Universal Roman Catholic Faith and Traditions

First Reading: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 19: 8, 9, 10, 15 Holy Gospel: Matthew 25: 31-46 Holy Gospel: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his Glory. 32 All the nations will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 The King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. 36 I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me.’ 37 Then the good people will ask him: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food; thirsty and give you drink, 38 or a stranger and we...

First Sunday of Lent First Reading: Genesis 9: 8-15 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Second Reading: First Peter 3: 18-22 Holy Gospel: Mark 1: 12-15 Holy Gospel: 12 Then the Spirit drove him into the desert. 13 Jesus stayed in the desert forty days and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, but angels ministered to him. 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. 15 He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.” Second Reading: 18 Remember how Christ died, once and for all, for our sins. He, the just one, died for the unjust in order to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the Spirit he was raised to life, 19 and it was then that he went to preach to the imprisoned spirits. 20 They were the generation who did not believe when God, in his great patience, delayed punishing the world while Noah was building the ark in which a small group of ei...

First Reading: Isaiah 58: 9-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 86: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 Holy Gospel: Luke 5: 27-32 Holy Gospel: 27 After this Jesus went out, and as he noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office, he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus. 29 Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house and took their place at table with the other people. 30 Then the Pharisees and their fellow teachers complained to Jesus’ disciples, “How is it that you eat and drink with tax collectors and other sinners?” 31 But Jesus spoke up, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. 32 I have come to call to repentance; I call sinners, not the righteous.” First Reading: 9 Then you will call and Yahweh will answer, you will cry and he will say, I am here. If you remove from your midst the yoke, the clenched fist and the wicked word, 10 if you share your food with th...

First Reading: Isaiah 58: 1-9 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 51: 3-4, 5-6, 18-19 Holy Gospel: Matthew 9: 14-15 Holy Gospel: 14 Then the disciples of John came to him with the question, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast on many occasions, but not your disciples?” 15 Jesus answered them, “How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then they will fast. First Reading: 1 Cry out aloud for all you are worth; raise your voice like a trumpet blast; tell my people of their offenses, Jacob’s family of their sins. 2 Is it true that they seek me day after day, longing to know my ways, as a people that does what is right and has not forsaken the word of its God? They want to know the just laws and not to drift away from their God. 3 “Why are we fasting,” they complain, “and you do not even see it? We are doing penance and you never notice it.” Look, on your fast days you push your trade ...

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30: 15-20 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 1: 1-2, 3, 4, 6 Holy Gospel: Luke 9: 22-25 Holy Gospel: 22 And he added, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and chief priests and teachers of the Law, and put to death. Then after three days he will be raised to life.” 23 Jesus also said to all the people, “If you wish to be a follower of mine, deny yourself and take up your cross each day, and follow me. 24 For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it, and if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 What does it profit you to gain the whole world while you destroy or damage yourself? First Reading: 15 See, I set before you on this day life and good, evil and death. 16 I command you to love Yahweh, your God and follow his ways. Observe his commandments, his norms and his laws, and you will live and increase, and Yahweh will give you his blessing in the land you are going to possess. ...

First Reading: Joel 2: 12-18 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 51: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Second Reading: Second Corinthians 5: 20-6:2 Holy Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18 Holy Gospel: 1 Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full. 3 If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is kept secret, will reward you. 5 When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. 6 When you pray, go i...

The Holy Face of Jesus First Reading: James 4:1-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 55: 7-8, 9-10, 10-11, 23 Holy Gospel: Mark 9:30-37 Holy Gospel: 30 After leaving that place, they made their way through Galilee; but Jesus did not want people to know where he was 31 because he was teaching his disciples. And he told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into human hands. They will kill him, but three days after he has been killed, he will rise.” 32 The disciples, however, did not understand these words and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. 33 They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they did not answer because they had been arguing about who was the greatest. 35 Then he sat down, called the Twelve and said to them, “If someone wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child, placed it in their midst, and putting his arms arou...

First Reading: James 3: 13-18 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 19: 8, 9, 10, 15 Holy Gospel: Mark 9: 14-29 Holy Gospel: 14 When they came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. 15 When the people saw Jesus, they were astonished and ran to greet him. 16 He asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” A man answered him from the crowd, 17 “Master, I brought my son to you for he has a dumb spirit. 18 Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.” 19 Jesus replied, “You faithless people. How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook and convulsed the boy who fell on the ground and began rolling about, foaming at the mo...

First Reading: Isaiah 43: 18-19, 21-22, 24-25 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 41: 2-3, 4-5, 13 Second Reading: Second Corinthians 1: 18-22 Holy Gospel: Mark 2: 1-12 Holy Gospel: 1 After some days Jesus returned to Capernaum. As the news spread that he was at home, 2 so many peo­ple gathered that there was no longer room even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the Word to them, 3 some people brought a paralyzed man to him. 4 The four men who carried him couldn’t get near Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole, lowered the man on his mat. 5 When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now, some teachers of the Law who were sitting there wondered within them­selves, 7 “How can he speak like this insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?” 8 At once Jesus knew through his spirit what they were thinkin...

First Reading: James 3: 1-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 12: 2-3, 4-5, 7-8 Holy Gospel: Mark 9: 2-13 Holy Gospel: 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high moun­tain. There his appearance was changed before their eyes. 3 Even his clothes shone, becoming as white as no bleach of this world could make them. 4 Elijah and Moses appeared to them; the two were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say; they were overcome with awe. 7 But a cloud formed, covering them in a shadow, and from the cloud came this word, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus with them. 9 As they came down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man b...

First Reading: James 2: 14-24, 26 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 112: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 Holy Gospel: Mark 8: 34-9:1 Holy Gospel: 34 Then Jesus called the people and his disciples and said, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. 35 For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will save it. 36 What good is it to gain the whole world but destroy yourself? 37 There is nothing you can give to recover your life. 38 I tell you: If anyone is ashamed of me and of my words among this adulterous and sinful people, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the Glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9.1 And he went on to say, “Truly I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the kingdom of God coming with power.” First Reading: 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, to profess faith without showing works...

First Reading: James 2: 1-9 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 Holy Gospel: Mark 8: 27-33 Holy Gospel: 27 Jesus set out with his disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 And they told him, “Some say you are John the Baptist; others say you are Elijah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked them, 29 “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed and after three days rise again. 32 Jesus said all this quite openly, so that Peter took him aside and began to protest strongly. 33 But Jesus turning around, and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan! You are thinking not as God does,...

First Reading: James 1: 19-27 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 15: 2-3, 3-4, 5 Holy Gospel: Mark 8: 22-26 Holy Gospel: 22 When they came to Bethsaida, Jesus was asked to touch a blind man who was brought to him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had put spittle on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked, “Can you see anything?” 24 The man, who was beginning to see, replied, “I see people! They look like trees, but they move around.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again and the man could see perfectly. His sight was restored and he could see everything clearly. 26 Then Jesus sent him home saying, “Do not return to the village.” First Reading: 9 My beloved, be quick to hear but slow to speak and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not fulfill the justice of God. 21 So get rid of any filth and reject the prevailing evil, and welcome the Word that has been planted in you and has the power to s...

1 Corinthians 13 1 If I could speak all the human and angelic tongues, but had no love, I would only be sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, knowing secret things with all kinds of knowledge, and had faith great enough to remove mountains, but had no love, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave ev­erything I had to the poor, and even give up my body to be burned, if I am without love, it would be of no value to me. 4 Love is patient, kind, without envy. It is not boastful or arrogant. It is not ill mannered nor does it seek its own interest. 5 Love overcomes anger and forgets offenses. 6 It does not take delight in wrong, but rejoices in truth. 7 Love excuses everything, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love will never end. Prophecies may cease, tongues be silent and knowledge disappear. 9 For knowledge grasps something of the truth and prophecy as well. 10 And when what is pe...

First Reading: James 1: 12-18 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 94: 12-13, 14-15, 18-19 Holy Gospel: Mark 8:14-21 Holy Gospel: 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring more bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then Jesus warned them, “Keep your eyes open and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 And they said to one another, “He saw that we have no bread.” 17 Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed? 18 Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear? And do you not remem­ber 19 when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “And having seven loaves for the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?” F...

First Reading: James 1: 1-11 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 119: 67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76 Holy Gospel: Mark 8: 11-13 Holy Gospel: The Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass him, they asked for some heavenly sign. 12 Then his spirit was moved. He gave a deep sigh and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again and went to the other side of the lake. First Reading: 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. 2 Consider yourselves fortunate, my brothers and sisters, when you meet with every kind of trial, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith makes you steadfast. 4 Let your steadfastness become perfect with deeds, that you yourselves may be perfect and blame­less, without any defect. 5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask...

First Reading: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32: 1-2, 5, 11 Second Reading: First Corinthians 10:31-11:1 Holy Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 Holy Gospel: 40 A leper came to Jesus and beg­ged him, “If you so will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” 42 The leprosy left the man at once and he was made clean. 43 As Jesus sent the man away, he sternly warned him, 44 “Don’t tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest and for the cleansing bring the offering ordered by Moses; in this way you will make your declaration.” 45 However, as soon as the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though he stayed in the rural areas, people came to him from everywhere. Second Reading: 31 Then, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. 32...

First Reading: First Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 106:6-7, 19-20, 21-22 Holy Gospel: Mark 8:1-10 Holy Gospel: 1 Soon afterwards Jesus was in the midst of another large crowd that obviously had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples and said to them, 2 “I feel sorry for these people because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long way.” 4 His disciples replied, “Where in a deserted place like this could we get enough bread to feed these people?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.” 6 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them and hand­ed them to his disciples to distribute. And they distributed them among the people. 7 They also had some small fish, so Jesus said a blessing and asked that the...

First Reading: First Kings 11:29-32; 12:19 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 81:10-11, 12-13, 14-15 Holy Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 Holy Gospel: 31 Again Jesus set out; from the country of Tyre he passed through Sidon and skirting the sea of Galilee he came to the territory of Decapolis. 32 There a deaf man who also had difficulty in speaking was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his hand upon him. 33 Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. 34 Then, looking up to heav­en, he groaned and said to him, “Eph­phetha,” that is, “Be open­ed.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. 36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone, but the more he insisted on this, the more they proclaimed it. 37 The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.” First Reading: 29 Once, ...

First Reading: First Kings 11: 4-13 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37, 40 Holy Gospel: Mark 7: 24-30 Holy Gospel: 24 When Jesus left that place he went to the border of the Tyrian country. There he ­entered a house and did not want any­one to know he was there, but he could not remain hidden. 25 A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of him and came and fell at his feet. 26 Now this woman was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she replied, “Sir, even the dogs un­der the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.” 29 Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a reply the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And when the wo­man went home, she found her child lying in bed and the demon gone. First...