November 6th, 2016 Gospel,Luke 20:27-38
27SomeSadducees-- those who argue that there is no resurrection -- approached him and they put this question to him,28'Master,Mosesprescribed for us, if a man's married brother dies childless, themanmust marry thewidowto raise upchildrenfor his brother.
29Well then, there were seven brothers; the first, having married a wife, died childless.
30The second
31and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children.
32Finally thewomanherself died.
33Now, at the resurrection, whose wifewillshe be, since she had been married to all seven?'
34Jesus replied, 'Thechildrenof this world take wives and husbands,
35but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry
36because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and beingchildrenof the resurrection they arechildrenof God.
37AndMoseshimself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls theLordtheGodof Abraham, theGodofIsaacand theGodof Jacob.
38Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him everyone is alive.'
November 13th, 2016 Gospel,Luke 21:5-19
5When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said,6'All these things you are staring at now -- thetimewillcome when not a single stonewillbe left on another; everythingwillbe destroyed.'
7And they put to him this question, 'Master,' they said, 'whenwillthis happen, then, and what signwillthere be that it is about to take place?'
8But he said, 'Take care not to be deceived, because manywillcome using my name and saying, "I am the one" and "Thetimeis near at hand." Refuse to join them.
9And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the endwillnot come at once.'
10Then he said to them, 'Nationwillfight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11Therewillbe great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; therewillbe terrifying events and great signs from heaven.
12'But before all this happens, youwillbe seized and persecuted; youwillbe handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought beforekingsand governors for the sake of my name
13-and thatwillbe your opportunity to bear witness.
14Make up your minds not to prepare your defence,
15because I myself shall give you an eloquence and awisdomthatnoneof your opponentswillbe able to resist or contradict.
16Youwillbe betrayed even byparentsand brothers, relations and friends; and some of youwillbe put to death.
17Youwillbe hated universally on account of my name,
18but not a hair of your headwillbe lost.
19Your perseverancewillwin you your lives.
November 20th, 2016 Gospel,Luke 23:35-43
35The people stayed there watching. As for the leaders, they jeered at him with the words, 'He saved others, let him save himself if he is theChristof God, the Chosen One.'36The soldiers mocked him too, coming up to him, offering him vinegar,
37and saying, 'If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.'
38Above him there was an inscription: 'This is the King of the Jews'.
39One of the criminals hanging there abused him: 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well.'
40But the other spoke up and rebuked him. 'Have you no fear ofGodat all?' he said. 'You got the samesentenceas he did,
41but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But thismanhas done nothing wrong.'
42Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'
43He answered him, 'IntruthI tell you, today youwillbe with me in paradise.'
November 27th, 2016 Gospel,Matthew 24:37-44
37'As it was in Noah's day, sowillit be when the Son ofmancomes.
38For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands,rightup to the dayNoahwent into the ark,
39and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what itwillbe like when the Son ofmancomes.
40Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left;
41of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left.
42'So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.
43You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at whattimeof the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house.
44Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son ofmanis coming at an hour you do not expect.
December 4th, 2016 Gospel,Matthew 3:1-12
1In due courseJohnthe Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in thedesertof Judaea,2'Repent, for the kingdom ofHeavenis close at hand.'
3This was themanspoken of by theprophetIsaiahwhen he said: A voice of one that cries in the desert, 'Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.'
4ThismanJohnwore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather loin-cloth round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5ThenJerusalemand all Judaea and the wholeJordandistrict made their way to him,
6and as they were baptised by him in the riverJordanthey confessed their sins.
7But when he saw a number ofPhariseesandSadduceescoming forbaptismhe said to them, 'Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution?
8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance,
9and do not presume to tell yourselves, "We haveAbrahamas our father," because, I tell you,Godcan raisechildrenforAbrahamfrom these stones.
10Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so that any tree failing to producegoodfruitwillbe cut down and thrown on the fire.
11I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; hewillbaptise you with theHoly Spiritand fire.
12His winnowing-fan is in his hand; hewillclear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff hewillburn in a fire thatwillnever go out.'
December 11th, 2016 Gospel,Matthew 11:2-11
2NowJohnhad heard in prison whatChristwas doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,3'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?'
4Jesus answered, 'Go back and tellJohnwhat you hear and see;
5the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised tolifeand thegoodnews is proclaimed to the poor;
6and blessed is anyone who does not find me acauseof falling.'
7As the men were leaving,Jesusbegan to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into thedesertto see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No?
8Then what did you go out to see? Amanwearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.
9Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet:
10he is the one of whomscripturesays: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.
11'IntruthI tell you, of all thechildrenborn to women, there has never been anyone greater thanJohnthe Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom ofHeavenis greater than he.
December 18th, 2016 Gospel,Matthew 1:18-24
18This is howJesusChristcame to be born. His motherMarywas betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.19Her husband Joseph, being an uprightmanand wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally.
20He had made up hismindto do this when suddenly theangelof theLordappeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to takeMaryhome as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.
21Shewillgive birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
22Now all this took place to fulfil what theLordhad spoken through the prophet:
23Look! the virgin is with child andwillgive birth to a son whom theywillcall Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'.
24WhenJosephwoke up he did what theangelof theLordhad told him to do: he took his wife to his home;
December 25th, 2016 Gospel,John 1:1-18
1In the beginning was the Word: the Word was withGodand the Word was God.2He was withGodin the beginning.
3Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.
4What has come into being in him was life,lifethat was the light of men;
5and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.
6Amancame, sent by God. His name was John.
7He came as a witness, to bearwitnessto the light, so that everyone might believe through him.
8He was not the light, he was to bearwitnessto the light.
9The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world.
10He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him.
11He came to his own and his own people did not accept him.
12But to those who did accept him he gave power to becomechildrenof God, to those who believed in his name
13who were born not from human stock or human desire or humanwillbut fromGodhimself.
14The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, theglorythat he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full ofgraceand truth.
15John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.'
16Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received -- one gift replacing another,
17for theLawwas given through Moses,graceandtruthhave come throughJesusChrist.
18No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.