Daily Readings

Job said:

Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,for the hand of God has struck me!Why do you hound me as though you were divine,and insatiably prey upon me?

Oh, would that my words were written down!Would that they were inscribed in a record:That with an iron chisel and with leadthey were cut in the rock forever!But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;Whom I myself shall see:my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,And from my flesh I shall see God;my inmost being is consumed with longing.

R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;have pity on me, and answer me.Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.Your presence, O LORD, I seek.Hide not your face from me;do not in anger repel your servant.You are my helper: cast me not off.R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORDin the land of the living.Wait for the LORD with courage;be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.The Kingdom of God is at hand;repent and believe in the Gospel.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus appointed seventy-two other discipleswhom he sent ahead of him in pairsto 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 harvestto 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.”

Job answered his friends and said:I know well that it is so;but how can a man be justified before God?Should one wish to contend with him,he could not answer him once in a thousand times.God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;who has withstood him and remained unscathed?He removes the mountains before they know it;he overturns them in his anger.He shakes the earth out of its place,and the pillars beneath it tremble.He commands the sun, and it rises not;he seals up the stars.He alone stretches out the heavensand treads upon the crests of the sea.He made the Bear and Orion,the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;He does great things past finding out,marvelous things beyond reckoning.Should he come near me, I see him not;should he pass by, I am not aware of him;Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay?Who can say to him, "What are you doing?"How much less shall I give him any answer,or choose out arguments against him!Even though I were right, I could not answer him,but should rather beg for what was due me.If I appealed to him and he answered my call,I could not believe that he would hearken to my words. 

R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.Daily I call upon you, O LORD;to you I stretch out my hands.Will you work wonders for the dead?Will the shades arise to give you thanks?R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.Do they declare your mercy in the grave,your faithfulness among those who have perished?Are your wonders made known in the darkness,or your justice in the land of oblivion?R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.But I, O LORD, cry out to you;with my morning prayer I wait upon you.Why, O LORD, do you reject me;why hide from me your face?R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I consider all things so much rubbishthat I may gain Christ and be found in him.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

As Jesus and his disciples were proceedingon 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."Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plowand looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God." 

As I watched: Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, He received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.

War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them."

R. (1) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord. 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. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord. 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. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord. All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD when they hear the words of your mouth; And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD "Great is the glory of the LORD R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Bless the LORD, all you angels, you ministers, who do his will. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."