Daily Readings

Brothers and sisters:Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firmagainst the tactics of the Devil.For our struggle is not with flesh and bloodbut with the principalities, with the powers,with the world rulers of this present darkness,with the evil spirits in the heavens.Therefore, put on the armor of God,that you may be able to resist on the evil dayand, having done everything, to hold your ground.So stand fast with your loins girded in truth,clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,and your feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace.In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.

With all prayer and supplication,pray at every opportunity in the Spirit.To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplicationfor all the holy ones and also for me,that speech may be given me to open my mouth,to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospelfor which I am an ambassador in chains,so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.

R. (1b) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!Blessed be the LORD, my rock,who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!My mercy and my fortress,my stronghold, my deliverer,My shield, in whom I trust,who subdues my people under me.R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!O God, I will sing a new song to you;with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,You who give victory to kings,and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”He replied, “Go and tell that fox,‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,for it is impossible that a prophet should dieoutside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,how many times I yearned to gather your children togetheras a hen gathers her brood under her wings,but you were unwilling!Behold, your house will be abandoned.But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge. R. Their message goes out through all the earth. Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Brothers and sisters:Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.For the husband is head of his wifejust as Christ is head of the Church,he himself the savior of the Body.As the Church is subordinate to Christ,so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.Husbands, love your wives,even as Christ loved the Churchand handed himself over for her to sanctify her,cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,that she might be holy and without blemish.So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.He who loves his wife loves himself.For no one hates his own fleshbut rather nourishes and cherishes it,even as Christ does the Church,because we are members of his Body.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his motherand be joined to his wife,and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery,but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,and the wife should respect her husband. 

R. (1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.Blessed are you who fear the LORD,who walk in his ways!For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;blessed shall you be, and favored.R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.Your wife shall be like a fruitful vinein the recesses of your home;Your children like olive plantsaround your table.R.  Blessed are those who fear the Lord.Behold, thus is the man blessedwho fears the LORD.The LORD bless you from Zion:may you see the prosperity of Jerusalemall the days of your life.R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

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.

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?To what can I compare it?It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.When it was fully grown, it became a large bushand the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?It is like yeast that a woman tookand mixed in with three measures of wheat flouruntil the whole batch of dough was leavened.”