Our Daily Readings for the Month of September 2016

[Azureknight 773]

September 1, 2016

Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 434

Reading 1: 1 COR 3:18-23

Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:

God catches the wise in their own ruses,

and again:

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Responsorial Psalm: PS 24:1BC-2, 3-4 AB, 5-6

R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
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. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
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. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
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. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.

Alleluia MT 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after Me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
He asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then He sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After He had finished speaking, He said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at Your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed Him.

Verbum Domini

For the glory of God, His Majesty in Heaven. Our Eternal Lord and Father.

-AzureKnight 773

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 2, 2016

Friday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 435

Reading 1: 1 COR 4:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40

R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and He will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in Him, and He will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not His faithful ones.
Criminals are destroyed
and the posterity of the wicked is cut off.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
He is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Alleluia: JN 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows Me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 5:33-39

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but Yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the Bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the Bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And He also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

-Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 3, 2016


Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 436

Reading 1 : 1 COR 4:6B-15

Brothers and sisters:
Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written,
so that none of you will be inflated with pride
in favor of one person over against another.
Who confers distinction upon you?
What do you possess that you have not received?
But if you have received it,
why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?
You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;
you have become kings without us!
Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,
so that we also might become kings with you.

For as I see it, God has exhibited us Apostles as the last of all,
like people sentenced to death,
since we have become a spectacle to the world,
to angels and men alike.
We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ;
we are weak, but you are strong;
you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,
we are poorly clad and roughly treated,
we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands.
When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we respond gently.
We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all,
to this very moment.

I am writing you this not to shame you,
but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Even if you should have countless guides to Christ,
yet you do not have many fathers,
for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 145:17-18, 19-20, 21

R. (18) The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.
The LORD is just in all His ways
and holy in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
to all who call upon Him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him,
He hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD keeps all who love him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless His Holy Name forever and ever.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.

Alleluia : JN 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through Me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 6:1-5

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
His disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are You doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
Then He said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 4, 2016

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 129

Reading 1 : WIS 9:13-18B

Who can know God’s counsel,
or who can conceive what the LORD intends?
For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
and unsure are our plans.
For the corruptible body burdens the soul
and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
And scarce do we guess the things on earth,
and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;
but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?
Or who ever knew Your counsel, except You had given wisdom
and sent Your Holy Spirit from on high?
And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17

R. (1) In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in Your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on Your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with Your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge.

Reading 2 : PHMN 9-10, 12-17

I, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave
but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.

Alleluia : PS 119:135

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let Your face shine upon Your servant;
and teach me Your laws.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and He turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me
cannot be My disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be My disciple.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 5, 2016

Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 437

Reading 1 : 1 COR 5:1-8

Brothers and sisters:
It is widely reported that there is immorality among you,
and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans–
a man living with his father’s wife.
And you are inflated with pride.
Should you not rather have been sorrowful?
The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.
I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit,
have already, as if present,
pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed,
in the name of our Lord Jesus:
when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit
with the power of the Lord Jesus,
you are to deliver this man to Satan
for the destruction of his flesh,
so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not appropriate.
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 5:5-6, 7, 12

R. (9) Lead me in Your justice, Lord.
For You, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with You;
the arrogant may not stand in Your sight.
You hate all evildoers.
R. Lead me in Your justice, Lord.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R. Lead me in Your justice, Lord.
But let all who take refuge in You
be glad and exult forever.
Protect them, that You may be the joy
of those who love Your Name.
R. Lead me in Your justice, Lord.

Alleluia : JN 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear My voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow Me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 6:6-11

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched Him closely
to see if He would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse Him.
But He realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up and stand before us.”
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
Looking around at them all, He then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 6, 2016

Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 438

Reading 1 : 1 COR 6:1-11

Brothers and sisters:

How can any one of you with a case against another
dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment
instead of to the holy ones?
Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world?
If the world is to be judged by you,
are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?
Do you not know that we will judge angels?
Then why not everyday matters?
If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters,
do you seat as judges people of no standing in the Church?
I say this to shame you.
Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough
to be able to settle a case between brothers?
But rather brother goes to court against brother,
and that before unbelievers?

Now indeed then it is, in any case,
a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another.
Why not rather put up with injustice?
Why not rather let yourselves be cheated?
Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers.
Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived;
neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves
nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers
will inherit the Kingdom of God.
That is what some of you used to be;
but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 149:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6A AND 9B

R. (see 4) The Lord takes delight in His people.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their Maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
R. The Lord takes delight in His people.
Let them praise His Name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to Him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves His people,
and He adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in His people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all His faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in His people.

Alleluia : SEE JN 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
that you may go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 6:12-19

Jesus departed 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.

And He came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of His disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch Him
because power came forth from Him and healed them all.

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 7, 2016

Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 439

Reading 1 : 1 COR 7:25-31

Brothers and sisters:
In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord,
but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
So this is what I think best because of the present distress:
that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is.
Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation.
Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife.
If you marry, however, you do not sin,
nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries;
but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life,
and I would like to spare you that.

I tell you, brothers, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17

R. (11) Listen to Me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
So shall the King desire your beauty;
for He is your lord, and you must worship Him.
R. Listen to Me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
All glorious is the King’s daughter as she enters;
her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the King;
behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.
R. Listen to Me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the King.
The place of your fathers your sons shall have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.
R. Listen to Me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

Alleluia : LK 6:23AB

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and leap for joy!
Your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 6:20-26

Raising His eyes toward His disciples Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 8, 2016


Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 636

Reading 1 : Mic 5:1-4a

The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for Me
One who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd His flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic Name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now His greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
He shall be peace.

Or Rom 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to His purpose.
For those He foreknew He also predestined
to be conformed to the image of His Son,
so that He might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those He predestined he also called;
and those He called He also justified;
and those He justified He also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm : Ps 13:6ab, 6c

R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in Your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in Your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, “He has been good to me.”
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the Sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : Mt 1:1-16, 18-23

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with Child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this Child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus,
because He will save His people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with Child and bear a son,
and they shall name Him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Or Mt 1:18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with Child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this Child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus,
because He will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with Child and bear a son,
and they shall name Him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 9, 2016

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest
Lectionary: 441

Reading 1 : 1 COR 9:16-19, 22B-27

Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the Gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.

Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race,
but only one wins the prize?
Run so as to win.
Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.
They do it to win a perishable crown,
but we an imperishable one.
Thus I do not run aimlessly;
I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing.
No, I drive my body and train it,
for fear that, after having preached to others,
I myself should be disqualified.

Responsorial : Psalm PS 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12

R. (2) How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God!
R. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in Your house!
continually they praise You.
Blessed the men whose strength You are!
their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
For a sun and a shield is the LORD God;
grace and glory He bestows;
The LORD withholds no good thing
from those who walk in sincerity.
R. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Alleluia : SEE JN 17:17B, 17A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 6:39-42

Jesus told His disciples a parable:
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 10, 2016


Saturday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 442

Reading 1 : 1 COR 10:14-22

My beloved ones, avoid idolatry.
I am speaking as to sensible people;
judge for yourselves what I am saying.
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one Body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.

Look at Israel according to the flesh;
are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
So what am I saying?
That meat sacrificed to idols is anything?
Or that an idol is anything?
No, I mean that what they sacrifice,
they sacrifice to demons, not to God,
and I do not want you to become participants with demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons.
You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.
Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger?
Are we stronger than Him?

Responsorial Psalm : PS 116:12-13, 17-18

R. (17) To You, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good He has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the Name of the LORD.
R. To You, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
To You will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the Name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all His people.
R. To You, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

Alleluia : JN 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves Me will keep My word,
and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 6:43-49

Jesus said to His disciples:
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me,
listens to My words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 11, 2016


Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 132

Reading 1 : EX 32:7-11, 13-14

The LORD said to Moses,
“Go down at once to your people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’
“I see how stiff-necked this people is, ” continued the LORD to Moses.
Let Me alone, then,
that My wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should Your wrath blaze up against Your own people,
whom You brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
and how you swore to them by Your Own Self, saying,
‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’”
So the LORD relented in the punishment
He had threatened to inflict on his people.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19

R. (Lk 15:18) I will rise and go to my father.
Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness;
in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from Your presence,
and Your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim Your praise.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, You will not spurn.
R. I will rise and go to my father.

Reading 2 : 1 TM 1:12-17

Beloved:
I am grateful to Him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because He considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.
But for that reason I was mercifully treated,
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all His patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in Him for everlasting life.
To the King of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia : 2 COR 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 15:1-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them He addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

Then He said,
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him,
and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns,
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”

Or LK 15:1-10

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them He addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 12, 2016

Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 443

Reading 1 : 1 COR 11:17-26, 33

Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord’s supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, “This is My Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in My Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 40:7-8A, 8B-9, 10, 17

R. (1 Cor 11:26b) Proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation You wished not,
but ears open to obedience You gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings You sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do Your will, O my God, is my delight,
and Your law is within my heart!”
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again.
I announced Your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as You, O LORD, know.
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again.
May all who seek You
exult and be glad in You
And may those who love Your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again.

Alleluia : JN 3:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave His only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 7:1-10

When Jesus had finished all His words to the people,
He entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him,
asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged Him to come, saying,
“He deserves to have You do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.”
And Jesus went with them,
but when He was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell Him,
“Lord, do not trouble Yourself,
for I am not worthy to have You enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to You;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 13, 2016


Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 444

Reading 1 : 1 COR 12:12-14, 27-31A

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into One Body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many.

Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the Church
to be, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all Apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4, 5

R. (3) We are His people: the sheep of His flock.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before Him with joyful song.
R. We are His people: the sheep of His flock.
Know that the LORD is God;
He made us, His we are;
His people, the flock He tends.
R. We are His people: the sheep of His flock.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
His courts with praise;
Give thanks to Him; bless His Name.
R. We are His people: the sheep of His flock.
For He is good, the LORD,
whose kindness endures forever,
and His faithfulness, to all generations.
R. We are His people: the sheep of His flock.

Alleluia : LK 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A Great Prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited His people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and His disciples and a large crowd accompanied Him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
He was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
“A Great Prophet has arisen in our midst,”
and “God has visited His people.”
This report about Him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 14, 2016

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Lectionary: 638

Reading 1 : NM 21:4B-9

With their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Hearken, my people, to My teaching;
incline your ears to the words of My mouth.
I will open My mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While He slew them they sought Him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their Redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered Him with their mouths
and lied to Him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward Him,
nor were they faithful to His covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But He, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often He turned back His anger
and let none of His wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Reading 2 : PHIL 2:6-11

Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus, though He was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, He emptied Himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
He humbled Himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted Him
and bestowed on Him the Name
that is above every name,
that at the Name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
because by Your Cross You have redeemed the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : JN 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the One who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 15, 2016

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Lectionary: 446/639

Reading 1 : 1 COR 15:1-11

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that He was buried;
that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that He appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
He appeared to me.
For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and His grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 118:1B-2, 16AB-17, 28

R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
“The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD has struck with power.”
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
O my God, I extol You.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

Sequence (Optional) - Stabat Mater

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
‘Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.

O sweet Mother! font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

Let me share with you His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.

Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.

Wounded with his every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In his very Blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful judgment day.

Christ, when you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense,
Be your cross my victory.

While my body here decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally.
Amen. (Alleluia)

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary;
without dying you won the martyr’s crown
beneath the Cross of the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN : 19:25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother
and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved
He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then He said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Gospel : LK 2:33-35

Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about Him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother,
“Behold, this Child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 16, 2016

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Lectionary: 447

Reading 1 : 1 COR 15:12-20

Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then neither has Christ been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching;
empty, too, your faith.
Then we are also false witnesses to God,
because we testified against God that He raised Christ,
whom He did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 17:1BCD, 6-7, 8B AND 15

R. (15b) Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.
I call upon You, for You will answer me, O God;
incline Your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O Savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at Your right hand.
R. Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings,
But I in justice shall behold Your face;
on waking, I shall be content in Your presence.
R. Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.

Alleluia : SEE MT 11:25

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.

Gospel : LK 8:1-3

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.

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 17, 2016


Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 448

Reading 1 : 1 COR 15:35-37, 42-49

Brothers and sisters:
Someone may say, “How are the dead raised?
With what kind of body will they come back?”

You fool!
What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies.
And what you sow is not the body that is to be
but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind.

So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible.
It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious.
It is sown weak; it is raised powerful.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.

So, too, it is written,
“The first man, Adam, became a living being,”
the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
But the spiritual was not first;
rather the natural and then the spiritual.
The first man was from the earth, earthly;
the Second Man, from heaven.
As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly,
and as is the Heavenly One, so also are the heavenly.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one,
we shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly One.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 56:10C-12, 13-14

R. (14) I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.
Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
Your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For You have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.

Alleluia : SEE LK 8:15

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

Gospel : LK 8:4-15

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.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 18, 2016

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 135

Reading 1 : AM 8:4-7

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget a thing they have done!

Responsorial Psalm : PS 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 1a, 7b) Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the Name of the LORD.
Blessed be the Name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is His glory.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill He lifts up the poor
to seat them with princes,
with the princes of His own people.
R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 : 1 TM 2:1-8

Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God.
There is also One Mediator between God and men,
the Man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time.
For this I was appointed preacher and apostle
— I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —,
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

Alleluia : CF. 2 COR 8:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, He became poor,
so that by His poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 16:1-13

Jesus said to His disciples,
“A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said,
‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’
The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
“For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than are the children of light.
I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

Or LK 16:10-13

Jesus said to His disciples:
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 19, 2016

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 449

Reading 1 : PRV 3:27-34

Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once.

Plot no evil against your neighbor,
against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause,
with one who has done you no harm.

Envy not the lawless man
and choose none of his ways:
To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination,
but with the upright is his friendship.

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling of the just He blesses;
When dealing with the arrogant, He is stern,
but to the humble He shows kindness.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 15:2-3A, 3BC-4AB, 5

R. (1) The just one shall live on Your holy mountain, O Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The just one shall live on Your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The just one shall live on Your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The just one shall live on Your holy mountain, O Lord.

Alleluia : MT 5:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”


Verbum Domini

 

[Azureknight 773]

September 20, 2016

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 450

Reading 1 : PRV 21:1-6, 10-13

Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD;
wherever it pleases Him, He directs it.

All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts.

To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart–
the tillage of the wicked is sin.

The plans of the diligent are sure of profit,
but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty.

Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue
is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.

The soul of the wicked man desires evil;
his neighbor finds no pity in his eyes.

When the arrogant man is punished, the simple are the wiser;
when the wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

The just man appraises the house of the wicked:
there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin.

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself also call and not be heard.

Responsorial Psalm : PS 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44

R. (35) Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts,
and I will meditate on Your wondrous deeds.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set Your ordinances before me.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.
Give me discernment, that I may observe Your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.
Lead me in the path of Your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.
And I will keep Your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of Your commands.

Alleluia : LK 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : LK 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and His brothers came to Him
but were unable to join Him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see You.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

Verbum Domini