Reading 1 Dt 4:1, 5-9 Moses spoke to the people and said:"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decreeswhich I am teaching you to observe,that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decreesas the LORD, my God, has commanded me,that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy.Observe them carefully,for thus will you give evidenceof your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,who will hear of all these statutes and say,'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'For what great nation is therethat has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to uswhenever we call upon him?Or what great nation has statutes and decreesthat are as just as this whole lawwhich I am setting before you today?"However, take care and be earnestly on your guardnot to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,but teach them to your children and to your children's children." Responsorial Psalm PS 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20 R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes. R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. Verse Before the Gospel See Jn 6:63c, 68c Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;You have the words of everlasting life. Gospel  Mt 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letterwill pass from the law,until all things have taken place.Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do sowill be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.But whoever obeys and teaches these commandmentswill be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” - - -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 Dn 3:25, 34-43 Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,or make void your covenant.Do not take away your mercy from us,for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,To whom you promised to multiply their offspringlike the stars of heaven,or the sand on the shore of the sea.For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,brought low everywhere in the world this daybecause of our sins.We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.But with contrite heart and humble spiritlet us be received;As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,or thousands of fat lambs,So let our sacrifice be in your presence todayas we follow you unreservedly;for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.And now we follow you with our whole heart,we fear you and we pray to you.Do not let us be put to shame,but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.Deliver us by your wonders,and bring glory to your name, O Lord.” Responsorial Psalm PS 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;teach me your paths,Guide me in your truth and teach me,for you are God my savior.R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.Remember that your compassion, O LORD,and your kindness are from of old.In your kindness remember me,because of your goodness, O LORD.R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.Good and upright is the LORD;thus he shows sinners the way.He guides the humble to justice,he teaches the humble his way.R. Remember your mercies, O Lord. Verse Before the Gospel Jl 2:12-13 Even now, says the LORD,return to me with your whole heart;for I am gracious and merciful. Gospel Mt 18:21-35 Peter approached Jesus and asked him,“Lord, if my brother sins against me,how often must I forgive him?As many as seven times?”Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a kingwho decided to settle accounts with his servants.When he began the accounting,a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.Since he had no way of paying it back,his master ordered him to be sold,along with his wife, his children, and all his property,in payment of the debt.At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’Moved with compassion the master of that servantlet him go and forgave him the loan.When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servantswho owed him a much smaller amount.He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,‘Pay back what you owe.’Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’But he refused.Instead, he had him put in prisonuntil he paid back the debt.Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,they were deeply disturbed, and went to their masterand reported the whole affair.His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,as I had pity on you?’Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturersuntil he should pay back the whole debt.So will my heavenly Father do to you,unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” - - -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 5:1-15ab Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,was highly esteemed and respected by his master,for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israela little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife."If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,"she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy."Naaman went and told his lordjust what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said."Go," said the king of Aram."I will send along a letter to the king of Israel."So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:"With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,that you may cure him of his leprosy."When he read the letter,the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:"Am I a god with power over life and death,that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"When Elisha, the man of God,heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,he sent word to the king:"Why have you torn your garments?Let him come to me and find outthat there is a prophet in Israel."Naaman came with his horses and chariotsand stopped at the door of Elisha's house.The prophet sent him the message:"Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."But Naaman went away angry, saying,"I thought that he would surely come out and stand thereto invoke the LORD his God,and would move his hand over the spot,and thus cure the leprosy.Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?"With this, he turned about in anger and left.But his servants came up and reasoned with him."My father," they said,"if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,would you not have done it?All the more now, since he said to you,'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said."So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven timesat the word of the man of God.His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.On his arrival he stood before him and said,"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,except in Israel." Responsorial Psalm PS 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4 R. (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?As the hind longs for the running waters,so my soul longs for you, O God.R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?Send forth your light and your fidelity;they shall lead me onAnd bring me to your holy mountain,to your dwelling-place.R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?Then will I go in to the altar of God,the God of my gladness and joy;Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,O God, my God!R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.When shall I go and behold the face of God?Verse Before the Gospel See Ps 130:5, 7I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word;with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption. Gospel Lk 4:24-30 Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:“Amen, I say to you,no prophet is accepted in his own native place.Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israelin the days of Elijahwhen the sky was closed for three and a half yearsand a severe famine spread over the entire land.It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.Again, there were many lepers in Israelduring the time of Elisha the prophet;yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”When the people in the synagogue heard this,they were all filled with fury.They rose up, drove him out of the town,and led him to the brow of the hillon which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.But he passed through the midst of them and went away. Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Casimir - - -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 Third Sunday of LentReadings for the Year BReading I Ex 17:3-7 In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst  with our children and our livestock?” So Moses cried out to the LORD,  “What shall I do with this people? a little more and they will stone me!” The LORD answered Moses, “Go over there in front of the people,  along with some of the elders of Israel,  holding in your hand, as you go,  the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it  for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel. The place was called Massah and Meribah,  because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?” Responsorial Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8)  If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;     let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;     let us joyfully sing psalms to him.R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us bow down in worship;     let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God,     and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Oh, that today you would hear his voice:     “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,     as in the day of Massah in the desert, Where your fathers tempted me;     they tested me though they had seen my works.”R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Reading II Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 Brothers and sisters: Since we have been justified by faith,  we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have gained access by faith  to this grace in which we stand,  and we boast in hope of the glory of God. And hope does not disappoint,  because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts  through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless,  died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,  though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Verse Before the Gospel Cf. Jn 4:42, 15 Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world; give me living water, that I may never thirst again. Gospel Jn 4:5-42 Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” —For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.— Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘ you would have asked him  and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him,  “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;  where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob,  who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself  with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her,  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;  but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;  the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty  or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ For you have had five husbands,  and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;  but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand;  we worship what we understand,  because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here,  when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;  and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;  when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one speaking with you.” At that moment his disciples returned,  and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,  but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”  or “Why are you talking with her?” The woman left her water jar  and went into the town and said to the people,  “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?” They went out of the town and came to him. Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” So the disciples said to one another,  “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving payment  and gathering crops for eternal life,  so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;  others have done the work,  and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”  Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified,  “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them;  and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word,  and they said to the woman,  “We no longer believe because of your word;  for we have heard for ourselves,  and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” OR: Jn 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42 Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him,  “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” —For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.— Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘ you would have asked him  and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him,  “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;  where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob,  who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself  with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her,  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;  but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;  the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty  or have to keep coming here to draw water. “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;  but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father  neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand;  we worship what we understand,  because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here,  when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;  and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him  must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;  when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.” Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him. When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them;  and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word,  and they said to the woman,  “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves,  and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” - - -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.