22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: September 1, 2013

First Reading (Sirach 3: 17–18, 20, and 28–30)
A reading from the book of Sirach.
My son, conduct your affairs with discretion and you will be loved by those who are acceptable to God. The greater you are, the more you should humble yourself and thus you will find favor with God. Do not seek what is beyond your powers nor search into what is beyond your ability. The wise man reflects on proverbs. What the wise man desires is an attentive ear. As water extinguishes the burning flames, almsgiving obtains pardon for sins.

Second Reading (Hebrews 12: 18–19 and 22–24a)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews.
Brothers and sisters: Remember your initiation. There was no material presence nor heat of a blazing fire, darkness and gloom and storms...blasts of trumpets or such a voice that the people pleaded that no further word be spoken. But you came near to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem with its innumerable angels. You have come to the solemn feast, the assemble of the first-born of God, whose names are written in heaven. There is God, Judge of all, with the spirits of the upright brought to perfection. There is Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.

Gospel (Luke 14: 1 and 7–14)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
One sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched. Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for he had noticed how they tried to take the places of honor. And he said, "When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you: 'Please give this person your place.' What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!' Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you: 'Friend, you must come up higher.' And this will be a great honor for you in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised." Jesus additionally addressed the man who had invited him and stated, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives and wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return and you will be repaid. When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the upright."

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: August 25, 2013

First Reading (Isaiah 66: 18-21)
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.
Thus says the Lord: Now I am going to gather the nations of every tongue, and they will witness my glory, for I will perform a wonderful thing among them. Then I will send some of their survivors to the nations – Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moscheck, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan – to the distant islands where no one has ever heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. They will bring your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on camels to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring oblations in clean vessels to the house of the Lord. Then I will choose priests and Levites even from them, says the Lord.

Second Reading (Hebrews 12: 5-7 and 11-13)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews.
Brothers and sisters: Do not forget the comforting words that Wisdom addresses to you as children: My son, pay attention when the Lord corrects you and do not be discouraged when he punishes you. For the Lord corrects those he loves and chastises everyone he accepts as a son. What you endure is in order to correct you. God treats you like sons and what son is not corrected by his father? All correction is painful at the moment, rather than pleasant; later it brings the fruit of peace, that is, holiness to those who have been trained by it. Lift up, then, your drooping hands, and strengthen your trembling knees; make level the ways for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but healed.

Gospel (Luke 13: 22-30)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Jesus went through towns and villages teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked Jesus, "Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?" And Jesus answered, "Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you will stand outside; then you will knock at the door calling: 'Lord, open to us.' But he will say to you: 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will say: 'We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets!' But he will reply: 'I do not know where you come from. Away from me all you workers of evil.' You will weep and grind your teeth when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and your yourselves left outside. Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. Some who are among the last will be first, and others who were first will be last."

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: August 18, 2013

First Reading (Jeremiah 38: 4–6 and 8–10)
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.
The officials told King Zedekiah, "This man should be put to death, because he is weakening the will of the fighting men and the people left the city. In fact he is not out to save the people but to do harm." King Zedekiah stated, "His life is in your hands for the king has no power against you." So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah the king's son, in the Guards' Court. They lowered him by means of ropes, There was no water in the cistern but only mud and Jeremiah sank into the mud. Ebedmelech went and spoke to him, "My lord king! These men have acted wickedly in all they did to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into the cistern where he will die." So the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian: "Take three men with you from here and draw Jeremiah the prophet out from the cistern before he dies."

Second Reading (Hebrews 12: 1–4)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews.
What a cloud of innumerable witnesses surround us! So let us be rid of every encumbrance, and especially of sin, to persevere in running the race marked out before us. Let us look to Jesus the founder of our faith, who will bring it to completion. For the sake of the joy reserved for him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and then sat at the right of the throne of God. Think of Jesus who suffered so many contradictions from evil people, and you will not be discouraged or grow weary. Have you already shed your blood in the struggle against sin?

Gospel (Luke 12: 49–53)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Jesus stated this to his disciples: "I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled; but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over! Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be decided; three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Date: August 11, 2013

First Reading (Revelation 11:19a; 12: 1-6, and 10ab)
A reading from the book of Revelation.
Then the sanctuary of God in the heavens was opened, and the Ark of the Covenant of God could be seen inside the sanctuary. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain, looking to her time of delivery. Then another sign appeared: a huge, red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and wearing seven crowns on its heads. It had just swept along a third of the stars of heaven with its tail, throwing them down to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour the child as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a male child, the one who is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter; then her child was seized and taken up to God and to his throne while the woman fled to the desert where God had prepared a place for her; there she would be looked after for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Then I heard a loud voice from heaven: Now has salvation come, with the power and the kingdom of our God, and the rule of his anointed.

Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15: 20-27a)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.
Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead and he comes before all those who have fallen asleep. A human being brought death; a human being also brings resurrection of the dead. All die for being Adam's, and in Christ all will receive life. However, each one in his own time: first Christ, then Christ's people, when he visits them. Then the end will come, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every rule, authority and power. For he must reign and put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. As Scripture says: God has subjected everything under his feet.

Gospel (Luke 1: 39-56)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Mary then sets out for a town in the Hills of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit, and giving a loud cry, she cried out, "You are most blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord's word would come true!" And Mary stated: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior! He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is his Name. From age to age his mercy extends to those who live in his presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He held out his hand to Israel, his servant, for he remembered his mercy, even as he promise our fathers, Abraham and his descendants forever." Mary remained with Elizabeth for approximately three months and then returned home.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: August 4, 2013

First Reading (Ecclesiastes 1:2 and 2: 21-23)
A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes.
All is meaningless – says the Teacher – meaningless, meaningless! For here was a man who toiled in all wisdom, knowledge and skill and he must leave all to someone who has not worked for it. This is meaningless and a great misfortune. For what profit is there for a man in all his work and heart-searching under the sun? All his days bring sorrow, his work grief; he has not, moreover, peaceful rest at night: that too is meaningless.

Second Reading (Colossians 3: 1-5 and 9-11)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians.
Brothers and sisters: So then, if you are risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on earthly things. For you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, reveals himself, you also will be revealed with him in Glory. Therefore, put to death what is earthly in your life, that is immorality, impurity, inordinate passions, wicked desires and greed which is a way of worshiping idols. Do not lie to one another. You have been stripped of the old self and its way of thinking to put on the new, which is being renewed and is to reach perfect knowledge and the likeness of its creator. There, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, circumcised and uncircumcised. There are no strangers, barbarians, slave and free, but Christ is all and is in all.

Gospel (Luke 12: 13-21)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance." Jesus replied, "My friend, who has appointed me as your judge and attorney?" Then Jesus stated to the people, "Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life." And Jesus continued with this story, "There was a rich man and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought: 'What shall I do? For I am short of room to store my harvest.' So this is what he planned: 'I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I may say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.' But God stated to him: "You fool. This very night your life will be taken from you; tell me, who shall get all you have put aside?" This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for God."