Reading 1 Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords,with whom he drank.Under the influence of the wine,he ordered the gold and silver vesselswhich Nebuchadnezzar, his father,had taken from the temple in Jerusalem,to be brought in so that the king, his lords,his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.When the gold and silver vesselstaken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in,and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainerswere drinking wine from them,they praised their gods of gold and silver,bronze and iron, wood and stone.Suddenly, opposite the lampstand,the fingers of a human hand appeared,writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace.When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched;his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook,and his knees knocked.Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king.The king asked him, "Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile,whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?I have heard that the Spirit of God is in you,that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom.I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties;if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means,you shall be clothed in purple,wear a gold collar about your neck,and be third in the government of the kingdom."Daniel answered the king:"You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else;but the writing I will read for you, O king,and tell you what it means.You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.You had the vessels of his temple brought before you,so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers,might drink wine from them;and you praised the gods of silver and gold,bronze and iron, wood and stone,that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence.But the God in whose hand is your life breathand the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down."This is the writing that was inscribed:MENE, TEKEL, and PERES.These words mean:MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him."Sun and moon, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."All you winds, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."Fire and heat, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."Cold and chill, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia Rev 2:10c R. Alleluia, alleluia.Remain faithful until death,And I will give you the crown of life.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd:"They will seize and persecute you,they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,and they will have you led before kings and governorsbecause of my name.It will lead to your giving testimony.Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speakingthat all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.You will even be handed over by parents,brothers, relatives, and friends,and they will put some of you to death.You will be hated by all because of my name,but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.By your perseverance you will secure your lives." - - -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 2:31-45 Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,very large and exceedingly bright,terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.The head of the statue was pure gold,its chest and arms were silver,its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,its feet partly iron and partly tile.While you looked at the statue,a stone which was hewn from a mountainwithout a hand being put to it,struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountainand filled the whole earth."This was the dream;the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.You, O king, are the king of kings;to you the God of heavenhas given dominion and strength, power and glory;men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all;you are the head of gold.Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours,then a third kingdom, of bronze,which shall rule over the whole earth.There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron;it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others,just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron,mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,but yet have some of the hardness of iron.As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,and the toes partly iron and partly tile,the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.The iron mixed with clay tilemeans that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.In the lifetime of those kingsthe God of heaven will set up a kingdomthat shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people;rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdomsand put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountainwithout a hand being put to it,which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future;this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure." Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him."Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."You heavens, bless the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him."All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord;praise and exalt him above all forever."R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia Rev 2:10c R. Alleluia, alleluia.Remain faithful until death,And I will give you the crown of life.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 21:5-11 While some people were speaking abouthow the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,Jesus said, "All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be lefta stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."Then they asked him,"Teacher, when will this happen?And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered,"See that you not be deceived,for many will come in my name, saying,'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections,do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them,"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plaguesfrom place to place;and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky." - - -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 1:1-6, 8-20 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon cameand laid siege to Jerusalem.The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah,and some of the vessels of the temple of God;he carried them off to the land of Shinar,and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god.The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain,to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal bloodand of the nobility, young men without any defect,handsome, intelligent and wise,quick to learn, and prudent in judgment,such as could take their place in the king's palace;they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans;after three years' training they were to enter the king's service.The king allotted them a daily portion of food and winefrom the royal table.Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah,Mishael, and Azariah.But Daniel was resolved not to defile himselfwith the king's food or wine;so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathyof the chief chamberlain, he nevertheless said to Daniel,"I am afraid of my lord the king;it is he who allotted your food and drink.If he sees that you look wretchedby comparison with the other young men of your age,you will endanger my life with the king."Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlainhad put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah,Mishael, and Azariah,"Please test your servants for ten days.Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.Then see how we look in comparison with the other young menwho eat from the royal table,and treat your servants according to what you see."He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;after ten days they looked healthier and better fedthan any of the young men who ate from the royal table.So the steward continued to take awaythe food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables.To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiencyin all literature and science,and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation,the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.When the king had spoken with all of them,none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah,Mishael, and Azariah;and so they entered the king's service.In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them,he found them ten times betterthan all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom. Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;And blessed is your holy and glorious name,praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."R. Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."R. Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."R. Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you who look into the depthsfrom your throne upon the cherubim,praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."R. Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,praiseworthy and glorious forever."R. Glory and praise for ever! 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 Lk 21:1-4 When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy peopleputting their offerings into the treasuryand he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.He said, "I tell you truly,this poor widow put in more than all the rest;for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." - - -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 Ez 34:11-12, 15-17 Thus says the Lord GOD:I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flockwhen he finds himself among his scattered sheep,so will I tend my sheep.I will rescue them from every place where they were scatteredwhen it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep;I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out,the strayed I will bring back,the injured I will bind up,the sick I will heal,but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,shepherding them rightly.As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,I will judge between one sheep and another,between rams and goats. Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6 R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.In verdant pastures he gives me repose.R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.Beside restful waters he leads me;he refreshes my soul.He guides me in right pathsfor his name's sake.R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.You spread the table before mein the sight of my foes;you anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows.R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.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. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Reading 2 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28 Brothers and sisters:Christ has been raised from the dead,the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man,the resurrection of the dead came also through man.For just as in Adam all die,so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,but each one in proper order:Christ the firstfruits;then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;then comes the end,when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,when he has destroyed every sovereigntyand every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.When everything is subjected to him,then the Son himself will also be subjectedto the one who subjected everything to him,so that God may be all in all. Alleluia Mk 11:9, 10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 25:31-46 Jesus said to his disciples:"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,and all the angels with him,he will sit upon his glorious throne,and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another,as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right,'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food,I was thirsty and you gave me drink,a stranger and you welcomed me,naked and you clothed me,ill and you cared for me,in prison and you visited me.'Then the righteous will answer him and say,'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'And the king will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you didfor one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'Then he will say to those on his left,'Depart from me, you accursed,into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.For I was hungry and you gave me no food,I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,a stranger and you gave me no welcome,naked and you gave me no clothing,ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'Then they will answer and say,'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirstyor a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,and not minister to your needs?'He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,what you did not do for one of these least ones,you did not do for me.'And these will go off to eternal punishment,but the righteous to eternal life." - - -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.