Saints
Daily Readings:
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First Reading
Acts 20:17-27
17And from Mile'tus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18And when they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there; 23except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face no more. 26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. -
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 68:10-11, 20-21
9Rain in abundance, O God, thou didst shed abroad; thou didst restore thy heritage as it languished; 10thy flock found a dwelling in it; in thy goodness, O God, thou didst provide for the needy. 19Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. [Selah] 20Our God is a God of salvation; and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death. -
Gospel
John 17:1-11
1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, 2since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. 4I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; 5and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. 6"I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. 7Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; 8for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; 10all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
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First Reading
2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
1It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. 2One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers." 9And when he was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws." 10After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, 11and said nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again." 12As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. 13When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. 14And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!" -
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 124:2-5, 7-8
2if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us, 3then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; 4then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; 5then over us would have gone the raging waters. 7We have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 8Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. -
Gospel
Matthew 5:1-12
1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
