Daily Readings

With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord! Hearken, my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter mysteries from of old. R. Do not forget the works of the Lord! While he slew them they sought him and inquired after God again, Remembering that God was their rock and the Most High God, their redeemer. R. Do not forget the works of the Lord! But they flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues, Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant. R. Do not forget the works of the Lord! But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; Often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused. R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Brothers and sisters: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  

Wrath and anger are hateful things,yet the sinner hugs them tight.The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,for he remembers their sins in detail.Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.Could anyone nourish anger against anotherand expect healing from the LORD?Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,can he seek pardon for his own sins?If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,who will forgive his sins?Remember your last days, set enmity aside;remember death and decay, and cease from sin!Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

R. (8) The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.He pardons all your iniquities,heals all your ills.He redeems your life from destruction,crowns you with kindness and compassion.R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.He will not always chide,nor does he keep his wrath forever.Not according to our sins does he deal with us,nor does he requite us according to our crimes.R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.For as the heavens are high above the earth,so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.As far as the east is from the west,so far has he put our transgressions from us.R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Brothers and sisters:None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.For if we live, we live for the Lord,and if we die, we die for the Lord;so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.For this is why Christ died and came to life,that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:love one another as I have loved you.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,“Lord, if my brother sins against me,how often must I forgive?As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a kingwho decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting,a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back,his master ordered him to be sold,along with his wife, his children, and all his property,in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’Moved with compassion the master of that servantlet him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servantswho owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,‘Pay back what you owe.’Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prisonuntil he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,they were deeply disturbed, and went to their masterand reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,as I had pity on you?’Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturersuntil he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you,unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

My beloved ones, avoid idolatry.I am speaking as to sensible people;judge for yourselves what I am saying.The cup of blessing that we bless,is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ?The bread that we break,is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?Because the loaf of bread is one,we, though many, are one Body,for we all partake of the one loaf.

Look at Israel according to the flesh;are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?So what am I saying?That meat sacrificed to idols is anything?Or that an idol is anything?No, I mean that what they sacrifice,they sacrifice to demons, not to God,and I do not want you to become participants with demons.You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons.You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger?Are we stronger than him?

R.        (17) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

How shall I make a return to the LORDfor all the good he has done for me?The cup of salvation I will take up,and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

R.        To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,and I will call upon the name of the LORD.My vows to the LORD I will payin the presence of all his people.

R.        To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever loves me will keep my word,and my Father will love him,and we will come to him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.For every tree is known by its own fruit.For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,nor do they gather grapes from brambles.A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,listens to my words, and acts on them.That one is like a man building a house,who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;when the flood came, the river burst against that housebut could not shake it because it had been well built.But the one who listens and does not actis like a person who built a house on the groundwithout a foundation.When the river burst against it,it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”