Daily Readings

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,     and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;     and their passing away was thought an affliction     and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished,     yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,     because God tried them     and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them,     and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine,     and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,     and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth,     and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,     and his care is with his elect.

R.    (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. or: R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me. 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.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me. He guides me in right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley     I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff     that give me courage. R.    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. or: R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me. You spread the table before me     in 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.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me. Only goodness and kindness follow me     all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD     for years to come. R.    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. or: R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Brothers and sisters: Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus  were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,  so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead  by the glory of the Father,  we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,  we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him,  so that our sinful body might be done away with,  that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, "Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: "Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

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 seas and 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? One 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 him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest, says the Lord.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

Brothers and sisters:As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,for I know that this will result in deliverance for methrough your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.My eager expectation and hopeis that I shall not be put to shame in any way,but that with all boldness, now as always,Christ will be magnified in my body,whether by life or by death.For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.And I do not know which I shall choose.I am caught between the two.I long to depart this life and be with Christ,for that is far better.Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.And this I know with confidence,that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of youfor your progress and joy in the faith,so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of mewhen I come to you again. 

R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.As the hind longs for the running waters,so my soul longs for you, O God.R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.I went with the throngand led them in procession to the house of God.Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,with the multitude keeping festival.R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am meek and humble of heart. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

On a sabbath Jesus went to dineat the home of one of the leading Pharisees,and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,do not recline at table in the place of honor.A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,‘Give your place to this man,’and then you would proceed with embarrassmentto take the lowest place.Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest placeso that when the host comes to you he may say,‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”