Reading 1 2 Cor 8:1-9 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, of the grace of Godthat has been given to the churches of Macedonia,for in a severe test of affliction,the abundance of their joy and their profound povertyoverflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.For according to their means, I can testify,and beyond their means, spontaneously,they begged us insistently for the favor of taking partin the service to the holy ones,and this, not as we expected,but they gave themselves first to the Lordand to us through the will of God,so that we urged Titus that, as he had already begun,he should also complete for you this gracious act also.Now as you excel in every respect,in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness,and in the love we have for you,may you excel in this gracious act also.I say this not by way of command,but to test the genuineness of your loveby your concern for others.For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,so that by his poverty you might become rich. Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:2, 5-6ab, 6c- 7, 8-9a R.(1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!or:R. Alleluia.Praise the LORD, my soul!I will praise the LORD all my life;I will sing praise to my God while I live.R. Praise the Lord, my soul!or:R. Alleluia.Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,whose hope is in the LORD, his God,Who made heaven and earth,the sea and all that is in them.R. Praise the Lord, my soul!or:R. Alleluia.Who keeps faith forever,secures justice for the oppressed,gives food to the hungry.The LORD sets captives free. R. Praise the Lord, my soul!or:R. Alleluia.The LORD gives sight to the blind.The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;the LORD loves the just.The LORD protects strangers. R. Praise the Lord, my soul!or:R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 13:34 R. Alleluia, alleluia.I give you a new commandment:love one another as I have loved you.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 5:43-48 Jesus said to his disciples:"You have heard that it was said,You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.But I say to you, love your enemiesand pray for those who persecute you,that you may be children of your heavenly Father,for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?Do not the tax collectors do the same?And if you greet your brothers only,what is unusual about that?Do not the pagans do the same?So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." - - -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 2 Cor 6:1-10 Brothers and sisters:As your fellow workers, we appeal to younot to receive the grace of God in vain.For he says:In an acceptable time I heard you,and on the day of salvation I helped you.Behold, now is a very acceptable time;behold, now is the day of salvation.We cause no one to stumble in anything,in order that no fault may be found with our ministry;on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselvesas ministers of God, through much endurance,in afflictions, hardships, constraints,beatings, imprisonments, riots,labors, vigils, fasts;by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech,in the power of God;with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left;through glory and dishonor, insult and praise.We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful;as unrecognized and yet acknowledged;as dying and behold we live;as chastised and yet not put to death;as sorrowful yet always rejoicing;as poor yet enriching many;as having nothing and yet possessing all things. Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4 R.(2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.Sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done wondrous deeds;His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.R. The Lord has made known his salvation.In the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulnesstoward the house of Israel. R. The Lord has made known his salvation.All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation by our God.Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;break into song; sing praise.R. The Lord has made known his salvation. Alleluia Ps 119:105 R. Alleluia, alleluia.A lamp to my feet is your word,a light to my path.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 5:38-42 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said,An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Romuald, abbot - - -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 Ex 19:2-6a In those days, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai and pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the LORD called to him and said, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself.  Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5 R. (3c) We are his people: the sheep of his flock. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;     serve the LORD with gladness;     come before him with joyful song. R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock. Know that the LORD is God;     he made us, his we are;     his people, the flock he tends. R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock. The LORD is good:     his kindness endures forever,     and his faithfulness to all generations. R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock. Reading 2 Romans 5:6-11 Brothers and sisters: Christ, while we were still helpless,  yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Alleluia Mark 1:15 R.    Alleluia, alleluia. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.  R.   Alleluia, alleluia.   Gospel Matthew 9:36—10:8 At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them  because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” - - -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 Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin MaryReading I 2 Cor 5:14-21 Brothers and sisters: The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Responsorial Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful. Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes.  R. The Lord is kind and merciful. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.  R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Alleluia See Lk 2:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God and pondered it in her heart. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 2:41-51 Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.  - - -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.