DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of Saint Paulinus Of Nola, Bishop

First Reading:  2 Corinthians 8:9-15

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that being rich he became poor, for your sakes; that through his poverty you might be rich. And herein I give my advice; for this is profitable for you, who have begun not only to do, but also to be willing, a year ago. Now therefore perform ye it also in deed; that as your mind is forward to be willing, so it may be also to perform, out of that which you have. For if the will be forward, it is accepted according to that which a man hath, not according to that which he hath not. For I mean not that others should be eased, and you burthened, but by an equality. In this present time let your abundance supply their want, that their abundance also may supply your want, that there may be an equality, As it is written: He that had much, had nothing over; and he that had little, had no want.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 40 (39):8a, 9a; V. 2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

R.  Then said I, Behold I come. That I should do thy will:

V.  With expectation I have waited for the Lord,

     and he was attentive to me.

     And he put a new canticle into my mouth,

     a song to our God.

V.  Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire;

     but thou hast pierced ears for me.

     Burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require:

     Then said I, Behold I come.

V.  In the head of the book it is written of me

     That I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it,

     and thy law in the midst of my heart.

V.  I have declared thy justice in a great church,

     lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, thou knowest it.

V.  I have not hid thy justice within my heart:

     I have declared thy truth and thy salvation.

     I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth

     from a great council.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 12:32-34

Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom. Sell what you possess and give alms. Make to yourselves bags which grow not old, a treasure in heaven which faileth not: where no thief approacheth, nor moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of Saint John Fisher, Bishop And Saint Thomas More, Martyrs

First Reading:  1 Peter 4:12-19

Dearly beloved, think not strange the burning heat which is to try you, as if some new thing happened to you; But if you partake of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice that when his glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, you shall be blessed: for that which is of the honour, glory, and power of God, and that which is his Spirit, resteth upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a railer, or a coveter of other men's things. But if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For the time is, that judgment should begin at the house of God. And if first at us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the gospel of God? And if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God, commend their souls in good deeds to the faithful Creator.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 126 (125):5; V. 1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6 (DR--1-2b, 2c-3, 4-5, 6-7)

R.  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

V.  When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion,

     we became like men comforted.

     Then was our mouth filled with gladness;

     and our tongue with joy.

V.  Then shall they say among the Gentiles:

     The Lord hath done great things for them.

     The Lord hath done great things for us:

     we are become joyful.

V.  Turn again our captivity, O Lord,

     as a stream in the south.

     They that sow in tears

     shall reap in joy.

V.  Going they went and wept,

     casting their seeds.

     But coming they shall come with joyfulness,

     carrying their sheaves.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 10:34-39

Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's enemies shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Monday Of The Twelfth Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18

And he went through all the land: and going up to Samaria, he besieged it three years. And in the ninth year of Osee, the king of the Assyrians took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria: and he placed them in Hala and Habor by the river of Gozan, in the cities of the Medes. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and they worshipped strange gods. And they walked according to the way of the nations which the Lord had destroyed in the sight of the children of Israel and of the kings of Israel: because they had done in like manner. And the Lord testified to them in Israel and in Juda by the hand of all the prophets and seers, saying: Return from your wicked ways, and keep my precepts, and ceremonies, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers: and as I have sent to you in the hand of my servants the prophets. And they hearkened not, but hardened their necks like to the neck of their fathers, who would not obey the Lord their God. And they rejected his ordinances and the covenant that he made with their fathers, and the testimonies which he testified against them:  And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from his sight, and there remained only the tribe of Juda.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 60 (59):7; V. 3, 4-5, 12-13

R.  Save me with thy right hand, and hear me.

V.  O God, thou hast cast us off, and hast destroyed us;

     thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us.

V.  Thou hast moved the earth, and hast troubled it:

     heal thou the breaches thereof, for it has been moved.

     Thou hast shewn thy people hard things;

     thou hast made us drink wine of sorrow.

V.  Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off?

     and wilt not thou, O God, go out with our armies?

     Give us help from trouble:

     for vain is the salvation of man.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 7:1-5

Judge not, that you may not be judged, For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye; and seest not the beam that is in thy own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold a beam is in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

The readings form the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Twelfth Sunday In Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading:  Jeremiah 20:10-13

For I heard the reproaches of many, and terror on every side: Persecute him, and let us persecute him: from all the men that were my familiars, and continued at my side: if by any means he may be deceived, and we may prevail against him, and be revenged on him. But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior: therefore they that persecute me shall fall, and shall be weak: they shall be greatly confounded, because they have not understood the everlasting reproach, which never shall be effaced. And thou, O Lord of hosts, prover of the just, who seest the reins and the heart: let me see, I beseech thee, thy vengeance on them: for to thee I have laid open my cause. Sing ye to the Lord, praise the Lord: because he hath delivered the soul of the poor out of the hand of the wicked.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35

R.  In the multitude of thy mercy hear me,

V.  Because for thy sake I have borne reproach;

     shame hath covered my face.

     I am become a stranger to my brethren,

     and an alien to the sons of my mother.

     For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up:

     and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

V.  But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord;

     for the time of thy good pleasure, O God.

     In the multitude of thy mercy hear me,

     in the truth of thy salvation.

     Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind;

     look upon me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

V,  Let the poor see and rejoice:

     seek ye God, and your soul shall live.

     For the Lord hath heard the poor:

     and hath not despised his prisoners.

     Let the heavens and the earth praise him;

     the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein.

Second Reading:  Romans 5:12-15

Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. For until the law sin was in the world; but sin was not imputed, when the law was not. But death reigned from Adam unto Moses, even over them also who have not sinned after the similitude of the transgression of Adam, who is a figure of him who was to come. But not as the offence, so also the gift. For if by the offence of one, many died; much more the grace of God, and the gift, by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 10:26-33

Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops. And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows. Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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

First Reading:  2 Chronicles 24:17-25

And after the death of Joiada, the princes of Juda went in, and worshipped the king: and he was soothed by their services and hearkened to them. And they forsook the temple of the Lord the God of their fathers, and served groves and idols, and wrath came upon Juda and Jerusalem for this sin. And he sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord, and they would not give ear when they testified against them. The spirit of God then came upon Zacharias the son of Joiada the priest, and he stood in the sight of the people, and said to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Why transgress you the commandment of the Lord which will not be for your good, and have forsaken the Lord, to make him forsake you? And they gathered themselves together against him, and stoned him at the king's commandment in the court of the house of the Lord. And king Joas did not remember the kindness that Joiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. And when he died, he said: The Lord see, and require it. And when a year was come about, the army of Syria came up against him: and they came to Juda and Jerusalem, and killed all the princes of the people, and they sent all the spoils to the king of Damascus. And whereas there came a very small number of the Syrians, the Lord delivered into their hands an infinite multitude, because they had forsaken the Lord the God of their fathers: and on Joas they executed shameful judgments. And departing they left him in diseases: and his servants rose up against him, for revenge of the blood of the son of Joiada the priest, and they slew him in his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 89 (88):29a; V. 4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34

R.  I will keep my mercy for him for ever:

V.  I have made a covenant with my elect:

     I have sworn to David my servant:

     Thy seed will I settle for ever.

     And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation.

V.  I will keep my mercy for him for ever:

     and my covenant faithful to him.

     And I will make his seed to endure for evermore:

     and his throne as the days of heaven.

V.  And if his children forsake my law,

     and walk not in my judgments:

     If they profane my justices:

     and keep not my commandments:

V.  I will visit their iniquities with a rod:

     and their sins with stripes.

     But my mercy I will not take away from him:

     nor will I suffer my truth to fail.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 6:24-34

No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat: and the body more than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they? And which of you by taking thought, can add to his stature by one cubit? And for raiment why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith? Be not solicitous therefore, saying, What shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of Saint Romuald, Abbot

First Reading:  Philippians 3:8-14

Furthermore I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ:  And may be found in him, not having my justice, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ Jesus, which is of God, justice in faith:  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death, If by any means I may attain to the resurrection which is from the dead. Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect; but I follow after, if I may by any means apprehend, wherein I am also apprehended by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus.

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 14:25-33

And there went great multitudes with him. And turning, he said to them:  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down, and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it:  Lest, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him, Saying: This man began to build, and was not able to finis  Or what king, about to go to make war against another king, doth not first sit down, and think whether he be able, with ten thousand, to meet him that, with twenty thousand, cometh against him? Or else, whilst the other is yet afar off, sending an embassy, he desireth conditions of peace. So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be my disciple.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 6/19/2025.

DR Squared: Friday Of The Eleventh Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20

And Athalia the mother of Ochozias seeing that her son was dead, arose, and slew all the royal seed. But Josaba the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ochozias, took Joas the son of Ochozias, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, out of the bedchamber with his nurse: and hid him from the face of Athalia, so that he was not slain. And he was with her six years hid in the house of the Lord. And Athalia reigned over the land. And in the seventh year Joiada sent, and taking the centurions and the soldiers, brought them in to him into the temple of the Lord, and made a covenant with them: and taking an oath of them in the house of the Lord, shewed them the king's son:  And the centurions did according to all things that Joiada the priest had commanded them: and taking every one their men, that went in on the sabbath, with them that went out on the sabbath, came to Joiada the priest. And he gave them the spears, and the arms of king David, which were in the house of the Lord. And they stood having every one their weapons in their hands, from the right side of the temple, unto the left side of the altar, and of the temple, about the king. And he brought forth the king's son, and put the diadem upon him, and the testimony: and they made him king, and anointed him: and clapping their hands. they said, God save the king. And Athalia heard the noise of the people running: and going in to the people into the temple of the Lord, She saw the king standing upon a tribunal, as the manner was, and the singers, and the trumpets near him, and all the people of the land rejoicing, and sounding the trumpets: and she rent her garments, and cried: A conspiracy, a conspiracy. But Joiada commended the centurions that were over the army, and said to them: Have her forth without the precinct of the temple, and whosoever shall follow her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest had said: Let her not be slain in the temple of the Lord. And they laid hands on her: and thrust her out by the way by which the horses go in, by the palace, and she was slain there. And Joiada made a covenant between the Lord, and the king, and the people, that they should be the people of the Lord, and between the king and the people. And all the people of the land went into the temple of Baal, and broke down his altars, and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly: they slew also Mathan the priest of Baal before the altar. And the priest set guards in the house of the Lord. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet: but Athalia was slain with the sword in the king's house.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 132:11, 12, 13-14, 17-18

R.  For the Lord hath chosen Sion: he hath chosen it for his dwelling.

V.  The Lord hath sworn truth to David,

     and he will not make it void:

     of the fruit of thy womb

     I will set upon thy throne.

V.  If thy children will keep thy covenant,

     and these my testimonies which I shall teach them:

     Their children also for evermore

     shall sit upon thy throne.

V.  For the Lord hath chosen Sion:

     he hath chosen it for his dwelling.

     This is my rest for ever and ever:

     here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.

V.  There will I bring forth a horn to David:

     I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

     His enemies I will clothe with confusion:

     but upon him will my sanctification flourish.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 6:19-23

Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also. The light of thy body is thy eye. If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome. But if thy eye be evil thy whole body shall be darksome. If then the light that is in thee, be darkness: the darkness itself how great shall it be!

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Thursday Of The Eleventh Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  Sirach 48:1-14

And Elias the prophet stood up, as a fire, and his word burnt like a torch. He brought a famine upon them, and they that provoked him in their envy, were reduced to a small number, for they could not endure the commandments of the Lord. By the word of the Lord he shut up the heaven, and he brought down fire from heaven thrice. Thus was Elias magnified in his wondrous works. And who can glory like to thee? Who raisedst up a dead man from below, from the lot of death, by the word of the Lord God. Who broughtest down kings to destruction, and brokest easily their power in pieces, and the glorious from their bed. Who heardest judgment in Sina, and in Horeb the judgments of vengeance. Who anointedst kings to penance, and madest prophets successors after thee. Who wast taken up in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses. Who art registered in the judgments of times to appease the wrath of the Lord, to reconcile the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. Blessed are they that saw thee, and were honoured with thy friendship. For we live only in our life, but after death our name shall not be such. Elias was indeed covered with the whirlwind, and his spirit was filled up in Eliseus: in his days he feared not the prince, and no man was more powerful than he. No word could overcome him, and after death his body prophesied.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 97 (96):12a; V. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7

R.  Rejoice, ye just, in the Lord:

V.  The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice:

     let many islands be glad.

     Clouds and darkness are round about him:

     justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne.

V.  A fire shall go before him,

     and shall burn his enemies round about.

     His lightnings have shone forth to the world:

     the earth saw and trembled.

V.  The mountains melted like wax, at the presence of the Lord:

     at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.

     The heavens declared his justice:

     and all people saw his glory.

V.  Let them be all confounded that adore graven things,

     and that glory in their idols.

     Adore him, all you his angels:

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 6:7-15

And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen. For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Wednesday Of The Eleventh Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  2 Kings 2:1, 6-14

And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elias into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elias and Eliseus were going from Galgal. And Elias said to him: Stay here, because the Lord hath sent me as far as the Jordan. And he said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee; and they two went on together, And fifty men of the sons of the prophets followed them, and stood in sight at a distance: but they two stood by the Jordan. And Elias took his mantle and folded it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, and they both passed over on dry ground. And when they were gone over, Elias said to Eliseus: Ask what thou wilt have me to do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Eliseus said: I beseech thee that in me may be thy double spirit. And he answered: Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have what thou hast asked: but if thou see me not, thou shalt not have it. And as they went on, walking and talking together, behold a fiery chariot, and fiery horses parted them both asunder: and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Eliseus saw him, and cried: My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the driver thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own garments, and rent them in two pieces. And he took up the mantle of Elias, that fell from him: and going back, he stood upon the bank of the Jordan, And he struck the waters with the mantle of Elias, that had fallen from him, and they were not divided. And he said: Where is now the God of Elias? And he struck the waters, and they were divided, hither and thither, and Eliseus passed over.

Responsorial Psalm:  cf. Psalm 31 (30):25; V. 20, 21, 24

R.  (L)et your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

V.  O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord,

     which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee!

     Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee,

     in the sight of the sons of men.

V.  Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face,

     from the disturbance of men.

     Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle

     from the contradiction of tongues.

V.  O love the Lord, all ye his saints:

     for the Lord will require truth,

     and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest anoint thy head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret, will repay thee.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Tuesday Of The Eleventh Week In Ordinary Time (Year II)

First Reading:  1 Kings 21:17-29

And the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying:  Arise, and go down to meet Achab king of Israel, who is in Samaria: behold he is going down to the vineyard of Naboth, to take possession of it:  And thou shalt speak to him, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Thou hast slain, moreover also thou hast taken possession. And after these words thou shalt add: Thus saith the Lord: In this place, wherein the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, they shall lick thy blood also. And Achab said to Elias: Hast thou found me thy enemy? He said: I have found thee, because thou art sold, to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold I will bring evil upon thee, and I will cut down thy posterity, and I will kill of Achab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up, and the last in Israel. And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahias: for what thou hast done, to provoke me to anger, and for making Israel to sin. And of Jezabel also the Lord spoke, saying: The dogs shall eat Jezabel in the field of Jezrahel. If Achab die in the city, the dogs shall eat him: but if he die in the field, the birds of the air shall eat him. Now there was not such another as Achab, who was sold to do evil in the sight of the Lord: for his wife Jezabel set him on, And he became abominable, insomuch that he followed the idols which the Amorrhites had made, whom the Lord destroyed before the face of the children of Israel. And when Achab had heard these words, he rent his garments, and put haircloth upon his flesh, and fasted and slept in sackcloth, and walked with his head cast down. And the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying:  Hast thou not seen Achab humbled before me? therefore, because he hath humbled himself for my sake, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Responsorial Psalm:  cf. Psalm 51 (50):3a; V. 3-4, 5-6ab, 11 and 16

R.  Have mercy on me, O God,

V.  Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.

     And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

     Wash me yet more from my iniquity,

     and cleanse me from my sin.

V.  For I know my iniquity,

     and my sin is always before me.

     To thee only have I sinned,

     and have done evil before thee:

V.  Turn away thy face from my sins,

     and blot out all my iniquities.

     Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation:

     and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 5:43-48

You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.