Daily Readings

At the mountain of God, Horeb,Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. Then the LORD said to him,“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountainsand crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire—but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this,Elijah hid his face in his cloakand went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.I will hear what God proclaims;the LORD — for he proclaims peace.Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,glory dwelling in our land.R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.Kindness and truth shall meet;justice and peace shall kiss.Truth shall spring out of the earth,and justice shall look down from heaven.R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.The LORD himself will give his benefits;our land shall yield its increase.Justice shall walk before him,and prepare the way of his steps.R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Brothers and sisters:I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witnessthat I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christfor the sake of my own people,my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites;theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;theirs the patriarchs, and from them,according to the flesh, is the Christ,who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I wait for the Lord;my soul waits for his word.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boatand precede him to the other side,while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night,he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply,“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

Are you not from eternity, O LORD,my holy God, immortal?O LORD, you have marked him for judgment,O Rock, you have readied him punishment!Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil,and the sight of misery you cannot endure.Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silencewhile the wicked man devoursone more just than himself?You have made man like the fish of the sea,like creeping things without a ruler.He brings them all up with his hook,he hauls them away with his net,He gathers them in his seine;and so he rejoices and exults.Therefore he sacrifices to his net,and burns incense to his seine;for thanks to them his portion is generous,and his repast sumptuous.Shall he, then, keep on brandishing his swordto slay peoples without mercy?I will stand at my guard post,and station myself upon the rampart,And keep watch to see what he will say to me,and what answer he will give to my complaint.

Then the LORD answered me and said:Write down the visionClearly upon the tablets,so that one can read it readily.For the vision still has its time,presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;If it delays, wait for it,it will surely come, it will not be late.The rash man has no integrity;but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.

R. (11b) You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.The LORD sits enthroned forever;he has set up his throne for judgment.He judges the world with justice;he governs the peoples with equity.R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,a stronghold in times of distress.They trust in you who cherish your name,for you forsake not those who seek you, O LORD.R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.Sing praise to the LORD enthroned in Zion;proclaim among the nations his deeds;For the avenger of blood has remembered;he has not forgotten the cry of the poor.R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed deathand brought life to light through the Gospel.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said,“Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely;often he falls into fire, and often into water.I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”Jesus said in reply,“O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?How long will I endure you?  Bring the boy here to me.”Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him,and from that hour the boy was cured.Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said,“Why could we not drive it out?”He said to them, “Because of your little faith.Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,you will say to this mountain,‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

See, upon the mountains there advancesthe bearer of good news, announcing peace!Celebrate your feasts, O Judah,fulfill your vows!For nevermore shall you be invadedby the scoundrel; he is completely destroyed.The LORD will restore the vine of Jacob,the pride of Israel,Though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined the tendrils.Woe to the bloody city, all lies,full of plunder, whose looting never stops!The crack of the whip, the rumbling sounds of wheels;horses a-gallop, chariots bounding, Cavalry charging, the flame of the sword, the flash of the spear,the many slain, the heaping corpses,the endless bodies to stumble upon!I will cast filth upon you,disgrace you and put you to shame;Till everyone who sees you runs from you, saying,“Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity her?Where can one find any to console her?”

R. (39c)  It is I who deal death and give life.Close at hand is the day of their disaster,and their doom is rushing upon them!Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;on his servants he shall have pity.R. It is I who deal death and give life.“Learn then that I, I alone, am God,and there is no god besides me.It is I who bring both death and life,I who inflict wounds and heal them.”R. It is I who deal death and give life.I will sharpen my flashing sword,and my hand shall lay hold of my quiver,“With vengeance I will repay my foesand requite those who hate me.”R. It is I who deal death and give life.

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

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 each according to his conduct.Amen, I say to you, there are some standing herewho will not taste deathuntil they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”