Reading 1 Jer 23:5-8 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;As king he shall reign and govern wisely,he shall do what is just and right in the land.In his days Judah shall be saved,Israel shall dwell in security.This is the name they give him:"The LORD our justice."Therefore, the days will come, says the LORD,when they shall no longer say, "As the LORD lives,who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt";but rather, "As the LORD lives,who brought the descendants of the house of Israelup from the land of the north"– and from all the lands to which I banished them;they shall again live on their own land. Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.O God, with your judgment endow the king,and with your justice, the king's son;He shall govern your people with justiceand your afflicted ones with judgment.R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;the lives of the poor he shall save.R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,who alone does wondrous deeds.And blessed forever be his glorious name;may the whole earth be filled with his glory.R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.O Leader of the House of Israel,giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:come to rescue us with your mighty power!R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,but before they lived together,she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,yet unwilling to expose her to shame,decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David,do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spiritthat this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfillwhat the Lord had said through the prophet:Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel,which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke,he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded himand took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son,and he named him Jesus. - - - 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 Gn 49:2, 8-10 Jacob called his sons and said to them:     “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,         listen to Israel, your father.     “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise         –your hand on the neck of your enemies;         the sons of your father shall bow down to you.     Judah, like a lion’s whelp,         you have grown up on prey, my son.     He crouches like a lion recumbent,         the king of beasts–who would dare rouse him?     The scepter shall never depart from Judah,         or the mace from between his legs,     While tribute is brought to him,         and he receives the people’s homage.” Responsorial Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17 R.    (see 7)  Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. O God, with your judgment endow the king,     and with your justice, the king’s son; He shall govern your people with justice     and your afflicted ones with judgment.  R.    Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. The mountains shall yield peace for the people,     and the hills justice. He shall defend the afflicted among the people,     save the children of the poor. R.    Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Justice shall flower in his days,     and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea,     and from the River to the ends of the earth. R.    Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. May his name be blessed forever;     as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;     all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.  R.    Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia. O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge! R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 1:1-17 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.  Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.  Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab.  Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab.  Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth.  Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph.  Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah.  Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.  Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.  Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok.  Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar.  Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.  Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations. - - - 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 Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe,     the spirit of God came upon him,     and he gave voice to his oracle:     The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,         the utterance of a man whose eye is true,     The utterance of one who hears what God says,         and knows what the Most High knows,     Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,         enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:     How goodly are your tents, O Jacob;         your encampments, O Israel!     They are like gardens beside a stream,         like the cedars planted by the LORD.     His wells shall yield free-flowing waters,         he shall have the sea within reach;     His king shall rise higher,         and his royalty shall be exalted. Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle:     The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,         the utterance of the man whose eye is true,     The utterance of one who hears what God says,         and knows what the Most High knows,     Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,         enraptured, and with eyes unveiled.     I see him, though not now;         I behold him, though not near:     A star shall advance from Jacob,         and a staff shall rise from Israel. Responsorial Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 R.    (4) Teach me your ways, 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.    Teach me your ways, 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.    Teach me your ways, 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.    Teach me your ways, O Lord. Alleluia Ps 85:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Show us, LORD, your love, and grant us your salvation. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 21:23-27 When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things?  And who gave you this authority?”  Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.  Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?”  They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’  But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.”  So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”  He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.” - - - 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 Zep 3:14-18a     Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!         Sing joyfully, O Israel!     Be glad and exult with all your heart,         O daughter Jerusalem!     The LORD has removed the judgment against you         he has turned away your enemies;     the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,         you have no further misfortune to fear.     On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:         Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!     The LORD, your God, is in your midst,         a mighty savior;     he will rejoice over you with gladness,         and renew you in his love,     he will sing joyfully because of you,         as one sings at festivals. Responsorial Psalm Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6. R. (6)  Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. God indeed is my savior;     I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD,     and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water     at the fountain of salvation. R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;     among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;     let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,     for great in your midst     is the Holy One of Israel! R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. Reading II Phil 4:4-7 Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again:  rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,  by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,  make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding  will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Alleluia Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18) R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 3:10-18 The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none.  And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them,  “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion,  do not falsely accuse anyone,  and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation,  and all were asking in their hearts  whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying,  “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn,  but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways,  he preached good news to the people. - - - 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.