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February 4, 2015Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 12:4-7, 11-15 Brothers and sisters:In your struggle against sinyou have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lordor lose heart when reproved by him;for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;he scourges every son he acknowledges.Endure your trials as “discipline”;God treats you as his sons.For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but...

February 3, 2015Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 12:1-4 Brothers and sisters:Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to usand persevere in running the race that lies before uswhile keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,the leader and perfecter of faith.For the sake of the joy that lay before himJesus endured the cross, despising its shame,and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,in order that you may not...

February 2, 2015Feast of the Presentation of the Lord    Reading 1 Mal 3:1-4 Thus says the Lord God:Lo, I am sending my messengerto prepare the way before me;And suddenly there will come to the templethe 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 silverthat...

February 1, 2015Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Dt 18:15-20 Moses spoke to all the people, saying:“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for youfrom among your own kin;to him you shall listen.This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horebon the day of the assembly, when you said,‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said.I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among...

January 31, 2015Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest    Reading 1 Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 Brothers and sisters:Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a placethat he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the...

January 30, 2015Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 10:32-39 Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering.At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated.You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense.You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what...

January 29, 2015Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 10:19-25 Brothers and sisters: Since through the Blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he...

 January 28, 2015Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church    Reading 1 Heb 10:11-18 Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins.But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying: This is the covenant I will establish with themafter those days, says the...

January 27, 2015Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 10:1-10 Brothers and sisters:Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year.Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins?But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, for it is impossible that the blood of...

January 26, 2015Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops    Reading 1 2 Tm 1:1-8 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of Godfor the promise of life in Christ Jesus,to Timothy, my dear child:grace, mercy, and peace from God the Fatherand Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God,whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faiththat first lived in your grandmother...

January 25, 2015Third Sunday in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Jon 3:1-5, 10 The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying:“Set out for the great city of Nineveh,and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,according to the LORD’S bidding.Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;it took three days to go through it.Jonah began his journey through the city,and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, “when the people of Nineveh believed God;they proclaimed a fastand all of them, great and...

January 24, 2015Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church    Reading 1 Heb 9:2-3, 11-14 A tabernacle was constructed, the outer one,in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place.Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies. But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not...

January 23, 2015Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 8:6-13 Brothers and sisters:Now our high priest has obtained so much more excellent a ministryas he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one.But he finds fault with them and says:Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathersthe...

January 22, 2015Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children    Reading 1 Heb 7:25—8:6 Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day,first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.For the law appoints men subject to...

January 21, 2015Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr  Reading 1 Heb 7:1-3, 15-17 Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kingsand blessed him.And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.His name first means righteous king,and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.Without father, mother, or ancestry,without beginning of days or end of life,thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. It is even more obvious if another priest is raised upafter the likeness of Melchizedek, who...

January 20, 2015Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 6:10-20 Brothers and sisters:God is not unjust so as to overlook your workand the love you have demonstrated for his nameby having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagernessfor the fulfillment of hope until the end,so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises. When God made the promise to Abraham,since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,and...

January 19, 2015Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 5:1-10 Brothers and sisters:Every high priest is taken from among menand made their representative before God,to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,for he himself is beset by weaknessand so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himselfas well as for the people.No one takes this honor upon himselfbut only when called by God,just as Aaron was.In the same way,it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,but rather the one who said...

January 18, 2015Second Sunday of Ordinary Time    Reading 1 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19 Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORDwhere the ark of God was.The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”“I did not call you, “ Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”So he went back to sleep.Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.“Here I am, “ he said. “You called me.”But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.” At that time Samuel...

January 17, 2015Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot    Reading 1 Heb 4:12-16 The word of God is living and effective,sharper than any two-edged sword,penetrating even between soul and spirit,joints and marrow,and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.No creature is concealed from him,but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of himto whom we must render an account. Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,let us hold fast to our confession.For we do not have a high priestwho is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,but...

January 16, 2015Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Heb 4:1-5, 11 Let us be on our guardwhile the promise of entering into his rest remains,that none of you seem to have failed.For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.But the word that they heard did not profit them,for they were not united in faith with those who listened.For we who believed enter into that rest,just as he has said: As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter into my rest,” and yet his works were accomplishedat...