Readings courtesy of USCCB
- by USCCBReading I Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,had recourse to the LORD.She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,from morning until evening, and said:“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,for I am taking my life in my hand.As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathersthat you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,O LORD, my God.“And now, come to […]
- by USCCBReading 1 Jonah 3:1-10 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,and announce to it the message that I will tell you."So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,according to the LORD's bidding.Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;it took three days to go through it.Jonah began his journey through the city,and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"when the people of Nineveh believed God;they proclaimed a fastand all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.When the news reached the king […]
- by USCCBReading 1 Isaiah 55:10-11 Thus says the LORD:Just as from the heavensthe rain and snow come downAnd do not return theretill they have watered the earth,making it fertile and fruitful,Giving seed to the one who sowsand bread to the one who eats,So shall my word bethat goes forth from my mouth;It shall not return to me void,but shall do my will,achieving the end for which I sent it. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19 R. (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.Glorify the LORD with me,let us together extol his name.I sought the LORD, and he answered […]
- by USCCBReading 1 Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 The LORD said to Moses,“Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.“You shall not steal.You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.You shall not swear falsely by my name,thus profaning the name of your God.I am the LORD.“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.You shall not curse the deaf,or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,but you shall fear your God.I am the LORD.“You shall not […]
- by USCCBReading 1 Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the groundand blew into his nostrils the breath of life,and so man became a living being.Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,and placed there the man whom he had formed.Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees growthat were delightful to look at and good for food,with the tree of life in the middle of the gardenand the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animalsthat the LORD […]
- by USCCBReading 1 Isaiah 58:9b-14 Thus says the LORD:If you remove from your midst oppression,false accusation and malicious speech;If you bestow your bread on the hungryand satisfy the afflicted;Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,and the gloom shall become for you like midday;Then the LORD will guide you alwaysand give you plenty even on the parched land.He will renew your strength,and you shall be like a watered garden,like a spring whose water never fails.The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,“Restorer of […]