Daily Readings

Beloved:Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milkso that through it you may grow into salvation,for you have tasted that the Lord is good.Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beingsbut chosen and precious in the sight of God,and, like living stones,let yourselves be built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrificesacceptable to God through Jesus Christ.You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own,so that you may announce the praises of himwho called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.Once you were no peoplebut now you are God’s people;you had not received mercybut now you have received mercy.Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojournersto keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles,so that if they speak of you as evildoers,they may observe your good worksand glorify God on the day of visitation. 

R. (2c) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;serve the LORD with gladness;come before him with joyful song.R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.Know that the LORD is God;he made us, his we are;his people, the flock he tends.R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.Enter his gates with thanksgiving,his courts with praise;Give thanks to him;bless his name.R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.The LORD is good:his kindness endures forever,and his faithfulness, to all generations.R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the light of the world, says the Lord;whoever follows me will have the light of life.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,sat by the roadside begging.On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out and say,“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called the blind man, saying to him,“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”Immediately he received his sightand followed him on the way. 

Beloved:Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,handed on by your ancestors,not with perishable things like silver or goldbut with the precious Blood of Christas of a spotless unblemished Lamb.He was known before the foundation of the worldbut revealed in the final time for you,who through him believe in Godwho raised him from the dead and gave him glory,so that your faith and hope are in God.Since you have purified yourselvesby obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love,love one another intensely from a pure heart.You have been born anew,not from perishable but from imperishable seed,through the living and abiding word of God, for:"All flesh is like grass,and all its glory like the flower of the field;the grass withers,and the flower wilts;but the word of the Lord remains forever."This is the word that has been proclaimed to you. 

R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.or:R. Alleluia.Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;praise your God, O Zion.For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;he has blessed your children within you.R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.or:R. Alleluia.He has granted peace in your borders;with the best of wheat he fills you.He sends forth his command to the earth;swiftly runs his word!R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.or:R. Alleluia.He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.He has not done thus for any other nation;his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.or:R. Alleluia. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.The Son of Man came to serve,and to give his life as a ransom for many.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,and Jesus went ahead of them.They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell themwhat was going to happen to him."Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Manwill be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to deathand hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,but after three days he will rise."Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,came to Jesus and said to him,"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"They answered him,"Grant that in your glorywe may sit one at your right and the other at your left."Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.Can you drink the chalice that I drinkor be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"They said to him, "We can."Jesus said to them, "The chalice that I drink, you will drink,and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to givebut is for those for whom it has been prepared."When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.Jesus summoned them and said to them,"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentileslord it over them,and their great ones make their authority over them felt.But it shall not be so among you.Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serveand to give his life as a ransom for many." 

Beloved:Concerning the salvation of your soulsthe prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yourssearched and investigated itinvestigating the time and circumstancesthat the Spirit of Christ within them indicatedwhen it testified in advanceto the sufferings destined for Christand the glories to follow them.It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but youwith regard to the things that have now been announced to youby those who preached the Good News to youthrough the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,things into which angels longed to look.Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly,and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to youat the revelation of Jesus Christ.Like obedient children,do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorancebut, as he who called you is holy,be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,for it is written, Be holy because I am holy. 

R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.Sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done wondrous deeds;His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.R. The Lord has made known his salvation.The LORD has made his salvation known:in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulnesstoward the house of Israel.R. The Lord has made known his salvation.All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation by our God.Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;break into song; sing praise.R. The Lord has made known his salvation. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

Peter began to say to Jesus,"We have given up everything and followed you."Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sistersor mother or father or children or landsfor my sake and for the sake of the Gospelwho will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:houses and brothers and sistersand mothers and children and lands,with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."