DR Squared: Memorial Of Saint Monica

First Reading:  Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16

Happy is the husband of a good wife: for the number of his years is double. A virtuous woman rejoiceth her husband: and shall fulfill the years of his life in peace. A good wife is a good portion, she shall be given in the portion of them that fear God, to a man for his good deeds. Rich or poor, if his heart is good, his countenance shall be cheerful at all times. On a daughter that turneth not away herself, set a strict watch: lest finding an opportunity she abuse herself. Take heed of the impudence of her eyes, and wonder not if she slight thee. She will open her mouth as a thirsty traveller to the fountain, and will drink of every water near her, and will sit down by every hedge, and open her quiver against every arrow, until she fail. The grace of a diligent woman shall delight her husband, and shall fat his bones.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 131 (130):1bcde, 2, 3

R.  (NB:  There seems to be no corresponding verse.)

V.  Lord, my heart is not exalted:

     nor are my eyes lofty.

     Neither have I walked in great matters,

     nor in wonderful things above me.

V.  If I was not humbly minded,

     but exalted my soul:

     As a child that is weaned is towards his mother,

     so reward in my soul.

V.  Let Israel hope in the Lord,

     from henceforth now and for ever. 

Gospel Reading:  Luke 7:11-17

And it came to pass afterwards, that he went into a city that is called Naim; and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude. And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, he said to her: Weep not. And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us: and, God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the country round about.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 8/27/2025.

DR Squared: Thursday Of The Twenty-First Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes a brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in every place of theirs and ours. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is given you in Christ Jesus, That in all things you are made rich in him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; As the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, So that nothing is wanting to you in any grace, waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who also will confirm you unto the end without crime, in the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful: by whom you are called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 145 (144):1; V. 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R.  I will extol thee, O God my king: and I will bless thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

V.  Every day I will bless thee:

     and I will praise thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

     Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised:

     and of his greatness there is no end.

V.  Generation and generation shall praise thy works:

     and they shall declare thy power.

     They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holiness:

     and shall tell thy wondrous works.

V.  And they shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts:

     and shall declare thy greatness.

     They shall publish the memory of the abundance of thy sweetness:

     and shall rejoice in thy justice.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 24:42-51

Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come. Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season. Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing. Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming:  And shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with drunkards:  The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not:  And shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Wednesday Of The Twenty-First Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18

And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received of us. For yourselves know how you ought to imitate us: for we were not disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man's bread for nothing, but in labour and in toil we worked night and day, lest we should be chargeable to any of you. Not as if we had not power: but that we might give ourselves a pattern unto you, to imitate us. For also when we were with you, this we declared to you: that, if any man will not work, neither let him eat. Now the Lord of peace himself give you everlasting peace in every place. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with my own hand; which is the sign in every epistle. So I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 128 (127):1a; V. 1-2, 4-5

R.  Blessed are all they that fear the Lord:

V.  Blessed are all they that fear the Lord:

     that walk in his ways.

     For thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands:

     blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee.

V.  Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

     that feareth the Lord.

     May the Lord bless thee out of Sion:

     and mayest thou see the good things of Jerusalem

     all the days of thy life.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 23:27-32

Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness. So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just, And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of Saint Joseph Calasanz, Priest

First Reading:  1 Corinthians 12:31--13:13 OR 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

But be zealous for the better gifts. And I shew unto you yet a more excellent way. If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm  34 (33):2a OR 9a; V. 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

R.  I will bless the Lord at all times,

OR

R.  O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet:

V.  I will bless the Lord at all times,

     his praise shall be always in my mouth.

     In the Lord shall my soul be praised:

     let the meek hear and rejoice.

V.  O magnify the Lord with me;

     and let us extol his name together.

     I sought the Lord, and he heard me;

     and he delivered me from all my troubles.

V.  Come ye to him and be enlightened:

     and your faces shall not be confounded.

     This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him:

     and saved him out of all his troubles.

V.  The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him:

     and shall deliver them.

     O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet:

     blessed is the man that hopeth in him.

V.  Fear the Lord, all ye his saints:

     for there is no want to them that fear him.

     The rich have wanted, and have suffered hunger: 

     but they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 18:1-5

At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them, And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 8/25/2025.

DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of Saint Louis Of France

First Reading:  Isaiah 58:6-11

Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that oppress, let them that are broken go free, and break asunder every burden. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall hear: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou wilt take away the chain out of the midst of thee, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which profiteth not. When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noonday. And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness, and deliver thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 112 (111):1a; V. 1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7b-8, 9

R.  Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord:

V.  Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord:

     he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.

     His seed shall be mighty upon earth:

     the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.

V.  Glory and wealth shall be in his house: 

     and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.

     To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness:

     he is merciful, and compassionate and just.

V.  Acceptable is the man that sheweth mercy and lendeth:

     he shall order his words with judgment:

     Because he shall not be moved for ever.

     The just shall be in everlasting remembrance:

V. (H) shall not fear the evil hearing.

     His heart is ready to hope in the Lord:

     His heart is strengthened,

     he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.

V.  He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor:

     his justice remaineth for ever and ever:

     his horn shall be exalted in glory.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 22:34-40

But the Pharisees hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, came together:  And one of them, a doctor of the law, asking him, tempting him:  Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.

The readings form the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 8/25/2025.

DR Squared: Tuesday Of The Twenty-First Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17 (DR--1-3a,13-16)

And we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together unto him:  That you be not easily moved from your sense, nor be terrified, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by epistle, as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, Whereunto also he hath called you by our gospel, unto the purchasing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God and our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope in grace, Exhort your hearts, and confirm you in every good work and word.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13

R.  (B)ecause he cometh to judge the earth.

V.  Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned.

     For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved:

     he will judge the people with justice.

V.  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad,

     let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof:

     The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful.

     Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice

V.  Before the face of the Lord, because he cometh:

     because he cometh to judge the earth.

     He shall judge the world with justice,

     and the people with his truth.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 23:23-26

Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may become clean.

The readings from the USCCB can be found 

DR Squared: Feast Of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

First Reading:  Revelation 21:9b-14

Come, and I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he took me up in spirit to a great and high mountain: and he shewed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God, and the light thereof was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper stone, even as crystal. And it had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east, three gates: and on the north, three gates: and on the south, three gates: and on the west, three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them, the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R.  To make thy might known to the sons of men: and the glory of the magnificence of thy kingdom.

V.  Let all thy works, O lord, praise thee:

     and let thy saints bless thee.

     They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom:

     and shall tell of thy power:

V.  To make thy might known to the sons of men:

     and the glory of the magnificence of thy kingdom.

     Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages:

     and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

V.  The Lord is just in all his ways:

     and holy in all his works.

     The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him:

     to all that call upon him in truth.

Gospel Reading:  John 1:45-51

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him: and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered, and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered him, and said: Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered, and said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see. And he saith to him: Amen, amen I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Twenty-First Sunday In Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading:  Isaiah 22:19-23

And I will drive thee out from thy station, and depose thee from thy ministry. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliacim the son of Helcias, And I will clothe him with thy robe, and will strengthen him with thy girdle, and will give thy power into his hand: and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Juda. And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, and he shall be for a throne of glory to the house of his father.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8 (DR--1-2a, 2bc,3, 6, 8bc)

R.  (T)hy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: O despise not the work of thy hands.

V.  I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart:

     for thou hast heard the words of my mouth.

     I will sing praise to thee in the sight of the angels:

     I will worship towards thy holy temple,

V.  (A)nd I will give glory to thy name.

     For thy mercy, and for thy truth:

     In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me:

     thou shall multiply strength in my soul.

V.  For the Lord is high, and looketh on the low:

     and the high he knoweth afar off.

     (T)hy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:

     O despise not the work of thy hands.

Second Reading:  Romans 11:33-36

O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory for ever. Amen.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 16:13-20

And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Memorial Of The Queenship Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading:  Isaiah 9:1-6

The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and hast not increased the joy. They shall rejoice before thee, as they that rejoice in the harvest, as conquerors rejoice after taking a prey, when they divide the spoils. For the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the sceptre of their oppressor thou hast overcome, as in the day of Median. For every violent taking of spoils, with tumult, and garment mingled with blood, shall be burnt, and be fuel for the fire. For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 113 (112):2; V. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R.  Blessed be the name of the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.

V.  Praise the Lord, ye children:

     praise ye the name of the Lord.

     Blessed be the name of the Lord,

     from henceforth now and for ever.

V.  From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same,

     the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.

     The Lord is high above all nations;

     and his glory above the heavens.

V.  Who is as the Lord our God,

     who dwelleth on high:

     And looketh down on the low things

     in heaven and in earth?

V.  Raising up the needy from the earth,

     and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill:

     That he may place him with princes,

     with the princes of his people.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 1:26-38

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren:  Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 8/22/2025.

DR Squared: Saturday Of The Twentieth Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  Ezekiel 43:1-7ab

And he brought me to the gate that looked towards the east. And behold the glory of the God of Israel came in by the way of the east: and his voice was like the noise of many waters, and the earth shone with his majesty. And I saw the vision according to the appearance which I had seen when he came to destroy the city: and the appearance was according to the vision which I had seen by the river Chobar: and I fell upon my face. And the majesty of the Lord went into the temple by the way of the gate that looked to the east. And the spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court: and behold the house was filled with the glory of the Lord. And I heard one speaking to me out of the house, and the man that stood by me, Said to me: Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever:

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 85 (84):10b; V. 9ab, 10, 11-12, 13-14

R.  (T)hat glory may dwell in our land.

V.  I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me:

     for he will speak peace unto his people:

     Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him:

     that glory may dwell in our land.

V.  Mercy and truth have met each other:

     justice and peace have kissed.

     Truth is sprung out of the earth:

     and justice hath looked down from heaven.

V.  For the Lord will give goodness:

     and our earth shall yield her fruit.

     Justice shall walk before him:

     and shall set his steps in the way.  

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, Saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not; for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. And all their works they do for to be seen of men. For they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge their fringes. And they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues, And salutations in the market place, and to be called by men, Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi. For one is your master; and all you are brethren. And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters; for one is your master, Christ. He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.