Daily Readings

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,raised his voice, and proclaimed:"Let the whole house of Israel know for certainthat God has made both Lord and Christ,this Jesus whom you crucified."Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,and they asked Peter and the other apostles,"What are we to do, my brothers?"Peter said to them,"Repent and be baptized, every one of you,in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.For the promise is made to you and to your childrenand to all those far off,whomever the Lord our God will call."He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."Those who accepted his message were baptized,and about three thousand persons were added that day. 

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.or:R. Alleluia.The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.In verdant pastures he gives me repose;beside restful waters he leads me;he refreshes my soul.R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.or:R. Alleluia.He guides me in right pathsfor his name's sake.Even though I walk in the dark valleyI fear no evil; for you are at my side.With your rod and your staffthat give me courage.R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.or:R. Alleluia.You spread the table before mein the sight of my foes;you anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.or:R. Alleluia.Only goodness and kindness follow meall the days of my life;and I shall dwell in the house of the LORDfor years to come.R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.or:R. Alleluia. 

Beloved:If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good,this is a grace before God.For to this you have been called,because Christ also suffered for you,leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.When he was insulted, he returned no insult;when he suffered, he did not threaten;instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.By his wounds you have been healed.For you had gone astray like sheep,but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;I know my sheep, and mine know me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

Jesus said:"Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gatebut climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.When he has driven out all his own,he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,because they recognize his voice.But they will not follow a stranger;they will run away from him,because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."Although Jesus used this figure of speech,the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,I am the gate for the sheep.All who came before me are thieves and robbers,but the sheep did not listen to them.I am the gate.Whoever enters through me will be saved,and will come in and go out and find pasture.A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." 

Beloved:    Clothe yourselves with humilityin your dealings with one another, for:

God opposes the proudbut bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that he may exalt you in due time.Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Be sober and vigilant.Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lionlooking for someone to devour.Resist him, steadfast in faith,knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the worldundergo the same sufferings.The God of all gracewho called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesuswill himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish youafter you have suffered a little.To him be dominion forever.  Amen.

I write you this briefly through Silvanus,whom I consider a faithful brother,exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.Remain firm in it.The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.Greet one another with a loving kiss.Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

R.    (2)  For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.or:R.    Alleluia.The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.R.    For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.or:R.    Alleluia.The heavens proclaim your wonders, O LORD,and your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones.For who in the skies can rank with the LORD?Who is like the LORD among the sons of God?R.    For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.or:R.    Alleluia.Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.At your name they rejoice all the day,and through your justice they are exalted.R.    For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.or:R.    Alleluia.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.We proclaim Christ crucified;he is the power of God and the wisdom of God.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:“Go into the whole worldand proclaim the Gospel to every creature.Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;whoever does not believe will be condemned.These signs will accompany those who believe:in my name they will drive out demons,they will speak new languages.They will pick up serpents with their hands,and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,was taken up into heavenand took his seat at the right hand of God.But they went forth and preached everywhere,while the Lord worked with themand confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He said, "Who are you, sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight." But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name." So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or: R. Alleluia. Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples! R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or: R. Alleluia. For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever. R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. or: R. Alleluia.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood, remains in me and I in him, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.