Readings: Monday, September 4, 2017

First Reading

First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, 
          about those who have fallen asleep, 
          so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, 
          so too will God, through Jesus, 
          bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, 
          that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 
          will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. 
For the Lord himself, with a word of command, 
          with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, 
          will come down from heaven,  
          and the dead in Christ will rise first. 
Then we who are alive, who are left, 
          will be caught up together with them in the clouds 
          to meet the Lord in the air. 
Thus we shall always be with the Lord. 
Therefore, console one another with these words.

Responsorial Psalm

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96:1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13

R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Sing to the Lord a new song; 
          sing to the Lord, all you lands. 
Tell his glory among the nations; 
          among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. 

R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

For great is the Lord and highly to be praised; 
          awesome is he, beyond all gods. 
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought, 
          but the Lord made the heavens. 
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; 
          let the sea and what fills it resound; 
          let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! 
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult. 
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Before the Lord, for he comes; 
          for he comes to rule the earth. 
He shall rule the world with justice 
          and the peoples with his constancy. 
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Holy Gospel

Gospel Reading: Luke 4:16-30

When Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord's year of mercy."

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down, while the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he said to them, "Today these prophetic words come true even as you listen."

All agreed with him and were lost in wonder, while he kept on speaking of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, "Who is this but Joseph's son?" So he said, "Doubtless you will quote me the saying: Doctor, heal yourself! Do here in your town what they say you did in Capernaum."

Jesus added, "No prophet is honored in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian."

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw him down the cliff. But he passed through their midst and went his way.