Reading 1 1 Thes 3:7-13 We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters,in our every distress and affliction, through your faith.For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you,for all the joy we feel on your account before our God?Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in personand to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesusdirect our way to you, and may the Lord make you increaseand abound in love for one another and for all,just as we have for you,so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Fatherat the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 17 R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!You turn man back to dust,saying, "Return, O children of men."For a thousand years in your sightare as yesterday, now that it is past,or as a watch of the night.R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!Teach us to number our days aright,that we may gain wisdom of heart.Return, O LORD! How long?Have pity on your servants!R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;prosper the work of our hands for us!Prosper the work of our hands!R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy! Alleluia Mt 24:42a, 44 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Stay awake!For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 24:42-51 Jesus said to his disciples:"Stay awake!For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.Be sure of this: if the master of the househad known the hour of night when the thief was coming,he would have stayed awakeand not let his house be broken into.So too, you also must be prepared,for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,whom the master has put in charge of his householdto distribute to them their food at the proper time?Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'and begins to beat his fellow servants,and eat and drink with drunkards,the servant's master will come on an unexpected dayand at an unknown hour and will punish him severelyand assign him a place with the hypocrites,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." - - -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 1 Thes 2:9-13 You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.You are witnesses, and so is God,how devoutly and justly and blamelesslywe behaved toward you believers.As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,exhorting and encouraging you and insistingthat you walk in a manner worthy of the Godwho calls you into his Kingdom and glory.And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,which is now at work in you who believe. Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab R. (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.Where can I go from your spirit?From your presence where can I flee?If I go up to the heavens, you are there;if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.If I take the wings of the dawn,if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,Even there your hand shall guide me,and your right hand hold me fast.R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.If I say, "Surely the darkness shall hide me,and night shall be my light"–For you darkness itself is not dark,and night shines as the day.R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord. Alleluia 1 Jn 2:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Whoever keeps the word of Christ,the love of God is truly perfected in him.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 23:27-32 Jesus said,"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You build the tombs of the prophetsand adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'Thus you bear witness against yourselvesthat you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;now fill up what your ancestors measured out!" - - -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 the Passion of Saint John the BaptistReading 1 1 Thes 2:1-8 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,that our reception among you was not without effect.Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,as you know, in Philippi,we drew courage through our Godto speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,nor did it work through deception.But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,that is how we speak,not as trying to please men,but rather God, who judges our hearts.Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–nor did we seek praise from men,either from you or from others,although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ.Rather, we were gentle among you,as a nursing mother cares for her children.With such affection for you, we were determined to share with younot only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,so dearly beloved had you become to us. Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:1-3, 4-6 R. (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;you know when I sit and when I stand;you understand my thoughts from afar.My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,with all my ways you are familiar.R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.Behind me and before, you hem me inand rest your hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;too lofty for me to attain. R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 6:17-29 Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prisonon account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.John had said to Herod,"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."Herodias harbored a grudge against himand wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,and kept him in custody.When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,yet he liked to listen to him.She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,gave a banquet for his courtiers,his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.Herodias' own daughter came inand performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.The king said to the girl,"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."He even swore many things to her,"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,even to half of my kingdom."She went out and said to her mother,"What shall I ask for?"She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,"I want you to give me at onceon a platter the head of John the Baptist."The king was deeply distressed,but because of his oaths and the guestshe did not wish to break his word to her.So he promptly dispatched an executioner with ordersto bring back his head.He went off and beheaded him in the prison.He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.The girl in turn gave it to her mother.When his disciples heard about it,they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. - - -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 Augustine, bishop and doctor of the ChurchReading 1 1 Thes 1:1-5, 8b-10 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.You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. In every place your faith in God has gone forth,so that we have no need to say anything.For they themselves openly declare about uswhat sort of reception we had among you,and how you turned to God from idolsto serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,whom he raised from the dead, Jesus,who delivers us from the coming wrath. Responsorial Psalm Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.or:R. Alleluia.Sing to the LORD a new songof praise in the assembly of the faithful.Let Israel be glad in their maker,let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.R. The Lord takes delight in his people.or:R. Alleluia.Let them praise his name in the festive dance,let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.For the LORD loves his people,and he adorns the lowly with victory.R. The Lord takes delight in his people.or:R. Alleluia.Let the faithful exult in glory;let them sing for joy upon their couches;Let the high praises of God be in their throats.This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!R. The Lord takes delight in his people.or:R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;I know them, and they follow me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 23:13-22 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.You do not enter yourselves,nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You traverse sea and land to make one convert,and when that happens you make him a child of Gehennatwice as much as yourselves."Woe to you, blind guides, who say,'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,or the temple that made the gold sacred?And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,or the altar that makes the gift sacred?One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;one who swears by the temple swears by itand by him who dwells in it;one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of Godand by him who is seated on it." - - -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.