March 30, 2025 - 4th Sunday of Lent / Laetare Sunday

 

First Reading - Jos 5:9.10-12

    The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” 

     While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 34 

R –Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!

* I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad. R. 

* Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. R. 

* Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him. R. 

Second Reading - 2 Cor 5:17-21

    Brothers and sisters: 

     Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 

    And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 

    So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God! 

    For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the  righteousness of God in him.

Verse before the Gospel 

(Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!) I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” 
 (Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!) 

Gospel - Lk 15:1-3.11-32

    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, Jesus addressed this parable: 

    “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, while 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 have 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.’ ”

March 16, 2025 2nd Sunday of Lent Year C

 

First Reading -  Gn 15:5-12.17-18

    The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righ teousness. 

     He then said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” “O Lord God,” Abram asked, “how am I to know that I shall possess it?” The Lord answered him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three year-old she-goat, a three year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Abram brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them. As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep terrifying darkness enveloped him. 

     When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking firepot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

 Responsorial Psalm - Ps 27 

 R –The Lord is my light and my salvation!

 * The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? R. 

 * Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. R. 

 * Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant. You are my helper: cast me not off. R. 

 * I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. R. 

 Second Reading - Phil 3:17–4:1

    Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things. 

     But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also  await a savior: the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself. 

     Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand 
firm in the Lord.

 Verse before the Gospel 

 (Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!) 

 From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: “This is my beloved Son; hear him.” 

 (Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!) 

 Gospel - Lk 9:28b-36

    Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were con versing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. 

     Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not, at that time, tell anyone what they had seen.

March 9, 2025 1st Sunday of Lent Year C

 

First Reading -  Dt 26:4-10

    Moses spoke to the people, saying: “The priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the Lord, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God: 

     ‘My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great, strong and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.’ 

     And having set the gifts be fore the Lord, your God, you shall bow down in his presence.”

 Responsorial Psalm - Ps 91 

 R –Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble!

* You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Al mighty, say to the Lord, “ My refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” R. 

 * No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. R. 

 * Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon. R. 

 * Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknow ledges my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in dis tress; I will deliver him and glorify him. R. 

 Second Reading -  Rom 10:8-13

    Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” – that is, the word of faith that we preach – for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 

     For the Scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no   distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 Verse Before the Gospel 

 (Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!) 
One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. 
 (Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!) 

 Gospel - Lk 4:1-13

    Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jor dan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days. There, he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. 

     The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, com mand this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live on bread alone.’ ” Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’ ” 

     Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and: ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.’ ” 

     When the devil had finished every temptation, he de parted from him for a time.

March 2, 2025 - 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

 

 First Reading - Sir 27:4-7

     When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do a man’s faults when he speaks. As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in his conver sation is the test of a man. The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does a man’s speech disclose the bent of his mind. Praise no man before he speaks, for it is then that men are tested.

 Responsorial Psalm - Ps 92 

 R –Lord, it is good to give thanks to you! 

 * It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night. R. 

 * The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow. They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. R. 

 * They shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be, declaring how just is the Lord, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong. R. 

 Second Reading- 1 Cor 15:54-58

     When this which is corruptible frame takes on incorruptibility and this which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality, then will the say ing of Scripture be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 

     The sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 Be steadfast and persevering, my beloved brothers, fully engaged in the work of the Lord. You know that your toil is not in vain when it is done in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation - Phil 2:15.16 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 Shine like lights in the world as you hold on to the word of life. 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

 Gospel - Lk 6:39-45

     Jesus used images in speak ing to the disciples: “Can a  blind man act as guide to a blind man? Will they not both fall into a ditch? A student is not above his teacher; but every student when he has 
finished his studies will be on a par with his teacher. 

     “Why look at the speck in your brother’s eye when you miss the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,’ yet fail yourself to see the plank lodged in your own? Hypocrite, remove the plank from your own eye first; then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 

     “A good tree does not produce decayed fruit anymore than a decayed tree produces good fruit. Each tree is known by its yield. Figs are not taken from thornbushes, nor grapes picked from brambles. A good man produces goodness from the good in his heart; an evil man produces evil out of his store of evil. Each man speaks from his heart’s abundance.”

February 23, 2025 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

 

 First Reading -    1 Sm 26:2.7-9. 12-13.22-23

     In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph. 

     David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head, and Abner and his men sleeping around him. Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear. I will not need a second thrust!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished?” So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because the Lord had put them into a deep slumber. 

     Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops. He said: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. The Lord will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness. Today, though the Lord delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the Lord’s anointed.”

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 103 

R –The Lord is kind and merciful!

 * Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. R.

 * He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He re deems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion. R. 

 * Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. R. 

 * As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. R. 

 Second Reading -  1 Cor 15:45-49

     Brothers and sisters: 

     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 f irst 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.

 Gospel Acclamation - Jn 13:34 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you. 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

 Gospel - Lk 6:27-38

     Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear, I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. 

     But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back;  then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 

     Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be con demned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

February 16, 2025 - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

 

 First Reading - Jer 17:5-8

    Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. 

     Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green. In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.

 Responsorial Psalm - Ps 1 

 R –Blessed are they who hope in the Lord!

 * Blessed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. R. 

* He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers. R. 

 * Not so the wicked, not so! They are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes. R. 

 Second Reading - 1 Cor 15:12.16-20

    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 the dead are not raised, nei ther 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 first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

 Gospel Acclamation -  Lk 6:23 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 Rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven. 
 Alleluia! Alleluia! 

 Gospel - Lk 6:17.20-26

    Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with 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.

     And raising his eyes to ward his disciples he 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. 

     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.”

February 9, 2025 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

 

First Reading - Is 6:1-8

     In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above. 

     They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” 

     At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 

     Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it, and said, “See, now that this has touched  your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

 Responsorial Psalm - Ps 138 

 R - In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord!

 * I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise. I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. R. 

 * Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. R. 

 * All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth; and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord: “Great is the glory of the Lord.” R.

 * Your right hand saves me. The Lord will complete what he has done for me; your kind ness, O Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the work of your hands. R. 

 Second Reading - 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.

Gospel Acclamation - Mt 4:19 

 Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 Come after me and I will make you fishers of men. 
 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, Jesus 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 num ber 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 Je sus 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.