Daily Readings for Tuesday November 30, 2010

Reading 1, Rom 10:9-18

9 that if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.

10 It is by believing with the heart that you are justified, and by making the declaration with your lips that you are saved.

11 When scripture says: No one who relies on this will be brought to disgrace,

12 it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: the same Lord is the Lord of all, and his generosity is offered to all who appeal to him,

13 for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

14 How then are they to call on him if they have not come to believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard of him? And how will they hear of him unless there is a preacher for them?

15 And how will there be preachers if they are not sent? As scripture says: How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of good news.

16 But in fact they have not all responded to the good news. As Isaiah says: Lord, who has given credence to what they have heard from us?

17 But it is in that way faith comes, from hearing, and that means hearing the word of Christ.

18 Well then, I say, is it possible that they have not heard? Indeed they have: in the entire earth their voice stands out, their message reaches the whole world.

Gospel, Mt 4:18-22

18 As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen.

19 And he said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.'

20 And at once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

22 And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him. 

Daily Readings for Monday November 29, 2010

Reading 1, Is 4:2-6

2 That day, Yahweh's seedling will turn to beauty and glory, what the earth brings forth will turn to the pride and ornament of Israel's survivors.

3 Those who are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem will be called holy, all those in Jerusalem noted down to live.

4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of Zion's daughters and with the wind of judgement and the wind of burning cleansed Jerusalem of the blood shed in her,

5 Yahweh will create, over every house on Mount Zion and over those who assemble there, a cloud by day, and by night smoke with the brightness of a flaring fire. For over all will be the Glory as canopy

6 and tent to give shade by day from the heat, refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain.

Gospel, Mt 8:5-11

5 When he went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him.

6 'Sir,' he said, 'my servant is lying at home paralysed and in great pain.'

7 Jesus said to him, 'I will come myself and cure him.'

8 The centurion replied, 'Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured.

9 For I am under authority myself and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, "Go," and he goes; to another, "Come here," and he comes; to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.'

10 When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, 'In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this.

11 And I tell you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of Heaven;

Daily Readings for Friday November 26, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 20:1-4, 11—21:2

1 Then I saw an angel come down from heaven with the key of the Abyss in his hand and an enormous chain.

2 He overpowered the dragon, that primeval serpent which is the devil and Satan, and chained him up for a thousand years.

3 He hurled him into the Abyss and shut the entrance and sealed it over him, to make sure he would not lead the nations astray again until the thousand years had passed. At the end of that time he must be released, but only for a short while.

4 Then I saw thrones, where they took their seats, and on them was conferred the power to give judgement. I saw the souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God's word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not accept the brandmark on their foreheads or hands; they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace.

12 I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing in front of his throne while the books lay open. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, as their deeds deserved.

13 The sea gave up all the dead who were in it;

14 Death and Hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and every one was judged as his deeds deserved. Then Death and Hades were hurled into the burning lake. This burning lake is the second death;

15 and anybody whose name could not be found written in the book of life was hurled into the burning lake.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea.

2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband.

Gospel, Lk 21:29-33

29 And he told them a parable, 'Look at the fig tree and indeed every tree.

30 As soon as you see them bud, you can see for yourselves that summer is now near.

31 So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place.

33 Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Daily Readings for Thursday November 25, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 18:1-2, 21-23

1 After this, I saw another angel come down from heaven, with great authority given to him; the earth shone with his glory.

2 At the top of his voice he shouted, 'Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, and has become the haunt of devils and a lodging for every foul spirit and dirty, loathsome bird.

21 Then a powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone, and as he hurled it into the sea, he said, 'That is how the great city of Babylon is going to be hurled down, never to be seen again.

22 Never again in you will be heard the song of harpists and minstrels, the music of flute and trumpet; never again will craftsmen of every skill be found in you or the sound of the handmill be heard;

23 never again will shine the light of the lamp in you, never again will be heard in you the voices of bridegroom and bride. Your traders were the princes of the earth, all the nations were led astray by your sorcery.

1 After this I heard what seemed to be the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, 'Alleluia! Salvation and glory and power to our God!

2 He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her prostitution; he has avenged the blood of his servants which she shed.'

3 And again they sang, 'Alleluia! The smoke of her will rise for ever and ever.'

9 The angel said, 'Write this, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb," ' and he added, 'These words of God are true.'

Gospel, Lk 21:20-28

20 'When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you must realise that it will soon be laid desolate.

21 Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it.

22 For this is the time of retribution when all that scripture says must be fulfilled.

23 Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!

24 'For great misery will descend on the land and retribution on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every gentile country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the gentiles until their time is complete.

25 'There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves;

26 men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.

27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.'

Daily Readings for Wednesday November 24, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 15:1-4

1 And I saw in heaven another sign, great and wonderful: seven angels were bringing the seven plagues that are the last of all, because they exhaust the anger of God.

2 I seemed to be looking at a sea of crystal suffused with fire, and standing by the lake of glass, those who had fought against the beast and won, and against his statue and the number which is his name. They all had harps from God,

3 and they were singing the hymn of Moses, the servant of God, and the hymn of the Lamb: How great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty; upright and true are all your ways, King of nations.

4 Who does not revere and glorify your name, O Lord? For you alone are holy, and all nations will come and adore you for the many acts of saving justice you have shown.

Gospel, Lk 21:12-19

12 'But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of my name

13 -and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.

14 Make up your minds not to prepare your defence,

15 because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.

16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death.

17 You will be hated universally on account of my name,

18 but not a hair of your head will be lost.

19 Your perseverance will win you your lives.

Daily Catholic Bible Readings for Tuesday November 23, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 14:14-19

14 Now in my vision I saw a white cloud and, sitting on it, one like a son of man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

15 Then another angel came out of the sanctuary and shouted at the top of his voice to the one sitting on the cloud, 'Ply your sickle and reap: harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe.'

16 Then the one sitting on the cloud set his sickle to work on the earth, and the harvest of earth was reaped.

17 Another angel, who also carried a sharp sickle, came out of the temple in heaven,

18 and the angel in charge of the fire left the altar and shouted at the top of his voice to the one with the sharp sickle, 'Put your sickle in, and harvest the bunches from the vine of the earth; all its grapes are ripe.'

19 So the angel set his sickle to work on the earth and harvested the whole vintage of the earth and put it into a huge winepress, the winepress of God's anger,

Gospel, Lk 21:5-11

5 When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said,

6 'All these things you are staring at now -- the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed.'

7 And they put to him this question, 'Master,' they said, 'when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?'

8 But he said, 'Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, "I am the one" and "The time is near at hand." Refuse to join them.

9 And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once.'

10 Then he said to them, 'Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

11 There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven.

Daily Catholic Bible Readings for Monday November 22, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 14:1-3, 4b-5

1 Next in my vision I saw Mount Zion, and standing on it the Lamb who had with him a hundred and forty-four thousand people, all with his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

2 I heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of the ocean or the roar of thunder; it was like the sound of harpists playing their harps.

3 There before the throne they were singing a new hymn in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders, a hymn that could be learnt only by the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the world.

4 These are the sons who have kept their virginity and not been defiled with women; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes; they, out of all people, have been redeemed to be the first-fruits for God and for the Lamb.

5 No lie was found in their mouths and no fault can be found in them.

Gospel, Lk 21:1-4

1 Looking up, he saw rich people putting their offerings into the treasury;

2 and he noticed a poverty-stricken widow putting in two small coins,

3 and he said, 'I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them;

4 for these have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in all she had to live on.'

Daily Readings for Thursday November 18, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 5:1-10

1 I saw that in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that was written on back and front and was sealed with seven seals.

2 Then I saw a powerful angel who called with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?'

3 But there was no one, in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it.

4 I wept bitterly because nobody could be found to open the scroll and read it,

5 but one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and so he will open the scroll and its seven seals.'

6 Then I saw, in the middle of the throne with its four living creatures and the circle of the elders, a Lamb standing that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits that God has sent out over the whole world.

7 The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne,

8 and when he took it, the four living creatures prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.

9 They sang a new hymn: You are worthy to take the scroll and to break its seals, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought people for God of every race, language, people and nation

10 and made them a line of kings and priests for God, to rule the world.

Gospel, Lk 19:41-44

41 As he drew near and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it

42 and said, 'If you too had only recognised on this day the way to peace! But in fact it is hidden from your eyes!

43 Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side;

44 they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you, because you did not recognise the moment of your visitation.'

Minn. Catholic school deletes student editorials

Editorials in a Catholic prep school's student newspaper about the same-sex marriage and gay teenagers are sparking the debate about free speech in the Minnesota.

Student-written opinion pieces in the newspaper at the Benilde-St. Margaret in suburban St. Louis defended gay teenagers and criticized a DVD by Minnesota's Catholic bishops that denounced same-sex marriage.

The editorials and the nearly 100 comments they generated were deleted from the newspaper's website over the weekend. The principal says they created the confusion about church teaching and an intensity that made an unsafe environment for students.

Some comments praised a gay student's courage for writing about his experience. Others said the editorials shouldn't have been published at a Catholic school.

Daily Catholic bible Readings for Wednesday November 17, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 4:1-11

1 Then, in my vision, I saw a door open in heaven and heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a trumpet, saying, 'Come up here: I will show you what is to take place in the future.'

2 With that, I fell into ecstasy and I saw a throne standing in heaven, and the One who was sitting on the throne,

3 and the One sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling the throne, and this looked like an emerald.

4 Round the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones, and on them twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads.

5 Flashes of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder, and in front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps burning, the seven Spirits of God.

6 In front of the throne was a sea as transparent as crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it, were four living creatures all studded with eyes, in front and behind.

7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living creature had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was studded with eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never stopped singing: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; who was, and is and is to come.'

9 Every time the living creatures glorified and honoured and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne, who lives for ever and ever,

10 the twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who lives for ever and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying:

11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you made the whole universe; by your will, when it did not exist, it was created.

Gospel, Lk 19:11-28

11 While the people were listening to this he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there.

12 Accordingly he said, 'A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and then return.

13 He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds, telling them, "Trade with these, until I get back."

14 But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, "We do not want this man to be our king."

15 'Now it happened that on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made by trading.

16 The first came in, "Sir," he said, "your one pound has brought in ten."

17 He replied, "Well done, my good servant! Since you have proved yourself trustworthy in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities."

18 Then came the second, "Sir," he said, "your one pound has made five."

19 To this one also he said, "And you shall be in charge of five cities."

20 Next came the other, "Sir," he said, "here is your pound. I put it away safely wrapped up in a cloth

21 because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you gather in what you have not laid out and reap what you have not sown."

22 He said to him, "You wicked servant! Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew that I was an exacting man, gathering in what I have not laid out and reaping what I have not sown?

23 Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest."

24 And he said to those standing by, "Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds."

25 And they said to him, "But, sir, he has ten pounds . . ."

26 "I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has.

27 "As for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence." '

28 When he had said this he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Daily catholic bible Readings for Tuesday November 16, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 3:1-6, 14-22

1 'Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know about your behaviour: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead.

2 Wake up; put some resolve into what little vigour you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in your behaviour that my God could possibly call perfect;

3 remember how you first heard the message. Hold on to that. Repent! If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, and you will have no idea at what hour I shall come upon you.

4 There are a few in Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes unstained, and they are fit to come with me, dressed in white.

5 Anyone who proves victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot that name out of the book of life, but acknowledge it in the presence of my Father and his angels.

6 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

14 'Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea and say, "Here is the message of the Amen, the trustworthy, the true witness, the Principle of God's creation:

15 I know about your activities: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other,

16 but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.

17 You say to yourself: I am rich, I have made a fortune and have everything I want, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too.

18 I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you truly rich, and white robes to clothe you and hide your shameful nakedness, and ointment to put on your eyes to enable you to see.

19 I reprove and train those whom I love: so repent in real earnest.

20 Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person's side.

21 Anyone who proves victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I have myself overcome and have taken my seat with my Father on his throne.

22 Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches." '

Gospel, Lk 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was going through the town

2 and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.

3 He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd;

4 so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.'

6 And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.

7 They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said.

8 But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.'

9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham;

10 for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'

Daily Catholic bible Readings for Monday November 15, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 1:1-4; 2:1-5

1 A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him so that he could tell his servants what is now to take place very soon; he sent his angel to make it known to his servant John,

2 and John has borne witness to the Word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw.

3 Blessed is anyone who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed those who hear them, if they treasure the content, because the Time is near.

4 John, to the seven churches of Asia: grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

1 'Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who lives among the seven golden lamp-stands:

2 I know your activities, your hard work and your perseverance. I know you cannot stand wicked people, and how you put to the test those who were self-styled apostles, and found them false.

3 I know too that you have perseverance, and have suffered for my name without growing tired.

4 Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make: you have less love now than formerly.

5 Think where you were before you fell; repent, and behave as you did at first, or else, if you will not repent, I shall come to you and take your lamp-stand from its place.

Gospel, Lk 18:35-43

35 Now it happened that as he drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging.

36 When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about,

37 and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by.

38 So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.'

39 The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.'

40 Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him,

41 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied, 'let me see again.'

42 Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.'

43 And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God.

Daily catholic bible Readings for Saturday November 13, 2010

Reading 1, 3 Jn 5-8

5 My dear friend, you have done loyal work in helping these brothers, even though they were strangers to you.

6 They are a proof to the whole Church of your love and it would be a kindness if you could help them on their journey as God would approve.

7 It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the non-believers for anything:

8 it is our duty to welcome people of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth.

Gospel, Lk 18:1-8

1 Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.

2 'There was a judge in a certain town,' he said, 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone.

3 In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!"

4 For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, "Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person,

5 I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face." '

6 And the Lord said, 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say?

7 Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them?

8 I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?'

Daily catholic bible Readings for Friday November 12, 2010

Reading 1, 2 Jn 4-9

4 It has given me great joy to find that children of yours have been living the life of truth as we were commanded by the Father.

5 And now I am asking you -- dear lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but only the one which we have had from the beginning -- that we should love one another.

6 To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love.

7 There are many deceivers at large in the world, refusing to acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in human nature. They are the Deceiver; they are the Antichrist.

8 Watch yourselves, or all our work will be lost and you will forfeit your full reward.

9 If anybody does not remain in the teaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he does not have God with him: only those who remain in what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them.

Gospel, Lk 17:26-37

26 'As it was in Noah's day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of man.

27 People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all.

28 It will be the same as it was in Lot's day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,

29 but the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all.

30 It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of man to be revealed.

31 'When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back.

32 Remember Lot's wife.

33 Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe.

34 I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left;

35 when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.'

36 The disciples spoke up and asked, 'Where, Lord?' He said, 'Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.'

Daily Catholic bible Readings for Wednesday November 10, 2010

Reading 1, Ti 3:1-7

1 Remind them to be obedient to the officials in authority; to be ready to do good at every opportunity;

2 not to go slandering other people but to be peaceable and gentle, and always polite to people of all kinds.

3 There was a time when we too were ignorant, disobedient and misled and enslaved by different passions and dissipations; we lived then in wickedness and malice, hating each other and hateful ourselves.

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour for humanity were revealed,

5 it was not because of any upright actions we had done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own faithful love that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and renewal in the Holy Spirit

6 which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

7 so that, justified by his grace, we should become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Gospel, Lk 17:11-19

11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem he was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee.

12 As he entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet him. They stood some way off

13 and called to him, 'Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.'

14 When he saw them he said, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' Now as they were going away they were cleansed.

15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice

16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan.

17 This led Jesus to say, 'Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?

18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.'

19 And he said to the man, 'Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.'

Daily Readings for Tuesday November 09, 2010

Reading 1, Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

1 He brought me back to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream flowed eastwards from under the Temple threshold, for the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar.

2 He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side.

8 He said, 'This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome.

9 Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows.

12 Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.'

Gospel, Jn 2:13-22

13 When the time of the Jewish Passover was near Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

14 and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there.

15 Making a whip out of cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, sheep and cattle as well, scattered the money changers' coins, knocked their tables over

16 and said to the dove sellers, 'Take all this out of here and stop using my Father's house as a market.'

17 Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: I am eaten up with zeal for your house.

18 The Jews intervened and said, 'What sign can you show us that you should act like this?'

19 Jesus answered, 'Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'

20 The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple: are you going to raise it up again in three days?'

21 But he was speaking of the Temple that was his body,

22 and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and what he had said.

Reading 2, 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17

9 After all, we do share in God's work; you are God's farm, God's building.

10 By the grace of God which was given to me, I laid the foundations like a trained master-builder, and someone else is building on them. Now each one must be careful how he does the building.

11 For nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ.

16 Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you?

17 If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God's temple is holy; and you are that temple.

Daily Readings for Monday November 08, 2010

Reading 1, Ti 1:1-9

1 From Paul, servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion,

2 and to give them the hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie

3 and so, in due time, he made known his message by a proclamation which was entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour.

4 To Titus, true child of mine in the faith that we share. Grace and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Saviour.

5 The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to organise everything that still had to be done and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you,

6 that is, each of them must be a man of irreproachable character, husband of one wife, and his children must be believers and not liable to be charged with disorderly conduct or insubordination.

7 The presiding elder has to be irreproachable since he is God's representative: never arrogant or hot-tempered, nor a heavy drinker or violent, nor avaricious;

8 but hospitable and a lover of goodness; sensible, upright, devout and self-controlled;

9 and he must have a firm grasp of the unchanging message of the tradition, so that he can be counted on both for giving encouragement in sound doctrine and for refuting those who argue against it.

Gospel, Lk 17:1-6

1 He said to his disciples, 'Causes of falling are sure to come, but alas for the one through whom they occur!

2 It would be better for such a person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round the neck than to be the downfall of a single one of these little ones.

3 Keep watch on yourselves! 'If your brother does something wrong, rebuke him and, if he is sorry, forgive him.

4 And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, "I am sorry," you must forgive him.'

5 The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'

6 The Lord replied, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.

Daily Readings for Wednesday November 03, 2010

Reading 1, Phil 2:12-18

12 So, my dear friends, you have always been obedient; your obedience must not be limited to times when I am present. Now that I am absent it must be more in evidence, so work out your salvation in fear and trembling.

13 It is God who, for his own generous purpose, gives you the intention and the powers to act.

14 Let your behaviour be free of murmuring and complaining

15 so that you remain faultless and pure, unspoilt children of God surrounded by a deceitful and underhand brood, shining out among them like bright stars in the world,

16 proffering to it the Word of life. Then I shall have reason to be proud on the Day of Christ, for it will not be for nothing that I have run the race and toiled so hard.

17 Indeed, even if my blood has to be poured as a libation over your sacrifice and the offering of your faith, then I shall be glad and join in your rejoicing-

18 and in the same way, you must be glad and join in my rejoicing.

Gospel, Lk 14:25-33

25 Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them.

26 'Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, cannot be my disciple.

27 No one who does not carry his cross and come after me can be my disciple.

28 'And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it?

29 Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, anyone who saw it would start making fun of him and saying,

30 "Here is someone who started to build and was unable to finish."

31 Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who was advancing against him with twenty thousand?

32 If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.

33 So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up all that he owns.

Daily Readings for Tuesday November 02, 2010

Reading 1, Wis 3:1-9

1 But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them.

2 To the unenlightened, they appeared to die, their departure was regarded as disaster,

3 their leaving us like annihilation; but they are at peace.

4 If, as it seemed to us, they suffered punishment, their hope was rich with immortality;

5 slight was their correction, great will their blessings be. God was putting them to the test and has proved them worthy to be with him;

6 he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a perfect burnt offering.

7 At their time of visitation, they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.

8 They will judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever.

9 Those who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await his holy ones, and he intervenes on behalf of his chosen.

Gospel, Rom 5:5-11

5 and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

6 When we were still helpless, at the appointed time, Christ died for the godless.

7 You could hardly find anyone ready to die even for someone upright; though it is just possible that, for a really good person, someone might undertake to die.

8 So it is proof of God's own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

9 How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by his death, we shall be saved through him from the retribution of God.

10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more can we be sure that, being now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 What is more, we are filled with exultant trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.

Daily Readings for Monday November 01, 2010

Reading 1, Rv 7:2-4, 9-14

2 Then I saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God; he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea,

3 'Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees, until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.'

4 And I heard how many had been sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.

9 After that I saw that there was a huge number, impossible for anyone to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted in a loud voice,

10 'Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'

11 And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four living creatures, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God

12 with these words: Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 One of the elders then spoke and asked me, 'Who are these people, dressed in white robes, and where have they come from?'

14 I answered him, 'You can tell me, sir.' Then he said, 'These are the people who have been through the great trial; they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.

Gospel, Mt 5:1-12a

1 Seeing the crowds, he went onto the mountain. And when he was seated his disciples came to him.

2 Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

3 How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance.

5 Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill.

7 Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

Reading 2, 1 Jn 3:1-3

1 You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children -- which is what we are! The reason why the world does not acknowledge us is that it did not acknowledge him.

2 My dear friends, we are already God's children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed. We are well aware that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.

3 Whoever treasures this hope of him purifies himself, to be as pure as he is.