Readings for the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Reading 1  JER 13:1-11 The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,and go now to the Parath;there hide it in a cleft of the rock.Obedient to the LORD’s command, I went to the Parathand buried the loincloth.After a long interval, the LORD said to me:  Go now to the Parath and fetch the loinclothwhich I told you to hide there.Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loinclothfrom the place where I had hid it.But it was rotted, good for nothing!Then the message came to me from the LORD:  Thus says the LORD:So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,the great pride of Jerusalem.This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man’s loins,so had I made the whole house of Israeland the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD;to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.But they did not listen. Responsorial Psalm  DEUTERONOMY 32:18-19, 20, 21 R.  (see 18a)  You have forgotten God who gave you birth.You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,You forgot the God who gave you birth.When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathingand anger toward his sons and daughters.R.  You have forgotten God who gave you birth.“I will hide my face from them,” he said,“and see what will then become of them.What a fickle race they are,sons with no loyalty in them!”R.  You have forgotten God who gave you birth.“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’and angered me with their vain idols,I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;with a foolish nation I will anger them.”R.  You have forgotten God who gave you birth. Alleluia  Jn 8:12 R.    Alleluia, alleluia. I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. R.    Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  JN 11:19-27 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." Or: LK 10:38-42 Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." - - - Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:42-44 A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God,twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits,and fresh grain in the ear. Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat." But his servant objected,"How can I set this before a hundred people?" Elisha insisted, "Give it to the people to eat." "For thus says the LORD,'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'" And when they had eaten, there was some left over,as the LORD had said. Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18 R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,and let your faithful ones bless you.Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdomand speak of your might.R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.The eyes of all look hopefully to you,and you give them their food in due season;you open your handand satisfy the desire of every living thing.R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.The LORD is just in all his waysand holy in all his works.The LORD is near to all who call upon him,to all who call upon him in truth.R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. Reading 2 Eph 4:1-6 Brothers and sisters:I, a prisoner for the Lord,urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,with all humility and gentleness, with patience,bearing with one another through love,striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:one body and one Spirit,as you were also called to the one hope of your call;one Lord, one faith, one baptism;one God and Father of all,who is over all and through all and in all. Alleluia Lk 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.A great prophet has risen in our midst.God has visited his people.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 6:1-15 Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him,because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain,and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyesand saw that a large crowd was coming to him,he said to Philip,"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him,because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him,"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enoughfor each of them to have a little." One of his disciples,Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,and distributed them to those who were reclining,and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,"Gather the fragments left over,so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them,and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loavesthat had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him offto make him king,he withdrew again to the mountain alone. - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Jer 7:1-11 The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD,and there proclaim this message:Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judahwho enter these gates to worship the LORD!Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:Reform your ways and your deeds,so that I may remain with you in this place.Put not your trust in the deceitful words:"This is the temple of the LORD!The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!"Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds;if each of you deals justly with his neighbor;if you no longer oppress the resident alien,the orphan, and the widow;if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place,or follow strange gods to your own harm,will I remain with you in this place,in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever.But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury,burn incense to Baal,go after strange gods that you know not,and yet come to stand before mein this house which bears my name, and say:"We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again"?Has this house which bears my namebecome in your eyes a den of thieves?I too see what is being done, says the LORD. Responsorial Psalm Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11 R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.My heart and my fleshcry out for the living God.R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!Even the sparrow finds a home,and the swallow a nestin which she puts her young—Your altars, O LORD of hosts,my king and my God!R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!Blessed they who dwell in your house!continually they praise you.Blessed the men whose strength you are!They go from strength to strength.R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!I had rather one day in your courtsthan a thousand elsewhere;I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my Godthan dwell in the tents of the wicked.R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Alleluia Jas 1:21bc R. Alleluia, alleluia.Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in youand is able to save your souls.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 13:24-30 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds."The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a manwho sowed good seed in his field.While everyone was asleep his enemy cameand sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.The slaves of the householder came to him and said,'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?Where have the weeds come from?'He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weedsyou might uproot the wheat along with them.Let them grow together until harvest;then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;but gather the wheat into my barn."'" - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Readings for the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin MaryReading 1  JER 3:14-17 Return, rebellious children, says the LORD, for I am your Master; I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. When you multiply and become fruitful in the land, says the LORD, They will in those days no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD!” They will no longer think of it, or remember it,  or miss it, or make another. At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD’s throne; there all nations will be gathered together to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem, and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness. Responsorial Psalm  JER 31:10, 11-12ABCD, 13 R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,proclaim it on distant isles, and say:He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,he guards them as a shepherd his flock. R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.The LORD shall ransom Jacob,he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings:The grain, the wine, and the oil,the sheep and the oxen.R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,and young men and old as well.I will turn their mourning into joy,I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock. Alleluia  LK 8:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heartand yield a harvest through perseverance.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  MT 13:18-23 Jesus said to his disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.