Sunday Mass

FIRST READING: Book of Prophet Isaiah 35:1-6. 10

God himself is coming to save you.

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,
let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy.

The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.

Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees
and say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid.

‘Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming,
the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,
then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy;
for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.

They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces;
joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.

The Word of the Lord.

Psalm 145

Response: - Come, Lord, and save us

or - Alleluia!

1. It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free. - Response

2. It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan. - Response

3. It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age. - Response

SECOND READING: St James 5:7-10

Do not lose heart for the Lord’s coming will be soon.

Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains!

You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION : Is 61:1

Alleluia, alleluia!
The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor
Alleluia!

GOSPEL : Matthew 11:2-11

Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?

John in his prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?‘
Jesus answered,
‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see;
the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life
and the Good and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me’.

As the messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John:
‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.
Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way before you.

‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.’

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Readings from The Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Company Ltd.
Psalm © The Grail (England) published by HarperCollins.

Understanding the Liturgical Cycle

The Lectionary is arranged into two cycles, one for Sundays and one for weekdays. The Sunday cycle is divided into three years, labeled A, B, and C. 2005 was Year A, 2006 was Year B, 2007 was Year C, and so on. The Liturgical Year begins on the 1st Sunday of Advent (usually late November) and ends with the Feast of Christ the King.

In Year A, we read mostly from the gospel of Matthew. In Year B, we read the gospel of Mark and chapter 6 of the gospel of John. In Year C, we read the gospel of Luke. The gospel of John is read during the Easter season in all three years.

The first reading, usually from the Old Testament, reflects important themes from the gospel reading. The second reading is usually from one of the epistles, a letter written to an early church community. These letters are read semi-continuously. Each Sunday, we pick up close to where we left off the Sunday before, though some passages are never read.

The weekday cycle is divided into two years, Year I and Year II. Year I is read in odd-numbered years (2003, 2005, etc.) and Year II is used in even-numbered years (2002, 2004, etc.) The gospels for both years are the same. During the year, the gospels are read semi-continuously, beginning with Mark, then moving on to Matthew and Luke. The gospel of John is read during the Easter season. For Advent , Christmas, and Lent , readings are chosen that are appropriate to the season. The first reading on weekdays may be taken from the Old or the New Testament. Typically, a single book is read semi-continuously (i.e. some passages are not read) until it is finished and then a new book is started.

Year (2021) is Year B Sundays / Year I Weekdays
Year (2022) is Year C Sundays / Year II Weekdays