Daily Reading

1. Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

   Reading 1 Nm 21:4-9

   From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road,
   to bypass the land of Edom.
   But with their patience worn out by the journey,
   the people complained against God and Moses,
   "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
   where there is no food or water?
   We are disgusted with this wretched food!"
   
   In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
   which bit the people so that many of them died.
   Then the people came to Moses and said,
   "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
   Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us."
   So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
   "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
   and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live."
   Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
   and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
   looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
   

   Responsorial Psalm Ps 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

   R. (2)  O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
   O LORD, hear my prayer,
   and let my cry come to you.
   Hide not your face from me
   in the day of my distress.
   Incline your ear to me;    
   in the day when I call, answer me speedily.
   R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
   The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
   and all the kings of the earth your glory,
   When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
   and appeared in his glory;
   When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
   and not despised their prayer.
   R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
   Let this be written for the generation to come,
   and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
   "The LORD looked down from his holy height,
   from heaven he beheld the earth,
   To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
   to release those doomed to die."
   R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
   

   Verse Before the Gospel

   The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
   all who come to him will live for ever.
   

   Gospel Jn 8:21-30

   Jesus said to the Pharisees:
   "I am going away and you will look for me,
   but you will die in your sin.
   Where I am going you cannot come."
   So the Jews said,
   "He is not going to kill himself, is he,
   because he said, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?"
   He said to them, "You belong to what is below,
   I belong to what is above.
   You belong to this world,
   but I do not belong to this world.
   That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
   For if you do not believe that I AM,
   you will die in your sins."
   So they said to him, "Who are you?"
   Jesus said to them, "What I told you from the beginning.
   I have much to say about you in condemnation.
   But the one who sent me is true,
   and what I heard from him I tell the world."
   They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
   So Jesus said to them,
   "When you lift up the Son of Man,
   then you will realize that I AM,
   and that I do nothing on my own,
   but I say only what the Father taught me.
   The one who sent me is with me.
   He has not left me alone,
   because I always do what is pleasing to him."
   Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
   

   - - -
   

   Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

2. Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

   Reading I Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

   In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,
   who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,
   the daughter of Hilkiah;
   her pious parents had trained their daughter
   according to the law of Moses.
   Joakim was very rich;
   he had a garden near his house,
   and the Jews had recourse to him often
   because he was the most respected of them all.

   That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,
   of whom the Lord said, “Wickedness has come out of Babylon:
   from the elders who were to govern the people as judges.”
   These men, to whom all brought their cases,
   frequented the house of Joakim.
   When the people left at noon,
   Susanna used to enter her husband’s garden for a walk.
   When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk,
   they began to lust for her.
   They suppressed their consciences;
   they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven,
   and did not keep in mind just judgments.

   One day, while they were waiting for the right moment,
   she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only.
   She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm.
   Nobody else was there except the two elders,
   who had hidden themselves and were watching her.
   “Bring me oil and soap,” she said to the maids,
   “and shut the garden doors while I bathe.”

   As soon as the maids had left,
   the two old men got up and hurried to her.
   “Look,” they said, “the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;
   give in to our desire, and lie with us.
   If you refuse, we will testify against you
   that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you.”

   “I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned.
   “If I yield, it will be my death;
   if I refuse, I cannot escape your power.
   Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt
   than to sin before the Lord.”
   Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her,
   as one of them ran to open the garden doors.
   When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden,
   they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her.
   At the accusations by the old men,
   the servants felt very much ashamed,
   for never had any such thing been said about Susanna.

   When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day,
   the two wicked elders also came,
   fully determined to put Susanna to death.
   Before all the people they ordered:
   “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah,
   the wife of Joakim.”
   When she was sent for,
   she came with her parents, children and all her relatives.
   All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.

   In the midst of the people the two elders rose up
   and laid their hands on her head.
   Through tears she looked up to heaven,
   for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.
   The elders made this accusation:
   “As we were walking in the garden alone,
   this woman entered with two girls
   and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls.
   A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.
   When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime,
   we ran toward them.
   We saw them lying together,
   but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we;
   he opened the doors and ran off.
   Then we seized her and asked who the young man was,
   but she refused to tell us.
   We testify to this.”
   The assembly believed them,
   since they were elders and judges of the people,
   and they condemned her to death.

   But Susanna cried aloud:
   “O eternal God, you know what is hidden
   and are aware of all things before they come to be:
   you know that they have testified falsely against me. 
   Here I am about to die,
   though I have done none of the things
   with which these wicked men have charged me.”

   The Lord heard her prayer.
   As she was being led to execution,
   God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
   and he cried aloud:
   “I will have no part in the death of this woman.”
   All the people turned and asked him, “What is this you are saying?”
   He stood in their midst and continued,
   “Are you such fools, O children of Israel! 
   To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
   and without clear evidence?
   Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”

   Then all the people returned in haste.
   To Daniel the elders said,
   “Come, sit with us and inform us,
   since God has given you the prestige of old age.”
   But he replied,
   “Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.”

   After they were separated one from the other,
   he called one of them and said:
   “How you have grown evil with age!
   Now have your past sins come to term:
   passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
   and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
   ‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’
   Now, then, if you were a witness,
   tell me under what tree you saw them together.”
   “Under a mastic tree,” he answered.
   Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you your head,
   for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
   and split you in two.”
   Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
   Daniel said to him,
   “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you,
   lust has subverted your conscience.
   This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
   and in their fear they yielded to you;
   but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
   Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.”
   “Under an oak,” he said.
   Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head,
   for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
   so as to make an end of you both.”

   The whole assembly cried aloud,
   blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
   They rose up against the two elders,
   for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
   According to the law of Moses,
   they inflicted on them
   the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
   they put them to death.
   Thus was innocent blood spared that day.

   OR:

   The assembly condemned Susanna to death.

   But Susanna cried aloud:
   “O eternal God, you know what is hidden
   and are aware of all things before they come to be:
   you know that they have testified falsely against me.
   Here I am about to die,
   though I have done none of the things
   with which these wicked men have charged me.”

   The Lord heard her prayer.
   As she was being led to execution,
   God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
   and he cried aloud:
   “I will have no part in the death of this woman.”
   All the people turned and asked him,
   “What is this you are saying?”
   He stood in their midst and continued,
   “Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
   To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
   and without clear evidence?
   Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”

   Then all the people returned in haste.
   To Daniel the elders said,
   “Come, sit with us and inform us,
   since God has given you the prestige of old age.”
   But he replied,
   “Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.”

   After they were separated one from the other,
   he called one of them and said:
   “How you have grown evil with age!
   Now have your past sins come to term:
   passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
   and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
   ‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’ 
   Now, then, if you were a witness,
   tell me under what tree you saw them together.”
   “Under a mastic tree,” he answered.
   Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you your head,
   for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
   and split you in two.”
   Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought. 
   Daniel said to him, “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,
   beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.
   This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
   and in their fear they yielded to you;
   but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
   Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.”
   “Under an oak,” he said.
   Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head,”
   for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
   so as to make an end of you both.”

   The whole assembly cried aloud,
   blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
   They rose up against the two elders,
   for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
   According to the law of Moses,
   they inflicted on them
   the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
   they put them to death.
   Thus was innocent blood spared that day.

   Responsorial Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

   R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
   Beside restful waters he leads me;
   he refreshes my soul.
   R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
   He guides me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.
   Even though I walk in the dark valley
   I fear no evil; for you are at my side
   With your rod and your staff
   that give me courage.
   R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
   You spread the table before me
   in the sight of my foes;
   You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
   R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
   Only goodness and kindness follow me
   all the days of my life;
   And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
   for years to come.
   R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

   Verse before the Gospel Ez 33:11

   I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
   but rather in his conversion, that he may live.

   Gospel Jn 8:1-11

   Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
   But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, 
   and all the people started coming to him, 
   and he sat down and taught them.
   Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman 
   who had been caught in adultery 
   and made her stand in the middle.
   They said to him,
   “Teacher, this woman was caught 
   in the very act of committing adultery.
   Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
   So what do you say?”
   They said this to test him,
   so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
   Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
   But when they continued asking him,
   he straightened up and said to them,
   “Let the one among you who is without sin 
   be the first to throw a stone at her.”
   Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
   And in response, they went away one by one,
   beginning with the elders.
   So he was left alone with the woman before him.
   Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
   “Woman, where are they?
   Has no one condemned you?”
   She replied, “No one, sir.”
   Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
   Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

   - - -
   

   Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

3. Fifth Sunday of Lent

   Reading I Ez 37:12-14

   Thus says the Lord GOD: 
   O my people, I will open your graves 
   and have you rise from them, 
   and bring you back to the land of Israel.
   Then you shall know that I am the LORD, 
   when I open your graves and have you rise from them, 
   O my people!
   I will put my spirit in you that you may live, 
   and I will settle you upon your land; 
   thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
   I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

   Responsorial Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

   R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
       LORD, hear my voice!
   Let your ears be attentive
       to my voice in supplication. 
   R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
   If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
       LORD, who can stand?
   But with you is forgiveness,
       that you may be revered. 
   R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
   I trust in the LORD;
       my soul trusts in his word.
   More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
       let Israel wait for the LORD.
   R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
   For with the LORD is kindness
       and with him is plenteous redemption;
   And he will redeem Israel
       from all their iniquities.
   R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

   Reading II Rom 8:8-11

   Brothers and sisters:
   Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
   But you are not in the flesh; 
   on the contrary, you are in the spirit, 
   if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
   Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
   But if Christ is in you, 
   although the body is dead because of sin, 
   the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
   If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, 
   the one who raised Christ from the dead 
   will give life to your mortal bodies also, 
   through his Spirit dwelling in you.

   Verse Before the Gospel Jn 11:25a, 26

   I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
   whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.

   Gospel Jn 11:1-45

   Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, 
   the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
   Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil 
   and dried his feet with her hair; 
   it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
   So the sisters sent word to him saying, 
   “Master, the one you love is ill.”
   When Jesus heard this he said,
   “This illness is not to end in death, 
   but is for the glory of God, 
   that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
   Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
   So when he heard that he was ill, 
   he remained for two days in the place where he was.
   Then after this he said to his disciples, 
   “Let us go back to Judea.”
   The disciples said to him, 
   “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, 
   and you want to go back there?”
   Jesus answered,
   “Are there not twelve hours in a day?
   If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, 
   because he sees the light of this world.
   But if one walks at night, he stumbles, 
   because the light is not in him.” 
   He said this, and then told them,
   “Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
   but I am going to awaken him.”
   So the disciples said to him,
   “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
   But Jesus was talking about his death, 
   while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. 
   So then Jesus said to them clearly,
   “Lazarus has died.
   And I am glad for you that I was not there,
   that you may believe. 
   Let us go to him.”
   So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, 
   “Let us also go to die with him.”

   When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus 
   had already been in the tomb for four days.
   Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
   And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary 
   to comfort them about their brother.
   When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
   she went to meet him;
   but Mary sat at home.
   Martha said to Jesus, 
   “Lord, if you had been here,
   my brother would not have died.
   But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
   God will give you.”
   Jesus said to her,
   “Your brother will rise.”
   Martha said to him,
   “I know he will rise,
   in the resurrection on the last day.”
   Jesus told her,
   “I am the resurrection and the life; 
   whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 
   and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
   Do you believe this?”
   She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
   I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
   the one who is coming into the world.”

   When she had said this, 
   she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, 
   “The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
   As soon as she heard this,
   she rose quickly and went to him.
   For Jesus had not yet come into the village, 
   but was still where Martha had met him.
   So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her 
   saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
   they followed her, 
   presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
   When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, 
   she fell at his feet and said to him, 
   “Lord, if you had been here,
   my brother would not have died.”
   When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, 
   he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, 
   “Where have you laid him?”
   They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
   And Jesus wept.
   So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
   But some of them said, 
   “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man 
   have done something so that this man would not have died?”

   So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
   It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
   Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
   Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, 
   “Lord, by now there will be a stench; 
   he has been dead for four days.”
   Jesus said to her,
   “Did I not tell you that if you believe 
   you will see the glory of God?”
   So they took away the stone.
   And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
   “Father, I thank you for hearing me.
   I know that you always hear me; 
   but because of the crowd here I have said this, 
   that they may believe that you sent me.”
   And when he had said this,
   He cried out in a loud voice, 
   “Lazarus, come out!”
   The dead man came out,
   tied hand and foot with burial bands, 
   and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
   So Jesus said to them,
   “Untie him and let him go.”

   Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
   and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

   OR: 

   Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

   The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, 
   “Master, the one you love is ill.”
   When Jesus heard this he said,
   “This illness is not to end in death, 
   but is for the glory of God, 
   that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
   Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
   So when he heard that he was ill, 
   he remained for two days in the place where he was.
   Then after this he said to his disciples, 
   "Let us go back to Judea.”

   When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus 
   had already been in the tomb for four days.
   When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
   she went to meet him; 
   but Mary sat at home.
   Martha said to Jesus, 
   “Lord, if you had been here,
   my brother would not have died.
   But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
   God will give you.”
   Jesus said to her,
   “Your brother will rise.”
   Martha said,
   “I know he will rise,
   in the resurrection on the last day.”
   Jesus told her,
   “I am the resurrection and the life; 
   whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 
   and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
   Do you believe this?”
   She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
   I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
   the one who is coming into the world.”

   He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, 
   “Where have you laid him?”
   They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
   And Jesus wept.
   So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
   But some of them said, 
   “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man 
   have done something so that this man would not have died?”

   So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
   It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
   Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
   Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, 
   “Lord, by now there will be a stench; 
   he has been dead for four days.”
   Jesus said to her,
   “Did I not tell you that if you believe 
   you will see the glory of God?”
   So they took away the stone.
   And Jesus raised his eyes and said, 
   “Father, I thank you for hearing me.
   I know that you always hear me; 
   but because of the crowd here I have said this, 
   that they may believe that you sent me.”
   And when he had said this,
   He cried out in a loud voice, 
   “Lazarus, come out!”
   The dead man came out,
   tied hand and foot with burial bands, 
   and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
   So Jesus said to them,
   “Untie him and let him go.”

   Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
   and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

   - - -
   

   Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

4. Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

   Reading 1 Is 7:10-14; 8:10

   The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
   Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
   let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
   But Ahaz answered,
   "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
   Then Isaiah said:
   Listen, O house of David!
   Is it not enough for you to weary people,
   must you also weary my God?
   Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
   the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
   and shall name him Emmanuel,
   which means "God is with us!"
   

   Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

   R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
   Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
   but ears open to obedience you gave me.
   Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
   then said I, "Behold I come."
   R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
   "In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
   To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
   and your law is within my heart!"
   R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
   I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
   I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
   R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
   Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
   your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
   I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
   in the vast assembly.
   R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
   

   Reading 2 Heb 10:4-10

   Brothers and sisters:
   It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats
   take away sins.
   For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said:
   
   "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
   but a body you prepared for me;
   in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
   Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll,
   behold, I come to do your will, O God.'"
   
   First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings,
   holocausts and sin offerings,
   you neither desired nor delighted in."
   These are offered according to the law.
   Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will."
   He takes away the first to establish the second.
   By this "will," we have been consecrated
   through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

   Verse Before the Gospel Jn 1:14ab

   The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us;
   and we saw his glory.
   

   Gospel Lk 1:26-38

   The angel Gabriel was sent from God
   to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
   to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
   of the house of David,
   and the virgin's name was Mary.
   And coming to her, he said,
   "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
   But she was greatly troubled at what was said
   and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
   Then the angel said to her,
   "Do not be afraid, Mary,
   for you have found favor with God.
   Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
   and you shall name him Jesus.
   He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
   and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
   and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
   and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
   But Mary said to the angel,
   "How can this be,
   since I have no relations with a man?"
   And the angel said to her in reply,
   "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
   and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
   Therefore the child to be born
   will be called holy, the Son of God.
   And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
   has also conceived a son in her old age,
   and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
   for nothing will be impossible for God."
   Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
   May it be done to me according to your word."
   Then the angel departed from her.
   

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   Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

5. Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

   Reading 1 Wis 2:1a, 12-22

   The wicked said among themselves,
   thinking not aright:
   "Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
   he sets himself against our doings,
   Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
   and charges us with violations of our training.
   He professes to have knowledge of God
   and styles himself a child of the LORD.
   To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
   merely to see him is a hardship for us,
   Because his life is not like that of others,
   and different are his ways.
   He judges us debased;
   he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
   He calls blest the destiny of the just
   and boasts that God is his Father.
   Let us see whether his words be true;
   let us find out what will happen to him.
   For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
   and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
   With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
   that we may have proof of his gentleness
   and try his patience.
   Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
   for according to his own words, God will take care of him."
   These were their thoughts, but they erred;
   for their wickedness blinded them,
   and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
   neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
   nor discern the innocent souls' reward.
   

   Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23

   R. (19a)  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
   The LORD confronts the evildoers,
   to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
   When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
   and from all their distress he rescues them.
   R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
   The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
   and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
   Many are the troubles of the just man,
   but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
   R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
   He watches over all his bones;
   not one of them shall be broken.
   The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
   no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
   R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
   

   Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b

   One does not live on bread alone,
   but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
   

   Gospel Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

   Jesus moved about within Galilee;
   he did not wish to travel in Judea,
   because the Jews were trying to kill him.
   But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.
   
   But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
   he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.
   
   Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
   "Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
   And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
   Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
   But we know where he is from.
   When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."
   So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
   "You know me and also know where I am from.
   Yet I did not come on my own,
   but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
   I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."
   So they tried to arrest him,
   but no one laid a hand upon him,
   because his hour had not yet come.

    

   - - -
   

   Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.