Daily Readings

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.All the day I am an object of laughter;everyone mocks me.Whenever I speak, I must cry out,violence and outrage is my message;the word of the LORD has brought mederision and reproach all the day.I say to myself, I will not mention him,I will speak in his name no more.But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,imprisoned in my bones;I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it. 

R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.O God, you are my God whom I seek;for you my flesh pines and my soul thirstslike the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuaryto see your power and your glory,for your kindness is a greater good than life;my lips shall glorify you.R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.Thus will I bless you while I live;lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.You are my help,and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.My soul clings fast to you;your right hand upholds me.R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God. 

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this agebut be transformed by the renewal of your mind,that you may discern what is the will of God,what is good and pleasing and perfect. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christenlighten the eyes of our hearts,that we may know what is the hopethat belongs to our call.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

Jesus began to show his disciplesthat he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatlyfrom the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter,"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."Then Jesus said to his disciples,"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.What profit would there be for one to gain the whole worldand forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,and then he will repay all according to his conduct." 

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.Not many of you were wise by human standards,not many were powerful,not many were of noble birth.Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,those who count for nothing,to reduce to nothing those who are something,so that no human being might boast before God.It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,who became for us wisdom from God,as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,so that, as it is written,Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.From heaven the LORD looks down;he sees all mankind.R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,upon those who hope for his kindness,To deliver them from deathand 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,For in him our hearts rejoice;in his holy name we trust.R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prisonon account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.John had said to Herod,“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”Herodias harbored a grudge against himand wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,and kept him in custody.When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,yet he liked to listen to him.She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,gave a banquet for his courtiers,his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.Herodias’ own daughter came inand performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.The king said to the girl,“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”He even swore many things to her,“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,even to half of my kingdom.”She went out and said to her mother,“What shall I ask for?”She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,“I want you to give me at onceon a platter the head of John the Baptist.”The king was deeply distressed,but because of his oaths and the guestshe did not wish to break his word to her.So he promptly dispatched an executioner with ordersto bring back his head.He went off and beheaded him in the prison.He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.The girl in turn gave it to her mother.When his disciples heard about it,they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Brothers and sisters:Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.For it is written:I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the learning of the learned I will set aside.Where is the wise one?Where is the scribe?Where is the debater of this age?Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?For since in the wisdom of Godthe world did not come to know God through wisdom,it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamationto save those who have faith.For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,but we proclaim Christ crucified,a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

R. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.Exult, you just, in the LORD;praise from the upright is fitting.Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.For upright is the word of the LORD,and all his works are trustworthy.He loves justice and right;of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;he foils the designs of peoples.But the plan of the LORD stands forever;the design of his heart, through all generations.R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Be vigilant at all times and pray,that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus told his disciples this parable:“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virginswho took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,brought no oil with them,but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed,they all became drowsy and fell asleep.At midnight, there was a cry,‘Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise,‘Give us some of your oil,for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied,‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it,the bridegroom cameand those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.Afterwards the other virgins came and said,‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply,‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake,for you know neither the day nor the hour.”