Daily Readings

See, upon the mountains there advancesthe bearer of good news, announcing peace!Celebrate your feasts, O Judah,fulfill your vows!For nevermore shall you be invadedby the scoundrel; he is completely destroyed.The LORD will restore the vine of Jacob,the pride of Israel,Though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined the tendrils.Woe to the bloody city, all lies,full of plunder, whose looting never stops!The crack of the whip, the rumbling sounds of wheels;horses a-gallop, chariots bounding, Cavalry charging, the flame of the sword, the flash of the spear,the many slain, the heaping corpses,the endless bodies to stumble upon!I will cast filth upon you,disgrace you and put you to shame;Till everyone who sees you runs from you, saying,“Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity her?Where can one find any to console her?”

R. (39c)  It is I who deal death and give life.Close at hand is the day of their disaster,and their doom is rushing upon them!Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;on his servants he shall have pity.R. It is I who deal death and give life.“Learn then that I, I alone, am God,and there is no god besides me.It is I who bring both death and life,I who inflict wounds and heal them.”R. It is I who deal death and give life.I will sharpen my flashing sword,and my hand shall lay hold of my quiver,“With vengeance I will repay my foesand requite those who hate me.”R. It is I who deal death and give life.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness;for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples,“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,take up his cross, and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.What profit would there be for one to gain the whole worldand forfeit his life?Or what can one give in exchange for his life?For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,and then he will repay each according to his conduct.Amen, I say to you, there are some standing herewho will not taste deathuntil they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

As I watched:Thrones were set upand 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 fireflowed 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 Oneand was presented before him,The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.His dominion is an everlasting dominionthat shall not be taken away,his kingship shall not be destroyed. 

R. (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;let the many islands be glad.Clouds and darkness are round about him,justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,before the LORD of all the earth.The heavens proclaim his justice,and all peoples see his glory.R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,exalted far above all gods. R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth. 

Beloved:We did not follow cleverly devised mythswhen we made known to youthe power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.For he received honor and glory from God the Fatherwhen that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”We ourselves heard this voice come from heavenwhile we were with him on the holy mountain.Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.You will do well to be attentive to it,as to a lamp shining in a dark place,until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  

R. Alleluia, alleluia.This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;listen to him.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,conversing with him.Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here.If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”While he was still speaking, behold,a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;listen to him.”When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrateand were very much afraid.But Jesus came and touched them, saying,“Rise, and do not be afraid.”And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.As they were coming down from the mountain,Jesus charged them,“Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 

At that time, says the LORD,I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,and they shall be my people.Thus says the LORD:The people that escaped the swordhave found favor in the desert.As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,the LORD appears to him from afar:With age-old love I have loved you;so I have kept my mercy toward you.Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,O virgin Israel;Carrying your festive tambourines,you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.Again you shall plant vineyardson the mountains of Samaria;those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.Yes, a day will come when the watchmenwill call out on Mount Ephraim:“Rise up, let us go to Zion,to the LORD, our God.”

For thus says the LORD:Shout with joy for Jacob,exult at the head of the nations;proclaim your praise and say:The LORD has delivered his people,the remnant of Israel.

R. (see 10d)  The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,proclaim it on distant isles, and say:He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,he guards them as a shepherd his flock.R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.The LORD shall ransom Jacob,he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,and young men and old as well.I will turn their mourning into joy.I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.A great prophet has arisen in our midstand God has visited his people.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!My daughter is tormented by a demon.”But he did not say a word in answer to her.His disciples came and asked him,“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”He said in reply,“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”He said in reply,“It is not right to take the food of the childrenand throw it to the dogs.”She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scrapsthat fall from the table of their masters.”Then Jesus said to her in reply,“O woman, great is your faith!Let it be done for you as you wish.”And her daughter was healed from that hour.