Sunday, August 11, 2013

First Reading

Wisdom 18:6-9

 

The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,

that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,

they might have courage.

Your people awaited the salvation of the just

and the destruction of their foes.

For when you punished our adversaries,

in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.

For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice

and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-22

 

R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

 

Exult, you just, in the LORD;

praise from the upright is fitting.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

 

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,

upon those who hope for his kindness,

To deliver them from death

and preserve them in spite of famine.

 

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

 

Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

who have put our hope in you.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

 

Second Reading

Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12

 

Brothers and sisters:

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for

and evidence of things not seen.

Because of it the ancients were well attested.

 

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place

that he was to receive as an inheritance;

he went out, not knowing where he was to go.

By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,

dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;

for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,

whose architect and maker is God.

By faith he received power to generate,

even though he was past the normal age

—and Sarah herself was sterile—

for he thought that the one who had made the promise was

trustworthy.

So it was that there came forth from one man,

himself as good as dead,

descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky

and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

 

All these died in faith.

They did not receive what had been promised

but saw it and greeted it from afar

and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,

for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.

If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,

they would have had opportunity to return.

But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.

Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,

for he has prepared a city for them.

 

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,

and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,

of whom it was said,

"Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name."

He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,

and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

 

Gospel

Luke 12:32-48

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,

for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

Sell your belongings and give alms.

Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,

an inexhaustible treasure in heaven

that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.

For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

 

"Gird your loins and light your lamps

and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,

ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

Blessed are those servants

whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.

Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,

have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.

And should he come in the second or third watch

and find them prepared in this way,

blessed are those servants.

Be sure of this:

if the master of the house had known the hour

when the thief was coming,

he would not have let his house be broken into.

You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,

the Son of Man will come."

 

Then Peter said,

"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"

And the Lord replied,

"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward

whom the master will put in charge of his servants

to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?

Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.

Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant

in charge of all his property.

But if that servant says to himself,

'My master is delayed in coming,'

and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,

to eat and drink and get drunk,

then that servant's master will come

on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour

and will punish the servant severely

and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

That servant who knew his master's will

but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will

shall be beaten severely;

and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will

but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating

shall be beaten only lightly.

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,

and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

Sunday, July 28, 2013

First Reading 

Genesis 18:20-32

In those days, the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,

and their sin so grave,

that I must go down and see whether or not their actions

fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. 

I mean to find out."

While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,

the LORD remained standing before Abraham. 

Then Abraham drew nearer and said:

"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? 

Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;

would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it

for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? 

Far be it from you to do such a thing,

to make the innocent die with the guilty

so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! 

Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" 

The LORD replied,

"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,

I will spare the whole place for their sake." 

Abraham spoke up again:

"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,

though I am but dust and ashes! 

What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? 

Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" 

He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only forty are found there?" 

He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty." 

Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. 

What if only thirty are found there?" 

He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there." 

Still Abraham went on,

"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,

what if there are no more than twenty?" 

The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty."

But he still persisted:

"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. 

What if there are at least ten there?" 

He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8

R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,

for you have heard the words of my mouth;

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy temple

and give thanks to your name.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Because of your kindness and your truth;

for you have made great above all things

your name and your promise.

When I called you answered me;

you built up strength within me.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,

and the proud he knows from afar.

Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;

against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Your right hand saves me.

The LORD will complete what he has done for me;

your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;

forsake not the work of your hands.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Second Reading 

Colossians 2:12-14

Brothers and sisters:

You were buried with him in baptism,

in which you were also raised with him

through faith in the power of God,

who raised him from the dead. 

And even when you were dead

in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,

he brought you to life along with him,

having forgiven us all our transgressions;

obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,

which was opposed to us,

he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

Gospel 

Luke 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." 

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend

to whom he goes at midnight and says,

'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey

and I have nothing to offer him,'

and he says in reply from within,

'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked

and my children and I are already in bed. 

I cannot get up to give you anything.'

I tell you,

if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves

because of their friendship,

he will get up to give him whatever he needs

because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you. 

For everyone who asks, receives;

and the one who seeks, finds;

and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

What father among you would hand his son a snake

when he asks for a fish? 

Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 

If you then, who are wicked,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

Sunday, July 21, 2013

First Reading

Genesis 18:1-10

 

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre,

as he sat in the entrance of his tent,

while the day was growing hot.

Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.

When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;

and bowing to the ground, he said:

"Sir, if I may ask you this favor,

please do not go on past your servant.

Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,

and then rest yourselves under the tree.

Now that you have come this close to your servant,

let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;

and afterward you may go on your way."

The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said."

 

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,

"Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."

He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,

and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.

Then Abraham got some curds and milk,

as well as the steer that had been prepared,

and set these before the three men;

and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.

 

They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"

He replied, "There in the tent."

One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,

and Sarah will then have a son."

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 15:2-5

 

R. (1a) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

One who walks blamelessly and does justice;

who thinks the truth in his heart

and slanders not with his tongue.

 

R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

 

Who harms not his fellow man,

nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;

by whom the reprobate is despised,

while he honors those who fear the LORD.

 

R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

 

Who lends not his money at usury

and accepts no bribe against the innocent.

One who does these things

shall never be disturbed.

 

R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

 

Second Reading

Colossians 1:24-28

 

Brothers and sisters:

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,

and in my flesh I am filling up

what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ

on behalf of his body, which is the church,

of which I am a minister

in accordance with God's stewardship given to me

to bring to completion for you the word of God,

the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.

But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,

to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory

of this mystery among the Gentiles;

it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.

It is he whom we proclaim,

admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,

that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

 

Gospel

Luke 10:38-42

 

Jesus entered a village

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

"Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me."

The Lord said to her in reply,

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her."

Sunday, July 7, 2013

First Reading

Isaiah 66:10-14

 

Thus says the LORD:

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,

all you who love her;

exult, exult with her,

all you who were mourning over her!

Oh, that you may suck fully

of the milk of her comfort,

that you may nurse with delight

at her abundant breasts!

For thus says the LORD:

Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river,

and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.

As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,

and fondled in her lap;

as a mother comforts her child,

so will I comfort you;

in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.

 

When you see this, your heart shall rejoice

and your bodies flourish like the grass;

the LORD's power shall be known to his servants.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20

 

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

 

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,

sing praise to the glory of his name;

proclaim his glorious praise.

Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds!"

 

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

 

"Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,

sing praise to your name!"

Come and see the works of God,

his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.

 

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

 

He has changed the sea into dry land;

through the river they passed on foot;

therefore let us rejoice in him.

He rules by his might forever.

 

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

 

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare

what he has done for me.

Blessed be God who refused me not

my prayer or his kindness!

 

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy

 

Second Reading

Galatians 6:14-18

 

Brothers and sisters:

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through which the world has been crucified to me,

and I to the world.

For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,

but only a new creation.

Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule

and to the Israel of God.

 

From now on, let no one make troubles for me;

for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,

brothers and sisters. Amen.

Gospel

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

 

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others

whom he sent ahead of him in pairs

to every town and place he intended to visit.

He said to them,

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way;

behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;

and greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter, first say,

'Peace to this household.'

If a peaceful person lives there,

your peace will rest on him;

but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,

for the laborer deserves his payment.

Do not move about from one house to another.

Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,

eat what is set before you,

cure the sick in it and say to them,

'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'

Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,

go out into the streets and say,

'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,

even that we shake off against you.'

Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.

I tell you,

it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

 

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,

"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."

Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.

Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions

and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,

but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Sunday, June 30, 2013 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21

 

The LORD said to Elijah:

"You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,

as prophet to succeed you."

 

Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,

as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;

he was following the twelfth.

Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.

Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,

"Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,

and I will follow you."

Elijah answered, "Go back!

Have I done anything to you?"

Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;

he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,

and gave it to his people to eat.

Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11

 

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

 

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you.

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot."

 

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

 

I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even in the night my heart exhorts me.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

 

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence

because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

 

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

 

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

 

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

 

Second Reading

Galatians 5:1, 13-18

 

Brothers and sisters:

For freedom Christ set us free;

so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

 

For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters.

But do not use this freedom

as an opportunity for the flesh;

rather, serve one another through love.

For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement,

namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

But if you go on biting and devouring one another,

beware that you are not consumed by one another.

 

I say, then: live by the Spirit

and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,

and the Spirit against the flesh;

these are opposed to each other,

so that you may not do what you want.

But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 

Gospel

Luke 9:51-62

 

When the days for Jesus' being taken up were fulfilled,

he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

and he sent messengers ahead of him.

On the way they entered a Samaritan village

to prepare for his reception there,

but they would not welcome him

because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,

"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven

to consume them?"

Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

 

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,

"I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus answered him,

"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

 

And to another he said, "Follow me."

But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father."

But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.

But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

And another said, "I will follow you, Lord,

but first let me say farewell to my family at home."

To him Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow

and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

Sunday, June 9, 2013 - Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading

1 Kings 17:17-24

 

Elijah went to Zarephath of Sidon to the house of a widow.

The son of the mistress of the house fell sick,

and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing.

So she said to Elijah,

"Why have you done this to me, O man of God?

Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt

and to kill my son?"

Elijah said to her, "Give me your son."

Taking him from her lap, he carried the son to the upper room

where he was staying, and put him on his bed.

Elijah called out to the LORD:

"O LORD, my God,

will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying

by killing her son?"

Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times

and called out to the LORD:

"O LORD, my God,

let the life breath return to the body of this child."

The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;

the life breath returned to the child's body and he revived.

Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house

from the upper room and gave him to his mother.

Elijah said to her, "See! Your son is alive."

The woman replied to Elijah,

"Now indeed I know that you are a man of God.

The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth."

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13

 

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear

and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;

you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

 

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger lasts but a moment;

a lifetime, his good will.

At nightfall, weeping enters in,

but with the dawn, rejoicing.

 

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;

O LORD, be my helper.

You changed my mourning into dancing;

O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

 

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 

Second Reading

Galatians 1:11-19

 

I want you to know, brothers and sisters,

that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,

but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism,

how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure

and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism

beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,

since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.

But when God, who from my mother's womb had set me apart

and called me through his grace,

was pleased to reveal his Son to me,

so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,

I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,

nor did I go up to Jerusalem

to those who were apostles before me;

rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

 

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem

to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.

But I did not see any other of the apostles,

only James the brother of the Lord.

 

Gospel

Luke 7:11-17

 

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,

and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.

As he drew near to the gate of the city,

a man who had died was being carried out,

the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

A large crowd from the city was with her.

When the Lord saw her,

he was moved with pity for her and said to her,

"Do not weep."

He stepped forward and touched the coffin;

at this the bearers halted,

and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"

The dead man sat up and began to speak,

and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,

"A great prophet has arisen in our midst, "

and "God has visited his people."

This report about him spread through the whole of Judea

and in all the surrounding region.