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Reading 1 Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found,call him while he is near.Let the scoundrel forsake his way,and the wicked his thoughts;let him turn to the LORD for mercy;to our God, who is generous in forgiving.For my thoughts are not your thoughts,nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.As high as the heavens are above the earth,so high are my ways above your waysand my thoughts above your thoughts.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.Every day will I bless you,and I will praise your name forever and ever.Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;his greatness is unsearchable.R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.The LORD is gracious and merciful,slow to anger and of great kindness.The LORD is good to alland compassionate toward all his works.R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.The LORD is just in all his waysand holy in all his works.The LORD is near to all who call upon him,to all who call upon him in truth.R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Reading 2 Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Brothers and sisters:Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh,that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ,for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the fleshis more necessary for your benefit.Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Alleluia Cf. Acts 16:14b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Open our hearts, O Lord,to listen to the words of your Son.R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 20:1-16a
Jesus told his disciples this parable:"The kingdom of heaven is like a landownerwho went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock,the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,and I will give you what is just.'So they went off. And he went out again around noon,and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock,the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,'Why do you stand here idle all day?'They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,beginning with the last and ending with the first.'When those who had started about five o'clock came,each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,'These last ones worked only one hour,and you have made them equal to us,who bore the day's burden and the heat.'He said to one of them in reply,'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?'Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."
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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.
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Reading 1 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Brothers and sisters:Someone may say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back?”You fool!What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies.And what you sow is not the body that is to bebut a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind.So also is the resurrection of the dead.It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible.It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious.It is sown weak; it is raised powerful.It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.So, too, it is written,“The first man, Adam, became a living being,”the last Adam a life-giving spirit.But the spiritual was not first;rather the natural and then the spiritual.The first man was from the earth, earthly;the second man, from heaven.As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly,and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one,we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 56:10c-12, 13-14
R. (14) I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.Now I know that God is with me.In God, in whose promise I glory,in God I trust without fear;what can flesh do against me?R. I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.I am bound, O God, by vows to you;your thank offerings I will fulfill.For you have rescued me from death,my feet, too, from stumbling;that I may walk before God in the light of the living.R. I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.
Alleluia Luke 8:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heartand yield a harvest through perseverance.R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Luke 8:4-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after anotherjourneying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. “A sower went out to sow his seed.And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,and the birds of the sky ate it up.Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,it withered for lack of moisture.Some seed fell among thorns,and the thorns grew with it and choked it.And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,it produced fruit a hundredfold.”After saying this, he called out,“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”Then his disciples asked himwhat the meaning of this parable might be.He answered,“Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Godhas been granted to you;but to the rest, they are made known through parablesso that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.“This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.Those on the path are the ones who have heard,but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their heartsthat they may not believe and be saved.Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,receive the word with joy, but they have no root;they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.As for the seed that fell among thorns,they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,embrace it with a generous and good heart,and bear fruit through perseverance.”
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr
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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.
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Reading 1 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Brothers and sisters:If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?If there is no resurrection of the dead,then neither has Christ been raised.And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching;empty, too, your faith.Then we are also false witnesses to God,because we testified against God that he raised Christ,whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;you are still in your sins.Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,we are the most pitiable people of all.But now Christ has been raised from the dead,the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b, 15
R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.Hear, O LORD, a just suit;attend to my outcry;hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit. R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word.Show your wondrous mercies,O savior of those who flee from their foes to refuge at your right hand.R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.Hide me in the shadow of your wings,But I in justice shall behold your face;on waking, I shall be content in your presence.R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Alleluia See Matthew 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Luke 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.Accompanying him were the Twelveand some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,Susanna, and many otherswho provided for them out of their resources.
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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.