The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Date: August 16, 2015

First Reading (Revelation 11:19a; 12:1–6a and 10 a & b)
A reading from the book of Revelation.
God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head is a crowd with twelve stars. She was pregnant and wailed aloud in pain as she was looking forward 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. The woman 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 into the desert where God had prepared a place for her. Then I heard a loud voice from heaven: "Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One."

Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15: 20–27)
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 the Scriptures states: God has subjected everything under his feet.

Gospel (Luke 1: 39–56)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Mary set out for a town in the Hills of Judah. She enter the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the holy spirit, and giving a loud cry, she states, "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 promised our fathers, Abraham and his descendants forever." Mary remained with Elizabeth for approximately three months and then returned home.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: August 9, 2015

First Reading (1 Kings 19: 4–8)
A reading from the first book of Kings.
Elijah entered the desert going on a day's journey. Then he sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die, "This is enough, O Lord; take away my life, for I am dying." He lay down and went to sleep under the broom tree. Then an angel touched him and stated, "Get up and eat." Elijah looked and saw on his head, a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate, drank, and then drifted back to sleep. The angel came a second time to him, saying, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too long for you." He got up, ate, drank, and on the strength of that food, Elijah traveled for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Second Reading (Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.
Do not sadden the Holy Spirit of God which you were marked with. It will be your distinctive mark on the day of salvation. Do away with all quarreling, rage, anger, insults, and every kind of malice: be good and understanding, mutually forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ. As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate him. Follow the ways of love, the example of Christ who loved you. He gave himself up for us and became the offering and sacrificial victim whose fragrance rises to God.

Gospel (John 6: 41–51)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
The Jews discussed with themselves because Jesus stated, "I am the bread which comes from heaven." And they stated, "This man is the son of Joseph, is he not? We know his father and mother, but how can he say that he has come down from heaven?" Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise him up on the last day. It has been written in the Prophets: They shall be taught by God.So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to me. For no one has seen the Father except the One who comes from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, I say to you, whoever believes, has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died. But here you have the bread which comes from heaven so that you may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world."

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: August 2, 2015

First Reading (Exodus 16: 2–4 and 12–15)
A reading from the book of Exodus.
In the desert, the whole Israelite community groaned against Moses and Aaron and stated to them, "If only we had died by the sand of the Lord in Egypt when we sat down to caldrons of meat and ate all the bread we wanted, whereas you have brought us to this desert to let the whole assembly die of starvation!" The Lord then stated to Moses, "Now I am going to rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to gather what is needed for that day. In this way I will test them to save if they will follow my Teaching or not. I have heard the complaints of Israel. Speak to them and say: Between the two evenings you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have bread to your heart's content; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God!" In the evening, quails came up and covered the camp. In the morning, dew had fallen around the camp. When the dew lifted, there was on the surface of the desert a thin crust like hoarfrost. The people of Israel upon seeing it starting asking each other, "What is that?" for they did not know what it was. Moses told them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat."

Second Reading (Ephesians 4: 17 and 20–24)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.
Brothers and sisters: I say to you, then, and with insistence I advise you in the Lord: do not imitate the pagans who live an aimless kind of life. But it is not for this that you have followed Christ. For I suppose that you have heard of him and received his teaching which is seen in Jesus himself. You must give up your former way of living, the old self, whose deceitful desires bring self-destruction. Renew yourselves spiritually, from inside and put on the new self, or self-according to God, which is created in true righteousness and holiness.

Gospel (John 6: 24–35)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they embarked on boats and went to Capernaum searching for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Master, when did you come here?" Jesus answered, "Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which grants you eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked." Then the Jews asked Jesus, "What should we do? What are the works that God anticipates us to do?" Jesus answered them, "The work God anticipates is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent." They then stated, "Demonstrate us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform? Well, our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as the Scripture states: They were given bread from heaven to eat." Jesus then replied to them, "Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world." the Jews replied to Jesus, "Give us this bread consistently." Jesus explained to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty."

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 26, 2015

First Reading (2 Kings 4: 42–44)
A reading from the second book of Kings.
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing bread and wheat to the man of God. These were from the first part of the harvest, twenty loaves of barley and wheat. Elisha told him, "Give the loaves to these men that they may eat." His servant stated to him, "How am I going to divide these loaves among one hundred men?" Elisha insisted, "Give them to the men that they may eat, for the Lord says: They shall eat and have some remaining." So the man set it before them; they ate and there were some bread remaining, just as the Lord stated.

Second Reading (Ephesians 4: 1–6)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.
Brothers and sisters: I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.

Gospel (John 6: 1–15)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias, and large crowds followed him because of the miraculous signs they saw when Jesus healed the sick. So he went up into the hills and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Then lifting his eyes, Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to him and asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?" Jesus asked this question to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece." Then one of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, stated, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus stated, "Have the people recline." There was plenty of grass there for the people, about five thousand men, sat down to rest. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish and gave them as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, "Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost." So the disciples gather them up and filled twelve baskets with the bread, that is with pieces left by those who had eaten. When the people saw this sign that Jesus had been given, they stated, "This is really the Prophet, he who is to come into the world." Jesus realized that they would come and take him by force to make him king, therefore, he retreated to the hills alone.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 19, 2015

First Reading (Jeremiah 23: 1–6)
A reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah.
"Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the sheep of my pasture." This is the message of the Lord, God of Israel, to the shepherds in charge of the people, "You have scattered my sheep and driven them away instead of caring for them. Now I will deal with you because of your evil deeds. I will gather the remnant of my sheep from every land to which I have driven them and I will bring them back to the grasslands. They will be fruitful and increase in number. I will appoint shepherds who will take care of them. No longer will they fear or be terrified. Nobody will be lost." The Lord added, "The day is coming when I will raise up a king who is David's righteous successor. He will rule wisely and govern with justice and righteousness. That will be a grandiose era when Judah will enjoy peace and Israel will live in safety. He will be called "The Lord our savior.”

Second Reading (Ephesians 2: 13–18)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.
Brothers and sisters: In Jesus Christ you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For Christ is our peace, he who has made the two peoples one, destroying in his own flesh the wall — the hatred — which separated us. He abolished the Law with its commands and precepts. He made peace in uniting the two peoples in him, creating out of the two, one New Man. He destroyed hatred and he reconciled us both to God through the cross, making the two one body. He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off, peace to the Jews who were near. Through him we — the two peoples — approach the Father in one Spirit.

Gospel (Mark 6: 30–34)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
The apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Then Jesus stated to them, "Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest." For there were so many people coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. They went away in a boat to a secluded area by themselves. However, people saw them leaving and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them. As Jesus went ashore he saw a huge crowd, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began a long teaching session with them.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 12, 2015

First Reading (Amos 7: 12–15)
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos.
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, stated to Amos, "Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah. There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple." Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock and stated to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'"

Second Reading (Ephesians 1: 3–14)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians.
Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in his presence. From eternity he destined us in love to be his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, thus fulfilling his free and generous will. This goal suited him: that his loving-kindness which he granted us in his Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise. For in Christ we obtain freedom, sealed by his blood, and have the forgiveness of sins. In this appears the greatness of his grace which he lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us his mysterious design, in accordance with his loving-kindness in Christ. In him and under him, God wanted to unite, when the fullness of time had come, everything in heaven and on earth. By a decree of Him who disposes all things according to his own plan and decision we, the Jews, have been chosen and called and we were awaiting the Messiah, for the praise of his glory. You, on hearing the word of truth, the Gospel that saves you, have believed in him. And as promised, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit, the first pledge of what we shall receive, on the way to our deliverance as a people of God, for the praise of his glory.

Gospel (Mark 6: 7–13)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Jesus called the twelve disciples to him and sent them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits. Jesus additionally ordered them not to take anything for the journey except a staff; the disciples do not bring food, no bag, and no money in their belts. They were supposed to wear sandals and not supposed to bring an extra tunic. Jesus added, "In whatever house you are welcome, stay there until you leave the place. If any place that the people do not receive you and they refuse to listen to you, leave there after shaking the dust off your feet. It will be a testimony against them." So they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent. They drove out plenty of demons and healed many people who were ill by anointing them.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 5, 2015

First Reading (Ezekiel 2: 2–5)
A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.
A spirit come upon me as he spoke and kept me standing and then I heard him speak, "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a people who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have sinned against me to this day. Now I am sending you to these defiant and stubborn people to tell them 'this is the Lord God's word.' So, whether they listen or not this set of rebels will know there is a prophet among them."

Second Reading (2 Corinthians 12: 7–10)
A reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.
I better give up lest somebody think more of me than what is seen in me or heard from me. Lest I become proud after so many and extraordinary revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a true messenger of Satan, to slap me in the face. Three times I prayed to the Lord that it leave me, but he answered, "My grace is enough for you; my great strength is revealed in weakness." Gladly, then, will I boast of my weakness that the strength of Christ may be mine. So I rejoice when I suffer infirmities, humiliations, want, persecutions: all for Christ! For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Gospel (Mark 6: 1–6)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Leaving that place, Jesus returned to his own country, and his disciples followed him. When the sabbath came, he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of those who heard him were astonished. They commented, "How did this come to him? What kind of wisdom has been given to him that he also performs such miracles? Who is he but the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joset and Judas and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here among us?" So they took offense at him. And Jesus stated to them, "Prophets are despised only in their own country, among their relatives and in their own family." And he could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people by laying his hands on them. Jesus himself was astounded at their unbelief. Jesus then went around the villages, teaching.