Saints
Daily Readings:
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First Reading
Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
1King Belshazʹzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2Belshazʹzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver which Nebuchadnezʹzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3Then they brought in the golden and silver vessels which had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5Immediately the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand; and the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 13Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14I have heard of you that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 16But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17Then Daniel answered before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 23but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24“Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” -
Responsorial Psalm
Daniel 3:62-67
62Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. 63Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. 64Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. 65Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. 66Bless the Lord, Hananiʹah, Azariʹah, and Mishʹael, sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever; for he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death, and delivered us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace; from the midst of the fire he has delivered us. 67Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever. -
Gospel
Luke 21:12-19
12But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your lives.
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First Reading
Ephesians 1:3-14
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. 5He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8which he lavished upon us. 9For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, 12we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. -
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 85:2-4, 7-11
1LORD, thou wast favorable to thy land; thou didst restore the fortunes of Jacob. 2Thou didst forgive the iniquity of thy people; thou didst pardon all their sin. Selah 3Thou didst withdraw all thy wrath; thou didst turn from thy hot anger. 6Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee? 7Show us thy steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. 8Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. -
Gospel
Matthew 16:24-27
24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.
