DAILY MASS READING

Thursday, April 26, 2012
Easter Weekday 

FIRST READING

Acts 8: 26 – 40 

26 But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.27 And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship28 and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.29 And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"31 And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.32 Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."34 And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.36 And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?"38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.40 But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a. 

PSALM RESPONSES

Psalms 66: 8 - 9, 16 - 17, 20 

8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.

20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! 

GOSPEL

John 6: 44 – 51 

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.45 It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.48 I am the bread of life.49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Once the eye of the soul has been purified by such considerations we no longer abide within our own spirit in a sense of sorrow, but abide rather in the Spirit of God with great delight. No longer do we consider what is the will God for us, but rather what it is in itself. For our life is in his will.-- St Bernard

The Holy Bible

The Holy Eucharist

Mother Mary

www.comepraytherosary.org /

DAILY MASS READING

Wednesday, April 25, 2012
St. Mark, Evangelist (Feast) 

FIRST READING

1 Peter 5: 5 – 14 

5 Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you.7 Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.11 To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.12 By Silva'nus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God; stand fast in it.13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark.14 Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you that are in Christ. 

PSALM RESPONSES

Psalms 89: 2 - 3, 6 - 7, 16 – 17 

2 For thy steadfast love was established for ever, thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.3 Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant:

6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and terrible above all that are round about him?

16 who exult in thy name all the day, and extol thy righteousness.17 For thou art the glory of their strength; by thy favor our horn is exalted 

GOSPEL 

Mark 16: 15 – 20 

15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.

We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success, but on Jesus alone.

-- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

The Holy Bible

Holy Eucharist

Mother Mary

www.comepraytherosary.org /

DAILY MASS READING

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Capuchin, Priest, Martyr (Feast)

FIRST READING 

Revelation 3: 7 - 8, 10 – 12 

7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: `The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.8 "`I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.11 I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.12 He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 

PSALM RESPONSES 

Psalms 119: 137 – 144 

137 Righteous art thou, O LORD, and right are thy judgments.138 Thou hast appointed thy testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget thy words.140 Thy promise is well tried, and thy servant loves it.141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget thy precepts.142 Thy righteousness is righteous for ever, and thy law is true.143 Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but thy commandments are my delight.144 Thy testimonies are righteous for ever; give me understanding that I may live. 

GOSPEL 

John 10: 11 – 16 

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.13 He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.16 And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

Prayer brings about the perfect absorption of the food of our good actions, and distributes them into all the members of the soul.-- St Bernard

The Holy Bible

Holy Eucharist

Mother Mary

www.comepraytherosary.org /

DAILY MASS READING

Monday, April 23, 2012
Easter Weekday 

FIRST READING 

Acts 6: 8 – 15 

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyre'nians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cili'cia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen.10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.11 Then they secretly instigated men, who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,13 and set up false witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law;14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us."15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. 

PSALM RESPONSES 

Psalms 119: 23 - 24, 26 - 27, 29 – 30 

23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, thy servant will meditate on thy statutes.24 Thy testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors.

26 When I told of my ways, thou didst answer me; teach me thy statutes!27 Make me understand the way of thy precepts, and I will meditate on thy wondrous works.

29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me thy law!30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.

 GOSPEL 

John 6: 22 – 29 

22 On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.23 However, boats from Tiber'i-as came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.24 So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper'na-um, seeking Jesus.25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"26 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal."28 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

The Lord measures our perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them-- St. John of the Cross

The Holy Bible

Holy Eucharist

Mother Mary

www.comepraytherosary.org /

DAILY MASS READING

Sunday, April 22, 2012
Third Sunday of Easter 

FIRST READING 

Acts 3: 13 - 15, 17 – 19 

13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,15 and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

17 "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 

PSALM RESPONSES 

Psalms 4: 2, 4, 7 – 9 

2 O men, how long shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? [Selah]

4 Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. [Selah]

7 Thou hast put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for thou alone, O LORD, makest me dwell in safety 

SECOND READING 

1 John 2: 1 – 5 

1 My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;2 and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.3 And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments.4 He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him;5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 

GOSPEL 

Luke 24: 35 – 48 

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.36 As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them.37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.38 And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts?39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,43 and he took it and ate before them.44 Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled."45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.48 You are witnesses of these things.

When it's God speaking.....the proper way to behave is to imitate someone who has an irresistable curiosity and who listens at keyholes. You must listen to everything God says at the keyhole of your heart. -- St. John Vianney

The Holy Bible

The Holy Eucharist

Mother Mary

www.comepraytherosary.org /