Reading 1 Rom 4:20-25 Brothers and sisters:Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to Godand was fully convinced that what God had promisedhe was also able to do.That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.But it was not for him alone that it was writtenthat it was credited to him;it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,who was handed over for our transgressionsand was raised for our justification. Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75 R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.He has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior,born of the house of his servant David.R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.Through his holy prophets he promised of oldthat he would save us from our enemies,from the hands of all who hate us.He promised to show mercy to our fathersand to remember his holy covenant.R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:to set us free from the hands of our enemies,free to worship him without fear,holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. Alleluia Mt 5:3 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are the poor in spirit;for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."He replied to him,"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"Then he said to the crowd,"Take care to guard against all greed,for though one may be rich,one's life does not consist of possessions."Then he told them a parable."There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.He asked himself, 'What shall I do,for I do not have space to store my harvest?'And he said, 'This is what I shall do:I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.There I shall store all my grain and other goodsand I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,you have so many good things stored up for many years,rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'But God said to him,'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himselfbut is not rich in what matters to God." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, priest - - - 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 45:1, 4-6 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,whose right hand I grasp,subduing nations before him,and making kings run in his service,opening doors before himand leaving the gates unbarred:For the sake of Jacob, my servant,of Israel, my chosen one,I have called you by your name,giving you a title, though you knew me not.I am the LORD and there is no other,there is no God besides me.It is I who arm you, though you know me not,so that toward the rising and the setting of the sunpeople may know that there is none besides me.I am the LORD, there is no other. Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10 R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.Sing to the LORD a new song;sing to the LORD, all you lands.Tell his glory among the nations;among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.R. Give the Lord glory and honor.For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;awesome is he, beyond all gods.For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,but the LORD made the heavens.R. Give the Lord glory and honor.Give to the LORD, you families of nations,give to the LORD glory and praise;give to the LORD the glory due his name!Bring gifts, and enter his courts.R. Give the Lord glory and honor.Worship the LORD, in holy attire;tremble before him, all the earth;say among the nations: The LORD is king,he governs the peoples with equity.R. Give the Lord glory and honor. Reading 2 1 Thes 1:1-5b Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessaloniansin God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:grace to you and peace.We give thanks to God always for all of you,remembering you in our prayers,unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of loveand endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,before our God and Father,knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,how you were chosen.For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction. Alleluia Phil 2:15d, 16a R. Alleluia, alleluia.Shine like lights in the worldas you hold on to the word of life.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 22:15-21 The Pharisees went offand plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful manand that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,for you do not regard a person's status.Tell us, then, what is your opinion:Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Knowing their malice, Jesus said,"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."At that he said to them,"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesarand to God what belongs to God." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, pope - - - 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 Rom 4:13, 16-18 Brothers and sisters:It was not through the lawthat the promise was made to Abraham and his descendantsthat he would inherit the world,but through the righteousness that comes from faith.For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift,and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,not to those who only adhere to the lawbut to those who follow the faith of Abraham,who is the father of all of us, as it is written,I have made you father of many nations.He is our father in the sight of God,in whom he believed, who gives life to the deadand calls into being what does not exist.He believed, hoping against hope,that he would become the father of many nations,according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be. Responsorial Psalm PS 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43 R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.You descendants of Abraham, his servants,sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!He, the LORD, is our God;throughout the earth his judgments prevail.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.He remembers forever his covenantwhich he made binding for a thousand generations –Which he entered into with Abrahamand by his oath to Isaac.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.For he remembered his holy wordto his servant Abraham.And he led forth his people with joy;with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever. alleluia  Jn 15:26b, 27a R. Alleluia, alleluia.The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,and you also will testify.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 12:8-12 Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you,everyone who acknowledges me before othersthe Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.But whoever denies me before otherswill be denied before the angels of God."Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spiritwill not be forgiven.When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,do not worry about how or what your defense will beor about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." - - -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 Rom 4:1-8 Brothers and sisters:What can we say that Abraham found,our ancestor according to the flesh?Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works,he has reason to boast;but this was not so in the sight of God.For what does the Scripture say?Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.But when one does not work,yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,his faith is credited as righteousness. So also David declares the blessedness of the personto whom God credits righteousness apart from works:Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgivenand whose sins are covered.Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record. Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1b-2, 5, 11 R. (see 7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,whose sin is covered.Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,in whose spirit there is no guile.R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.Then I acknowledged my sin to you,my guilt I covered not.I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"and you took away the guilt of my sin.R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;exult, all you upright of heart.R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation. Alleluia Ps 33:22 R. Alleluia, alleluia.May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us;who have put our hope in you.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 12:1-7 At that time:So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,"Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees."There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,nor secret that will not be known.Therefore whatever you have said in the darknesswill be heard in the light,and what you have whispered behind closed doorswill be proclaimed on the housetops.I tell you, my friends,do not be afraid of those who kill the bodybut after that can do no more.I shall show you whom to fear.Be afraid of the one who after killinghas the power to cast into Gehenna;yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.Do not be afraid.You are worth more than many sparrows." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, priest - - -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.