Lord, teach me your statutes - Daily Mass Readings February 5, 2022

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Lectionary: 328
Reading I
1 Kgs 3:4-13

Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,
because that was the most renowned high place.
Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David,
because he behaved faithfully toward you,
with justice and an upright heart;
and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today,
seating a son of his on his throne.
O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant,
king to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”

The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him: “Because you have asked for this–
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right–
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.
In addition, I give you what you have not asked for,
such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.”

Responsorial Psalm
119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

R.        (12b)  Lord, teach me your statutes.
How shall a young man be faultless in his way?
            By keeping to your words.
R.        Lord, teach me your statutes.
With all my heart I seek you;
            let me not stray from your commands.
R.        Lord, teach me your statutes.
Within my heart I treasure your promise,
            that I may not sin against you.
R.        Lord, teach me your statutes.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
            teach me your statutes.
R.        Lord, teach me your statutes.
With my lips I declare
            all the ordinances of your mouth.
R.        Lord, teach me your statutes.
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
            as much as in all riches.
R.        Lord, teach me your statutes.

Alleluia
Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 6:30-34

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

Blessed be God my salvation! - Daily Mass Readings February 4, 2022

Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 327
Reading I
Sir 47:2-11

Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings,
            so was David in Israel.
He made sport of lions as though they were kids,
            and of bears, like lambs of the flock.
As a youth he slew the giant
            and wiped out the people’s disgrace,
When his hand let fly the slingstone
            that crushed the pride of Goliath.
Since he called upon the Most High God,
            who gave strength to his right arm
To defeat the skilled warrior
            and raise up the might of his people,
Therefore the women sang his praises,
            and ascribed to him tens of thousands
            and praised him when they blessed the Lord.
When he assumed the royal crown, he battled
            and subdued the enemy on every side.
He destroyed the hostile Philistines
            and shattered their power till our own day.
With his every deed he offered thanks
            to God Most High, in words of praise.
With his whole being he loved his Maker
            and daily had his praises sung;
            He set singers before the altar and by their voices
                        he made sweet melodies,
He added beauty to the feasts
            and solemnized the seasons of each year
So that when the Holy Name was praised,
            before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.
The Lord forgave him his sins
            and exalted his strength forever;
He conferred on him the rights of royalty
            and established his throne in Israel.

Responsorial Psalm
18:31, 47 and 50, 51

R.        (see 47b)  Blessed be God my salvation!
God’s way is unerring,
            the promise of the LORD is fire-tried;
            he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
R.        Blessed be God my salvation!
The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
            Extolled be God my savior.
Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,
            and I will sing praise to your name.
R.        Blessed be God my salvation!
You who gave great victories to your king
            and showed kindness to your anointed,
            to David and his posterity forever.
R.        Blessed be God my salvation!

Alleluia
See Lk 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 6:14-29

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying,
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Lord, you are exalted over all - Daily Mass Readings February 3, 2022

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr
Memorial of Saint Ansgar, bishop



Lectionary: 326
Reading I
1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12

When the time of David’s death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the Lord may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.’”

David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R.        (12b)  Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Blessed may you be, O LORD,
            God of Israel our father,
            from eternity to eternity.”
R.        Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
            majesty, splendor, and glory.”
R.        Lord, you are exalted over all.
“LORD, you are exalted over all.
            Yours, O Lord, is the sovereignty;
            you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you.”
R.        Lord, you are exalted over all.
“In your hand are power and might;
            it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”
R.        Lord, you are exalted over all.

Alleluia
Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! - Daily Mass Readings February 2, 2022

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Lectionary: 524
Reading I
Mal 3:1-4

            Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
            to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
            the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
            Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
            And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
            or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
            and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
            that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
            will please the Lord,
            as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Responsorial Psalm
24:7, 8, 9, 10

R.        (8) Who is this king of glory?  It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
            reach up, you ancient portals,
            that the king of glory may come in!
R.        Who is this king of glory?  It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
            The LORD, strong and mighty,
            the LORD, mighty in battle.
R.        Who is this king of glory?  It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
            reach up, you ancient portals,
            that the king of glory may come in!
R.        Who is this king of glory?  It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
            The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R.        Who is this king of glory?  It is the Lord!

Reading II
Heb 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

Alleluia
Lk 2:32

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

            “Now, Master, you may let your servant go
                        in peace, according to your word,
            for my eyes have seen your salvation,
                        which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
            a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
                        and glory for your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
--and you yourself a sword will pierce--
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

OR

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

            “Now, Master, you may let your servant go
                        in peace, according to your word,
            for my eyes have seen your salvation,
                        which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
            a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
                        and glory for your people Israel.”