26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: September 29, 2013

First Reading (Amos 6: 1 and 4-7)
A reading from the book of the Prophet Amos.
Woe to those proud people who live, overconfident on the hill of Samaria! Woe to you, men of renown, from the first among the nations, to whom the people of Israel come! You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and sprawl on your couches; you eat lamb from the flock and veal from calves fattened in the stall. You strum on your harps, and like David, try out new musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you do not grieve over the ruins of Joseph. Therefore you will be the first to go into exile; and the feast of sprawlers will be over.

Second Reading (1 Timothy 6: 11-16)
A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to Timothy.
But you, man of God, shun righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Strive to be holy and godly. Live in faith and love, with endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith and win everlasting life to which you were called when you made the good profession of faith in the presence of so many witnesses. Now, in the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus who gave the good testimony before Pontius Pilate, I command you to keep the commandment. Keep yourself pure and blameless until the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, which God will bring about at the proper time, he, the magnificent sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords. To him, alone immortal, who lives in unapproachable light and whom no one has ever seen or can see, to him be honor and power for ever and ever. Amen!

Gospel (Luke 16: 19-31)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Jesus continued with this parable and stated this to the Pharisees: "Once there was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man's table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores. It happened that the poor man died and angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. From hell where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest. He called out: 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus with the tip of his finger dipped in water to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire.' Abraham replied: 'My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you or from your side to us.' The rich man implored once more: 'Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father's house where my five brothers live. Let him warn them so that they may not end up in this place of torment.' Abraham replied: 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' But the rich man said: 'No, Father Abraham. But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Abraham replied: 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the grave.'"

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: September 22, 2013

First Reading (Amos 8: 4–7)
A reading from the book of the Prophet Amos.
Hear this, you who trample on the needy to do away with the weak of the land. You who say, "When will the new moon or the sabbath feast be over that we may open the store and sell our grain? Let us lower the measure and raise the price; let us cheat and tamper with the scales, and even sell the refuse with the whole grain. We will buy up the poor for money and the needy for a pair of sandals." The Lord, the pride of Jacob, has sworn by himself, "I shall never forget their deeds."

Second Reading (1 Timothy 2: 1–8)
A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to Timothy.
Beloved: First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for rulers of states and all in authority, that we may enjoy a quiet and peaceful life in godliness and respect. This is good and pleases God. For he wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. As there is one God, there is one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave is life for the redemption of all. This is the testimony, given in its proper time, and of this, God has made me apostle and herald. I am not lying, I am telling the truth: He made me teacher of the nations regarding faith and truth. I want the men in every place to lift pure hands in prayer to heaven without anger and dissension.

Gospel (Luke 16: 1–13)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
At another time Jesus told his disciples, "There was a rich man whose steward was reported to him for fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him: 'What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service for it is about to be terminated.' The steward thought to himself: 'What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do: I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be some people to welcome me into their house.' So he called his master's debtors individually. He asked the first who came: 'How much do you owe my master?' The reply was: 'A hundred jars of oil.' The steward said: 'Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write there fifty.' To the second he put the same question: 'How much do you owe? The answer was: 'A thousand bushels of wheat.' Then he stated: 'Take your bill and write eight hundred.' The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light. And so I tell you: use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling filthy money, who could entrust you with true wealth? And if you have not been trustworthy with things which are not really yours, who will give you the wealth which is your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money."

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: September 15, 2013

First Reading (Exodus 32: 7-11 and 13-14)
A reading from the book of Exodus.
Therefore the Lord stated to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a molten calf; they have bowed down before it sacrificed to it and said: 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.'" The Lord additionally stated to Moses, "I see that these people are a stiff-necked people. Now just leave me that my anger may blaze against them. I will destroy them, but of you I will make a great nation." But Moses calmed the anger of the Lord, his God, and said, "Why, O Lord, should your anger burst against your people whom your brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with a mighty hand? Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the promise you yourself swore: I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land I spoke about I will give to them as an everlasting inheritance." The Lord then changed his mind and would not harm his people.

Second Reading (1 Timothy 1: 12-17)
A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to Timothy.
I give thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who is my strength, who has considered me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, although I had been a blasphemer, a persecutor and a rabid enemy. However, he took mercy on me because I did not know what I was doing when I opposed the faith; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, together with faith and Christian love. This saying is true and worthy of belief: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Because of that I was forgiven; Christ Jesus wanted to display his greatness in me so that I might be an example for all who are to believe and obtain eternal life. To the King of ages, the only God who lives beyond every perishable and visible creation – to him be honor and glory forever. Amen!

Gospel (Luke 15: 1-32)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Meanwhile, tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Therefore, Jesus told them this parable: "Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: 'Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent. What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp and sweep the house in a thorough search until she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say: 'Celebrate with me for I have found the silver coin I lost!' I tell you, in the same way there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner." And then Jesus continued with this parable: "There was a man with two sons. The younger son said to his father: 'Give me my share of the estate.' So the father divided his property between them. Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything. Finally coming to his senses, he said: 'How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you. I no longer deserved to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.' With that thought in mind he set off for his father's house. He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said: 'Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son…' But the father turned to his servants: 'Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found.' And the celebration commenced. Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered: "Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf.' The elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The indignant son said: 'Look I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when his son of yours returns after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him.' The father said: 'My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.'"

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: September 8, 2013

First Reading (Wisdom 9: 13–18)
A reading from the book of Wisdom.
Indeed, who can know the intentions of God? Who can discern the plan of the Lord? For human reason is timid, our notions misleading; a perishable body is a burden for the soul and our tent of clay weighs down the active mind. We are barely able to know about the things on earth and it is a struggle to understand what is close to us; who then may hope to understand heavenly things? Who has ever known your will unless you first gave him Wisdom and sent down your holy spirit to him? In this way you directed the human race on the right path; they learned what pleases you and were saved by Wisdom.

Second Reading (Philemon: 9b–10 and 12–17)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to Philemon.
The one talking is Paul, the old man, now prisoner for Christ. And my request is on behalf of Onesimus, whose father and I have become while I was in prison. In returning him to you, I am sending you my own heart. I would have liked to keep him at my side, to serve me on your behalf while I am in prison for the Gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your agreement, nor impose a good deed upon you without your free consent. Perhaps Onesimus has been parted for you for a while so that you may have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but better than a slave. For he is a very dear brother to me, and he will be even dearer to you. And so, because of our friendship, receive him as if he were I myself.

Gospel (Luke 14: 25–33)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
One day, when large crowds were following and walking along with Jesus, he turned and stated to them, "If you come to me, without being ready to give up your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not follow me carrying his own cross cannot be my disciple. Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become my disciple if he does not give up everything he has.

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."