24 December 2023 - 4th Sunday of Advent (B)

 

First Reading - 2 Sm 7:1-5.8- 12.14.16

    When King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”

    But that night the Lord spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build me a house to dwell in? It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.

    I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.

    I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’ ” 

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 89

R – For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord! 

* The promises of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, “My kindness is established forever.” In heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. R.

* “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” R.

* “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my Savior.’ Forever I will maintain my kindness      toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.” R.

Second Reading - Rom 16:25-27 

    Brothers and sisters:

    To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen! 

Gospel Acclamation - Lk 1:38

Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Lk 1:26-38 

    The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Coming to her, the angel said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

    Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called ‘Son of the Most High,’ and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

    But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

    Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her 

17 December 2023 - 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 

First Reading - Is 61:1-2.10-11 

    The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.

    I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.

    As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord God make justice and praise spring up before all the nations. 

Responsorial Psalm - Lk 1

 R – My soul rejoices in my God! 

* My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed. R.

* The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. R.

* He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy. R.

Second Reading - 1 Thes 5:16-24 

    Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

    Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.

    May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. 

Gospel Acclamation - Is 61:1 

Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. 
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Jn 1:6-8.19-28 

    A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. 

    And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” he admitted and did not deny it, but ad- mitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say about yourself?” He said: “ ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

    Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

    This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

10 December 2023 - 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 

First Reading - Is 40:1-5.9-11

    Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.

    A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

    Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.

    Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

    Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 85 

R –Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation! 

I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord – for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. R.

* Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. R.

* The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps. R

Second Reading - 2 Pt 3:8-14 

    Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

    Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire.

    But according to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. 

Gospel Acclamation - Lk 3:4.6 

Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Mk 1:1-8 

    The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  

    As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.

    A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’ ”

    John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

    John was clothed in cam- el’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

8 December - SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

 

First Reading - Gn 3:9-15.20

    After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then the Lord God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” The man replied, “ The woman whom you put here with me - she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”

    Then the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life.

    I will put enmity between you and the woman, and be- tween your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 98

R – Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds! 

*Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R.

* The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. R.

* All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R. 

Second Reading - Eph 1:3-6.11-12 

    Brothers and sisters:

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

    He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.

    In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

Gospel Acclamation - Lk 1:28

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Lk 1:26-38 

    The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

    And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But Mary was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

    But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” The angel said to her in reply: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

    Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

3 December 2023 - 1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 

First Reading - Is 63:16-17.19; 64:2-7

You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him.

Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt. Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands. 

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 80

R– Lord, make us turn to you, let us see your face and we shall be saved! 

* O shepherd of Israel, hearken, from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth. Rouse your power, and come to save us. R.

* Once again, O Lord of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted, the son of man whom you yourself made strong. R.

* May your help be with the man of your right hand, with the son of man whom you your- self made strong. Then we will no more withdraw from you. Give us new life, and we will call upon your name. R.

Second Reading - 1 Cor 1:3-9 

    Brothers and sisters:
    Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
    I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus. That in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gospel Acclamation - Ps 85:8 

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Show us, Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.
Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Gospel - Mk 13:33-37 

    Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

    It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

    Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 
‘Watch!’ ” 

November 26, 2023 - SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING (Year A)

 

First Reading - Ez 34:11-12.15-17

    Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest,” says the Lord God. “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly. As for you, my sheep,” says the Lord God, “I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.”

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 23 

R – The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want!

*    The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose. R. 

*    Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. R.

*     You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R.

*     Only goodness and kind- ness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. R.

Second Reading - 1 Cor 15:20-26.28 

    Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead came also through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life. But each one in proper order: Christ the first-fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Mt 25:31-46 

    Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled be- fore him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 

    Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and wel- come you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

    Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

    Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’

    And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” 

November 19, 2023 - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

 

First Reading - Prv 31:10-13. 19-20.30-31

    When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an un- failing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and works with    loving hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 128 

R – Blessed are those who fear the Lord! 

* Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. R.

* Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table. R.

* Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. R. 

Second Reading - 1 Thes 5:1-6 

    Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

    But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober. 

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord. Who ever remains in me bears much fruit. 
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel - Mt 25:14-30 

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one – to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Immediately, the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

Then the one who had received the one talent came for- ward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter. So out of fear, I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy      servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ ”