In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness. And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.
And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day.
God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so done. And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars. And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth. And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And the evening and morning were the fourth day.
God also said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven. And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. And the evening and morning were the fifth day.
And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good. And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth. And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat: And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done. And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day. So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
Responsorial Psalm: cf. Psalm 104 (103):30; V. 1-2ab, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35c
R. Thou shalt send forth thy spirit,...and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
V. Bless the Lord, O my soul:
O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great.
Thou hast put on praise and beauty:
And art clothed with light as with a garment.
V. Who hast founded the earth upon its own bases:
it shall not be moved for ever and ever.
The deep like a garment is its clothing:
above the mountains shall the waters stand.
V. Thou sendest forth springs in the vales:
between the midst of the hills the waters shall pass.
Over them the birds of the air shall dwell:
from the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.
V. Thou waterest the hills from thy upper rooms:
the earth shall be filled with the fruit of thy works:
Bringing forth grass for cattle, and herb for the service of men.
That thou mayst bring bread out of the earth:
V. How great are thy works, O Lord?
thou hast made all things in wisdom;
the earth is filled with thy riches.
O my soul, bless thou the Lord.
OR
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33 (32):5b; V. 4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20 and 22
R. (T)he earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
V. For the word of the Lord is right,
and all his works are done with faithfulness.
He loveth mercy and judgment;
the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
V. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established;
and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth:
Gathering together the waters of the sea, as in a vessel;
laying up the depths in storehouses.
V. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord:
the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance.
The Lord hath looked from heaven:
he hath beheld all the sons of men.
V. Our soul waiteth for the Lord:
for he is our helper and protector.
Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
as we have hoped in thee.
Reading II: Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
After these things, God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. 2 He said to him: Take thy only begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of vision: and there thou shalt offer him for an holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will shew thee. So Abraham rising up in the night, saddled his ass: and took with him two young men, and Isaac his son: and when he had cut wood for the holocaust he went his way to the place which God had commanded him. And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off. And he said to his young men: Stay you here with the ass: I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped, will return to you. And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as they two went on together, 7 Isaac said to his father: My father. And he answered: What wilt thou, son? Behold, saith he, fire and wood: where is the victim for the holocaust? And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for an holocaust, my son. So they went on together. And they came to the place which God had shewn him, where he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it: and when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. And he put forth his hand and took the sword, to sacrifice his son. And behold an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake. Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son. And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon even to this day it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying: By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake: I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore: thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16 (15):5; V. 5, 8, 9-10, 11
R. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup:
V. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup:
it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me.
I set the Lord always in my sight:
for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved.
V. Therefore my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced:
moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
nor wilt thou give thy holy one to see corruption.
V. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life,
thou shalt fill me with joy with thy countenance:
at thy right hand are delights even to the end.
Reading III: Exodus 14:15—15:1
And the Lord said to Moses: Why criest thou to me? Speak to the children of Israel to go forward. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch forth thy hand over the sea, and divide it: that the children of Israel may go through the midst of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the heart of the Egyptians to pursue you: and I will be glorified in Pharao, and in all his host, and in his chariots, and in his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be glorified in Pharao, and in his chariots and in his horsemen.
And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removing, went behind them: and together with him the pillar of the cloud, leaving the forepart, Stood behind, between the Egyptians' camp and the camp of Israel: and it was a dark cloud, and enlightening the night, so that they could not come at one another all the night. And when Moses had stretched forth his hand over the sea, the Lord took it away by a strong and burning wind blowing all the night, and turned it into dry ground: and the water was divided. And the children of Israel went in through the midst of the sea dried up: for the water was as a wall on their right hand and on their left.
And the Egyptians pursuing went in after them, and all Pharao's horses, his chariots and horsemen through the midst of the sea, And now the morning watch was come, and behold the Lord looking upon the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, slew their host. And overthrew the wheels of the chariots, and they were carried into the deep. And the Egyptians said: Let us flee from Israel: for the Lord fighteth for them against us.
And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and horsemen. And when Moses had stretched forth his hand towards the sea, it returned at the first break of day to the former place: and as the Egyptians were fleeing away, the waters came upon them, and the Lord shut them up in the middle of the waves. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all the army of Pharao, who had come into the sea after them, neither did there so much as one of them remain. But the children of Israel marched through the midst of the sea upon dry land, and the waters were to them as a wall on the right hand and on the left: And the Lord delivered Israel on that day out of the hands of the Egyptians. And they saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore, and the mighty hand that the Lord had used against them: and the people feared the Lord, and they believed the Lord, and Moses his servant.
Then Moses and the children of Israel sung this canticle to the Lord: and said: Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously magnified, the horse and the rider he hath thrown into the sea.
Responsorial Psalm: Exodus 15:1b; V. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18
R. Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously magnified,
V. Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously magnified,
the horse and the rider he hath thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my praise,
and he is become salvation to me:
he is my God and I will glorify him:
the God of my father, and I will exalt him.
V. The Lord is as a man of war,
Almighty is his name.
Pharao's chariots and his army he hath cast into the sea:
his chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea.
V. The depths have covered them,
they are sunk to the bottom like a stone.
Thy right hand, O Lord, is magnified in strength:
thy right hand, O Lord, hath slain the enemy.
V. Thou shalt bring them in,
and plant them in the mountain of thy inheritance,
in thy most firm habitation which thou hast made, O Lord;
thy sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.
Reading IV: Isaiah 54:5-14
For he that made thee shall rule over thee, the Lord of hosts is his name: and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth. For the Lord hath called thee as woman forsaken and mourning in spirit, and as a wife cast off from her youth, said thy God. For a, small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a moment of indignation have I hid my face a little while from thee, but with everlasting kindness have I had mercy on thee, said the Lord thy Redeemer. This thing is to me as in the days of Noe, to whom I swore, that I would no more bring in the waters of Noe upon the earth: so have I sworn not to be angry with thee, and not to rebuke thee. For the mountains shall be moved, and the hills shall tremble; but my mercy shall not depart from thee, and the covenant of my peace shall not be moved: said the Lord that hath mercy on thee. O poor little one, tossed with tempest, without all comfort, behold I will lay thy stones in order, and will lay thy foundations with sapphires, And I will make thy bulwarks of jasper: and thy gates of graven stones, and all thy borders of desirable stones. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord: and great shall be the peace of thy children. And thou shalt be founded in justice: depart far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 30 (29):2a; V. 2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
R. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me:
V. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me:
and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me.
Thou hast brought forth, O Lord, my soul from hell:
thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit.
V. Sing to the Lord, O ye his saints:
and give praise to the memory of his holiness.
For wrath is in his indignation;
and life in his good will.
In the evening weeping shall have place,
and in the morning gladness.
V. The Lord hath heard, and hath had mercy on me:
the Lord became my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into joy:
thou hast cut my sackcloth, and hast compassed me with gladness:
To the end that my glory may sing to thee, and I may not regret:
O Lord my God, I will give praise to thee for ever.
Reading V: Isaiah 55:1-11
All you that thirst, come to the waters: and you that have no money make haste, buy, and eat: come ye, buy wine and milk without money, and without any price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which doth not satisfy you? Hearken diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and your soul shall be delighted in fatness. Incline your ear and come to me: hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the faithful mercies of David. Behold I have given him for a witness to the people, for a leader and a master to the Gentiles. Behold thou shalt call a nation, which thou knewest not: and the nations that knew not thee shall run to thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.
Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God: for he is bountiful to forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm: Isaiah 12:3; V. 2-3, 4, 5-6
R. You shall draw waters with joy out of the saviour's fountains:
V. Behold, God is my saviour,
I will deal confidently, and will not fear
O because the Lord is my strength,
and my praise, and he is become my salvation.
You shall draw waters with joy
out of the saviour's fountains:
V. And you shall say in that day: Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his name:
make his works known among the people:
remember that his name is high.
V. Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath done great things:
shew this forth in all the earth.
Rejoice, and praise, O thou habitation of Sion:
for great is he that is in the midst of thee,
the Holy One of Israel.
Reading VI: Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4
Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: give ear, that thou mayst learn wisdom. How happeneth it, O Israel, that thou art in thy enemies' land? Thou art grown old in a strange country, thou art defiled with the dead: thou art counted with them that go down into hell. Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom: For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou hadst surely dwelt in peace for ever. Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding: that thou mayst know also where is length of days and life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace. Who hath found out her place? and who hath gone in to her treasures?
But he that knoweth all things, knoweth her, and hath found her out with his understanding: he that prepared the earth for evermore, and filled it with cattle and fourfooted beasts: He that sendeth forth light, and it goeth: and hath called it, and it obeyeth him with trembling. And the stars have given light in their watches, and rejoiced: They were called, and they said: Here we are: and with cheerfulness they have shined forth to him that made them. This is our God, and there shall no other be accounted of in comparison of him. He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved.
Afterwards he was seen upon earth, and conversed with men. This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law, that is for ever: all they that keep it, shall come to life: but they that have forsaken it, to death. Return, O Jacob, and take hold of it, walk in the way by its brightness, in the presence of the light thereof. Give not thy honour to another, nor thy dignity to a strange nation. We are happy, O Israel: because the things that are pleasing to God, are made known to us.
Responsorial Psalm: cf. John 6:69c; V. Psalm 19 (18):8, 9, 10, 11
R. (T)hou hast the words of eternal life.
V. The law of the Lord is unspotted,
converting souls:
the testimony of the Lord is faithful,
giving wisdom to little ones.
V. The justices of the Lord are right,
rejoicing hearts:
the commandment of the Lord is lightsome,
enlightening the eyes.
V. The fear of the Lord is holy,
enduring for ever and ever:
the judgments of the Lord are true,
justified in themselves.
V. More to be desired than gold
and many precious stones:
and sweeter than honey
and the honeycomb.
Reading VII: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it with their ways, and with their doings: And I poured out my indignation upon them for the blood which they had shed upon the land, and with their idols they defiled it. And I scattered them among the nations, and they are dispersed through the countries: I have judged them according to their ways, and their devices. And when they entered among the nations whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when it was said of them: This is the people of the Lord, and they are come forth out of his land. And I have regarded my own holy name, which the house of Israel hath profaned among the nations to which they went in. Therefore thou shalt say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: It is not for your sake that I will do this, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations whither you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles, which you have profaned in the midst of them: that the Gentiles may know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord of hosts, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in the midst of you: and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Responsorial Psalm (When Baptism is celebrated): Psalm 42 (41):2; V. 3, 5; 43 (42):3, 4,5a
R. As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.
V. My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God;
when shall I come and appear before the face of God?
V. These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me:
for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God:
With the voice of joy and praise;
the noise of one feasting.
V. Send forth thy light and thy truth:
they have conducted me,
and brought me unto thy holy hill,
and into thy tabernacles.
V. And I will go in to the altar of God:
to God who giveth joy to my youth.
To thee, O God my God,
I will give praise upon the harp:
OR
Responsorial Psalm (When Baptism is not celebrated): Isaiah 12:3; V. 2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
R. You shall draw waters with joy out of the saviour's fountains:
V. Behold, God is my saviour,
I will deal confidently, and will not fear
O because the Lord is my strength, and my praise,
and he is become my salvation.
You shall draw waters with joy
out of the saviour's fountains:
V. Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his name:
make his works known among the people:
remember that his name is high.
V. Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath done great things:
shew this forth in all the earth.
Rejoice, and praise, O thou habitation of Sion:
for great is he that is in the midst of thee,
the Holy One of Israel.
OR
Responsorial Psalm (When Baptism is not celebrated): Psalm 51 (50):12a; V. 12-13, 14-15, 18-19
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God:
V. Create a clean heart in me, O God:
and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Cast me not away from thy face;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
V. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation,
and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee.
V. For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it:
with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit:
a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Epistle: Romans 6:3-11
Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death? For we are buried together with him by baptism into death; that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer. For he that is dead is justified from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ: Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have dominion over him. For in that he died to sin, he died once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God: So do you also reckon, that you are dead to sin, but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gospel Acclimation: V. Psalm 118 (117):1-2, 16ab-17, 22-23
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
V. Give praise to the Lord, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let Israel now say that he is good:
that his mercy endureth for ever.
V. The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength:
the right hand of the Lord hath exulted me:
I shall not die, but live:
and shall declare the works of the Lord.
V. The stone which the builders rejected;
the same is become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord's doing:
and it is wonderful in our eyes.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:1-10
