1st Reading: Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15 God sees the misery of his people in Egypt and will free them, through Moses Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared…
St Gabriel, Passionist. Optional memorial 1st Reading: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 Israel’s God is a God of mercy Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that belongs to you, which lives alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old….
1st Reading: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13 17-28 Jacob’s sons envy their brother Joseph, and sell him into slavery Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father…
1st Reading: Jeremiah 18:18-20 In his desperate need, Jeremiah pins his hope on God “Come, let us decide what to do with Jeremiah,” people say. “There will still be priests to guide us, still wise men to advise us, still prophets to proclaim the word. Come, let us bring charges against him, and let us…
1st Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord rather than in mere mortal power Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not…
1st Reading: Jeremiah 18:18-20 In desperate need, Jeremiah pins his hope on God “Come, let us decide what to do with Jeremiah,” people say. “There will still be priests to guide us, still wise men to advise us, still prophets to proclaim the word. Come, let us bring charges against him, and let us not…
1st Reading: Jeremiah 18:18-20 In desperate need, Jeremiah pins his hope on God “Come, let us decide what to do with Jeremiah,” people say. “There will still be priests to guide us, still wise men to advise us, still prophets to proclaim the word. Come, let us bring charges against him, and let us not…
Saint Polycarp, optional memorial 1st Reading: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 A call to personal conversion, to remove our sins from God’s sight Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before…
We commemorate the day when Saint Peter held his first service of worship in Rome. The marble cathedra by Bernini (c.1650) in St. Peter’s basilica surrounds a small wooden chair that tradition holds was that of Peter himself. 1st Reading: 1 Pet 5:1-4 Peter’s advice to his fellow Church leaders: feed God’s flock with loving…
Opening Comment In today’s Liturgy, we praise the Lord of glory, who leads us through the darkness of Lent to the light of Easter. Penitential Rite To prepare ourselves for this act of worship, let us call to mind our sins: (pause) You raise the dead to life in the Spirit: Lord, have mercy. You…
Theme: in celebrating Christ’s transfiguration, we reflect on how we too encounter Christ and how our lives can be transfigured. 1st Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 The covenant with Abraham, basis of Israel’s religion of trust He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”…
1st Reading: Deuteronomy 26:16-19 This very day the Lord your God is commanding you to observe these statutes and ordinances; so observe them diligently with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you have obtained the Lord’s agreement: to be your God; and for you to walk in his ways, to keep his…
1st Reading: Ezekiel 18:21-28 Personal responsibility to replace the idea of shared guilt But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die. None of the transgressions that they have committed…
1st Reading: Esther 4:29-42 Queen Esther’s prayer wins God’s help in a time of crisis Queen Esther, seized with deadly anxiety, fled to the Lord. She prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said: “O my Lord, you only are our king; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for…
1st Reading: Jonah 3:1-10 When Jonah’s preaching at Nineveh bears fruit,God relents from his intended punishment The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according…
1st Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11 God’s word comes down from heaven like rain, to make the earth fruitful For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,…
1st Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 The commandments and practical guidance for worship and for social compassion The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall each revere your mother and…
Opening Comment The 40-day pilgrimage to Easter that began on Ash Wednesday is just a few days old. We pray that God, who sustained Jesus in his 40 days of temptations and suffering, will support us on our journey also. Penitential Rite As we start out on that journey, let us call to mind our…
Fasting, prayer and alms are three traditional forms for expressing our conversion to Christ’s way. Lent is our penitential season, prompted by the gospel account of his forty days in the desert. 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10 Offering the firsts fruits of harvest, they give thanks to God When the priest takes the basket from your…
1st Reading: Isaiah 58:9-14 If the people are converted, they are blessed, like a spring whose waters never fail Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking…
