Daily Readings

The wicked say:     Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;         he sets himself against our doings,     reproaches us for transgressions of the law         and charges us with violations of our training.     Let us see whether his words be true;         let us find out what will happen to him.     For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him         and deliver him from the hand of his foes.     With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test         that we may have proof of his gentleness         and try his patience.     Let us condemn him to a shameful death;         for according to his own words, God will take care of him.

R. (6b)    The Lord upholds my life. O God, by your name save me,     and by your might defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer;     hearken to the words of my mouth. R. The Lord upholds my life. For the haughty have risen up against me,     the ruthless  seek my life;     they set not God before their eyes. R. The Lord upholds my life. Behold, God is my helper;     the Lord sustains my life. Freely will I offer you sacrifice;     I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness. R. The Lord upholds my life.

Beloved: Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?  Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?  You covet but do not possess.  You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war.  You do not possess because you do not ask.  You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it.  He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”  But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”  But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.  Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”  Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Beloved: I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

R. (2) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; Give thanks to him; bless his name. R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. For he is good: the LORD, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.  “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”

Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.

“This is the meaning of the parable.  The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,  and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

Beloved: Teach and urge these things. Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain. Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

R.    Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs! Why should I fear in evil days     when my wicked ensnarers ring me round? They trust in their wealth;     the abundance of their riches is their boast. R.    Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs! Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,     or pay his own ransom to God; Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough     to remain alive always and not see destruction. R.    Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs! Fear not when a man grows rich,     when the wealth of his house becomes great, For when he dies, he shall take none of it;     his wealth shall not follow him down. R.    Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs! Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,     “They will praise you for doing well for yourself,” He shall join the circle of his forebears     who shall never more see light. R.    Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

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 journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.