Readings for the Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the ChurchReading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:"A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open up the gatesto let in a nation that is just,one that keeps faith.A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;in peace, for its trust in you."Trust in the LORD forever!For the LORD is an eternal Rock.He humbles those in high places,and the lofty city he brings down;He tumbles it to the ground,levels it with the dust.It is trampled underfoot by the needy,by the footsteps of the poor. Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a R. (26a) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia.Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.It is better to take refuge in the LORDthan to trust in man.It is better to take refuge in the LORDthan to trust in princes. R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia.Open to me the gates of justice;I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.This gate is the LORD's;the just shall enter it.I will give thanks to you, for you have answered meand have been my savior.R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia.O LORD, grant salvation!O LORD, grant prosperity!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;we bless you from the house of the LORD.The LORD is God, and he has given us light.R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia. Alleluia Is 55:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Seek the LORD while he may be found;call him while he is near.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples:"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'will enter the Kingdom of heaven,but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on themwill be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of minebut does not act on themwill be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined." - - -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 25:6-10a On this mountain the LORD of hostswill provide for all peoplesA feast of rich food and choice wines,juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.On this mountain he will destroythe veil that veils all peoples,The web that is woven over all nations;he will destroy death forever.The Lord GOD will wipe awaythe tears from all faces;The reproach of his people he will removefrom the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.On that day it will be said:"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!This is the LORD for whom we looked;let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.In verdant pastures he gives me repose;Beside restful waters he leads me;he refreshes my soul.R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.He guides me in right pathsfor his name's sake.Even though I walk in the dark valleyI fear no evil; for you are at my sideWith your rod and your staffthat give me courage. R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.You spread the table before mein the sight of my foes;You anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows.R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.Only goodness and kindness follow meall the days of my life;And I shall dwell in the house of the LORDfor years to come.R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.Behold, the Lord comes to save his people;blessed are those prepared to meet him.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 15:29-37 At that time:Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him,having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see,and they glorified the God of Israel.Jesus summoned his disciples and said,"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,for they have been with me now for three daysand have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry,for fear they may collapse on the way." The disciples said to him,"Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted placeto satisfy such a crowd?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,gave thanks, broke the loaves,and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full. Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Nicholas, bishop - - - 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 11:1-10 On that day,A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,and from his roots a bud shall blossom.The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,A Spirit of counsel and of strength,a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.Not by appearance shall he judge,nor by hearsay shall he decide,But he shall judge the poor with justice,and decide aright for the land's afflicted.He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.Justice shall be the band around his waist,and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;The calf and the young lion shall browse together,with a little child to guide them.The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,together their young shall rest;the lion shall eat hay like the ox.The baby shall play by the cobra's den,and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,as water covers the sea.On that day,The root of Jesse,set up as a signal for the nations,The Gentiles shall seek out,for his dwelling shall be glorious. Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 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 justiceand your afflicted ones with judgment. 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.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.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.Behold, our Lord shall come with power;he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 10:21-24 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,"I give you praise, 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 who the Son is except the Father,and who the Father is except the Sonand anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."Turning to the disciples in private he said,"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you,many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,but did not see it,and to hear what you hear, but did not hear 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.

Reading 1 Is 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.In days to come,The mountain of the LORD's houseshall be established as the highest mountainand raised above the hills.All nations shall stream toward it;many peoples shall come and say:"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,to the house of the God of Jacob,That he may instruct us in his ways,and we may walk in his paths."For from Zion shall go forth instruction,and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nations,and impose terms on many peoples.They shall beat their swords into plowsharesand their spears into pruning hooks;One nation shall not raise the sword against another,nor shall they train for war again.O house of Jacob, come,let us walk in the light of the LORD! Responsorial Psalm Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.I rejoiced because they said to me,"We will go up to the house of the LORD."And now we have set footwithin your gates, O Jerusalem.R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity.To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD.R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May those who love you prosper!May peace be within your walls, prosperity in your buildings. R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.Because of my relatives and friendsI will say, "Peace be within you!"Because of the house of the LORD, our God,I will pray for your good.R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. Alleluia See Ps 80:4 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Come and save us, LORD our God;Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 8:5-11 When Jesus entered Capernaum,a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply,"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;only say the word and my servant will be healed.For I too am a man subject to authority,with soldiers subject to me.And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobat the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John of Damascus, priest, religious, doctor of the Church - - - 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.