St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial)

Saints

• Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
• St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs of Uganda

Daily Readings:

First Option

• First Reading

  2 Peter 1:2-7
  

  2May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature. 5For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

• Responsorial Psalm

  Psalms 91:1-2, 14-16
  

  1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, 2will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 14Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honor him. 16With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

• Gospel

  Mark 12:1-12
  

  1And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 2When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. 6He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' 7But those tenants said to one another, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. 10Have you not read this scripture: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; 11this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.

Second Option

• 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.