| Readings for Easter Vigil |
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| Holy Saturday
No Daily Mass Celebrated Readings for Vigil Mass for Easter Sunday First Reading: Genesis 1:1--2:2 1(A)In the beginning (B)God (C)created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was [a](D)formless and void, and (E)darkness was over the surface of the deep, and (F)the Spirit of God (G)was [b]moving over the surface of the waters. 3Then (H)God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was (I)good; and God (J)separated the light from the darkness. 5(K)God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And (L)there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6Then God said, "Let there be an (M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7God made the [c]expanse, and separated (N)the waters which were below the expanse from the waters (O)which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9Then God said, "(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let (Q)the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10God called the dry land earth, and the (R)gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the earth sprout (S)vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14Then God said, "Let there be (T)lights in the (U)expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for (V)signs and for (W)seasons and for days and years; 15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16God made the two great lights, the (X)greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made (Y)the stars also. 17(Z)God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18and to (AA)govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." 21God created (AB)the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24(AC)Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. 25God made the (AD)beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, "Let (AE)Us make (AF)man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them (AG)rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27God created man (AH)in His own image, in the image of God He created him; (AI)male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, "(AJ)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29Then God said, "Behold, (AK)I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and (AL)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. 31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very (AM)good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all (A)their hosts. 2By (B)the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and (C)He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done Second Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 1Now it came about after these things, that (A)God tested Abraham, and said to him, "(B)Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2He said, "Take now (C)your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of (D)Moriah, and offer him there as a (E)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." 3So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you." 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and (F)laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the (G)lamb for the burnt offering?" 8Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. 9Then they came to (H)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built (I)the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and (J)laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But (K)the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now (L)I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld (M)your son, your only son, from Me." 13Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD (N)it will be provided." 15Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, "(O)By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly (P)multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as (Q)the sand which is on the seashore; and (R)your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18"(S)In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have (T)obeyed My voice." Third Reading: Exodus 14:15--15:1 15Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 1(A)Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, "(B)I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; (C)The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14 5"For your (M)husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your (N)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the (O)God of all the earth. 6"For the LORD has called you, Like a wife (P)forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God. 7"For a (Q)brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will (R)gather you. 8"In an (S)outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting (T)lovingkindness I will (U)have compassion on you," Says the LORD your (V)Redeemer. 9"For this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that the waters of Noah Would (W)not flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will (X)not be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you. 10"For the (Y)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My (Z)covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says (AA)the LORD who has compassion on you. 11"O (AB)afflicted one, storm-tossed, and (AC)not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will (AD)lay in (AE)sapphires. 12"Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, And your gates of crystal, And your entire wall of precious stones. 13"(AF)All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be (AG)great. 14"In (AH)righteousness you will be established; You will be far from (AI)oppression, for you will (AJ)not fear; And from (AK)terror, for it will not come near you Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11 1"Ho! Every one who (A)thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have (B)no money come, buy and eat Come, buy (C)wine and milk (D)Without money and without cost. 2"Why do you spend money for what is (E)not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and (F)eat what is good, And (G)delight yourself in abundance. 3"(H)Incline your ear and come to Me Listen, that you may (I)live; And I will make (J)an everlasting covenant with you, According to the (K)faithful mercies shown to David. 4"Behold, I have made (L)him a witness to the peoples, A (M)leader and commander for the peoples. 5"Behold, you will call a (N)nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will (O)run to you, Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has (P)glorified you." 6(Q)Seek the LORD while He may be found; (R)Call upon Him while He is near. 7(S)Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his (T)thoughts; And let him (U)return to the LORD, And He will have (V)compassion on him, And to our God, For He will (W)abundantly pardon. 8"For My thoughts are not (X)your thoughts, Nor are (Y)your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9"For (Z)as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10"For as the (AA)rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing (AB)seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11So will My (AC)word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will (AD)not return to Me empty, Without (AE)accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Sixth Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32--4:4 Hear, O Isreal, the commandments of life; Listen and know prudence How is it, Isreal That you are in the land of your foes, Grown old in a foreign land Defiled with the dead Accounted with those destined for the netherworld You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom Had you walked in the way of God You would have dwelt in enduring peace. Learn where prudence is Where strength, where understanding, that you may know also Where are length of the eyes, and peace Who has found the place of wisdom Who has entered into her treasures The one who knows all things knows her; He has probed her by his knowledge The one who established the earth for all time And filled it with four-footed beasts He who dismisses the light, and it departs, Calls it, and it obeys him trembling Before whom the stars at their posts Shine and rejoice When he calls them, they answer “Here we are?” Shining with joy for their master Such is our God No other is to be compared to him He has traced out the whole way of understanding And has given her to Jacob, his servant To Isreal, his beloved son. Since then she has appeared on earth, And moved among people She is the book of the precepts of God, The law that endures forever,] All who cling to her will live, But those will die who forsake, Turn, O Jacob, and receive her; Walk by her light toward splendor Give not glory to another, Your privileges to an alien race Blessed are we, O Isreal For what pleases God is known to us! Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-28 16Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by [doing] their [own] way and by their [idolatrous] doings. Their conduct before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman during her [physical] impurity. 18So I poured out My wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their conduct and their [idolatrous] deeds I judged and punished them. 20And when they came to the nations to which they went, they profaned My holy name in that men said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go forth out of His land. 21But I had regard, concern, and compassion for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they went. 22Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations to which you went. 23And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it--My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them--and the nations will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes and yours. 24For I will [a]take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. 28And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God. Epistle: Romans 6:3-11 3Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life. 5For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God]. 6We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. 7For when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from [the power of] sin [among men]. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. 10For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. 11Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. Gospel: Mark 16:1-8 1AND WHEN the Sabbath was past [that is, after the sun had set], Mary Magdalene, and Mary [the mother] of James, and Salome purchased sweet-smelling spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus' body]. 2And very early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb; [by then] the sun had risen. 3And they said to one another, Who will roll back the stone for us out of [the groove across the floor at] the door of the tomb? 4And when they looked up, they [distinctly] saw that the stone was already rolled back, for it was very large. 5And going into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting [there] on the right [side], clothed in a [[a]long, stately, sweeping] robe of white, and they were utterly amazed and struck with terror. 6And he said to them, Do not be amazed and terrified; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.(A) 7But be going; tell the disciples and Peter, He goes before you into Galilee; you will see Him there, [just] as He told you.(B) 8Then they went out [and] fled from the tomb, for trembling and bewilderment and consternation had seized them. And they said nothing about it to anyone, for they were held by alarm and fear. |