St. Nicholas, Bishop (Optional Memorial) 2021:
FIRST LECTURE OF THE MASS
Isaiah 6:1-8
1In the year that King Uzzi'ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up;and his train filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim;each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;the whole earth is full of his glory." 4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost;for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" 6Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips;your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven." 8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-11
1I waited patiently for the LORD;he inclined to me and heard my cry. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. 6Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire;but thou hast given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering thou hast not required. 7Then I said, "Lo, I come;in the roll of the book it is written of me;8I delight to do thy will, O my God;thy law is within my heart." 9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation;lo, I have not restrained my lips, as thou knowest, O LORD. 10I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation;I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation.
GOSPEL OF THE MASS
Luke 10:1-9
1After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go your way;behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals;and salute no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' 6And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him;but if not, it shall return to you. 7And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages;do not go from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you;9heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
MONDAY SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT 2021:
Advent Time.FIRST LECTURE OF THE MASS
Is 35:1-10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
Then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water;
The abode where jackals lurk
will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.
A highway will be there,
called the holy way;
No one unclean may pass over it,
nor fools go astray on it.
No lion will be there,
nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.
It is for those with a journey to make,
and on it the redeemed will walk.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (Isaiah 35:4f) Our God will come to save us!
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD --for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Our God will come to save us!
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Our God will come to save us!
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Our God will come to save us!
GOSPEL OF THE MASS
Lk 5:17-26
One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
"As for you, your sins are forgiven."
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
"Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
"What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk?'
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins?"
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
"We have seen incredible things today."