Daily Readings

Thus says the LORD:"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans."If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,you shall not act like an extortioner toward himby demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,you shall return it to him before sunset;for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in?If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate." 

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.I love you, O LORD, my strength,O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.R. I love you, Lord, my strength.My God, my rock of refuge,my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,and I am safe from my enemies.R. I love you, Lord, my strength.The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!Extolled be God my savior.You who gave great victories to your kingand showed kindness to your anointed.R. I love you, Lord, my strength. 

Brothers and sisters:You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,so that you became a model for all the believersin Macedonia and in Achaia.For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forthnot only in Macedonia and in Achaia,but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves openly declare about uswhat sort of reception we had among you,and how you turned to God from idolsto serve the living and true Godand to await his Son from heaven,whom he raised from the dead,Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,and my Father will love him and we will come to him.R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,they gathered together, and one of them,a scholar of the law tested him by asking,"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him,"You shall love the Lord, your God,with all your heart,with all your soul,and with all your mind.This is the greatest and the first commandment.The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." 

Brothers and sisters:Grace was given to each of usaccording to the measure of Christ’s gift.Therefore, it says:

He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;he gave gifts to men.

What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descendedinto the lower regions of the earth?The one who descended is also the one who ascendedfar above all the heavens,that he might fill all things.

And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,for building up the Body of Christ,until we all attain to the unity of faithand knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhoodto the extent of the full stature of Christ,so that we may no longer be infants,tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teachingarising from human trickery,from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.Rather, living the truth in love,we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,from whom the whole Body,joined and held together by every supporting ligament,with the proper functioning of each part,brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love. 

R. (1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.I rejoiced because they said to me,“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”And now we have set footwithin your gates, O Jerusalem.R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.Jerusalem, built as a citywith compact unity.To it the tribes go up,the tribes of the LORD.R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.According to the decree for Israel,to give thanks to the name of the LORD.In it are set up judgment seats,seats for the house of David.R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,but rather in his conversion that he may live.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Some people told Jesus about the Galileanswhose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,he said to the gardener,‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none.So cut it down.Why should it exhaust the soil?’He said to him in reply,‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.If not you can cut it down.’”

Brothers and sisters:I, a prisoner for the Lord,urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,with all humility and gentleness, with patience,bearing with one another through love,striving to preserve the unity of the spiritthrough the bond of peace;  one Body and one Spirit,as you were also called to the one hope of your call;one Lord, one faith, one baptism;one God and Father of all,who is over all and through all and in all.

R.    (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;the world and those who dwell in it.For he founded it upon the seasand established it upon the rivers.R.    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?or who may stand in his holy place?He whose hands are sinless, whose heart  is clean,who desires not what is vain.R.    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,a reward from God his savior.Such is the race that seeks for him,that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.R.    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

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 to the crowds,“When you see a cloud rising in the westyou say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the southyou say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.You hypocrites!You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,make an effort to settle the matter on the way;otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,and the judge hand you over to the constable,and the constable throw you into prison.I say to you, you will not be releaseduntil you have paid the last penny.”