.        (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
            in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
            and of my sin cleanse me.
R.        A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For I acknowledge my offense,
            and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
            and done what is evil in your sight.”
R.        A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
            should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
            a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R.        A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Verse Before the Gospel See Am 5:14

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the Lord will be with you.

Gospel Mt 9:14-15

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Reading I Dt 30:15-20

Moses said to the people:
“Today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today,
loving him, and walking in his ways,
and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,
you will live and grow numerous,
and the LORD, your God,
will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,
but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish;
you will not have a long life
on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:
I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.
For that will mean life for you,
a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore
he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Responsorial Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R.        (40:5a)  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
            the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
            nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
            and meditates on his law day and night.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
            planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
            and whose leaves never fade.
            Whatever he does, prospers.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
            they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
            but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:17

Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gospel Lk 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
 “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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