Reading 1 Is 10:5-7, 13b-16 Thus says the LORD:Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,my staff in wrath.Against an impious nation I send him,and against a people under my wrath I order himTo seize plunder, carry off loot,and tread them down like the mud of the streets.But this is not what he intends,nor does he have this in mind;Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,to make an end of nations not a few.For he says:“By my own power I have done it,and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.I have moved the boundaries of peoples,their treasures I have pillaged,and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.My hand has seized like a nestthe riches of nations;As one takes eggs left alone,so I took in all the earth;No one fluttered a wing,or opened a mouth, or chirped!”Will the axe boast against him who hews with it?Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?As if a rod could sway him who lifts it,or a staff him who is not wood!Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,will send among his fat ones leanness,And instead of his glory there will be kindlinglike the kindling of fire. Responsorial Psalm Ps 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15 R. (14a) The Lord will not abandon his people.Your people, O LORD, they trample down,your inheritance they afflict.Widow and stranger they slay,the fatherless they murder. R. The Lord will not abandon his people.And they say, “The LORD sees not;the God of Jacob perceives not.”Understand, you senseless ones among the people;and, you fools, when will you be wise?R. The Lord will not abandon his people.Shall he who shaped the ear not hear?or he who formed the eye not see?Shall he who instructs nations not chastise,he who teaches men knowledge?R. The Lord will not abandon his people.For the LORD will not cast off his people,nor abandon his inheritance;But judgment shall again be with justice,and all the upright of heart shall follow it. R. The Lord will not abandon his people Alleluia Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:25-27 At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,for although you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and the learnedyou have revealed them to the childlike.Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.All things have been handed over to me by my Father.No one knows the Son except the Father,and no one knows the Father except the Sonand anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” - - -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 Is 7:1-9 In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,Rezin, king of Aram,and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,went up to attack Jerusalem,but they were not able to conquer it.When word came to the house of David that Aramwas encamped in Ephraim,the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,you and your son Shear-jashub,at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,on the highway of the fuller’s field, and say to him:Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;let not your courage failbefore these two stumps of smoldering brandsthe blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,and of the son Remaliah,because of the mischief thatAram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,plots against you, saying,“Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.”Thus says the LORD:This shall not stand, it shall not be!Damascus is the capital of Aram,and Rezin is the head of Damascus;Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.But within sixty years and five,Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.Unless your faith is firmyou shall not be firm! Responsorial Psalm PS 48:2-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-8 R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever. Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth. R. God upholds his city for ever. Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,” is the city of the great King. God is with her castles; renowned is he as a stronghold. R. God upholds his city for ever. For lo! the kings assemble, they come on together; They also see, and at once are stunned, terrified, routed. R. God upholds his city for ever. Quaking seizes them there; anguish, like a woman’s in labor, As though a wind from the east were shattering ships of Tarshish. R. God upholds his city for ever. Alleluia Ps 95:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia.If today you hear his voice,harden not your hearts.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:20-24 Jesus began to reproach the townswhere most of his mighty deeds had been done,since they had not repented.“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!For if the mighty deeds done in your midsthad been done in Tyre and Sidon,they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.But I tell you, it will be more tolerablefor Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.And as for you, Capernaum:Will you be exalted to heaven?You will go down to the nether world.For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,it would have remained until this day.But I tell you, it will be more tolerablefor the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Readings for the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - - -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 Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the ChurchReading 1  IS 1:10-17 Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! What care I for the number of your sacrifices? says the LORD. I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings; In the blood of calves, lambs and goats I find no pleasure. When you come in to visit me, who asks these things of you? Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me. New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies, octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear. Your new moons and festivals I detest; they weigh me down, I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you; Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. Responsorial Psalm PS 50:8-9, 16BC-17, 21 AND 23 R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,for your burnt offerings are before me always.I take from your house no bullock,no goats out of your fold.”R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.“Why do you recite my statutes,and profess my covenant with your mouth,Though you hate disciplineand cast my words behind you?”R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?Or do you think you that I am like yourself?I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God. Alleluia  MT 5:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  MT 10:34-11:1 Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous  will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. - - -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 I Am 7:12-15 Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos, “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!  There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”  Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.  The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” Responsorial Psalm Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 R. (8)    Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. I will hear what God proclaims;     the LORD —for he proclaims peace. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,     glory dwelling in our land. R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. 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. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. 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. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. Reading II Eph 1:3-14 or 1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as 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 have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.  In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. 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.  In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory. OR: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as 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 God’s grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.  In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. Alleluia Cf. Eph 1:17-18 R. Alleluia, alleluia. May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 6:7-13 Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.  He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts.  They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.  He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.  Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”  So they went off and preached repentance.  The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. - - -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.