Please let the priest know the readings you have chosen by indicating e.g. Gold Four, Blue two etc., and he will use these at the Wedding Mass or Wedding Service.
INTRODUCTION.
The Rites of Marriage include a
wide selection of Scriptural Readings for use during the several different
celebrations of Marriage. It is
customary to ask the Bride and Groom to select the readings to be used during
their wedding. In making their selection
they should seek to promote and express two ideas: the dignity of marriage
within the Christian context; and the uniqueness of their own particular bond
and commitment to each other.
For
the opening pages of the Sacred Scriptures and consistently throughout the Old
and New Testaments the bond of marriage is seen as a God given blessing, the
foundation of society and for the mutual up building and happiness of the two
individuals concerned. At the same time
the Sacred Scriptures openly proclaim the uniqueness of the individual before
God. In the light of this second
constant teaching of the Scriptures it is clear that each marriage has its own
distinctive quality, the product of the cooperation and common vision of the unique
individuals involved.
The
readings should declare both ideas to those assembled to celebrate the marriage
and should publicly announce the hopes, visions, the sense of unity, the
firmness of conviction and presence of God for the Bride and Groom and the set
out on their married life.
Please choose one reading from either those entitled GOLD pages or from
those entitled GREEN pages, a responsorial psalm from the BLUE pages and a
gospel acclamation from the WHITE page.
The priest will choose a gospel reading from those entitled Red pages.
Please let the priest officiating at your
wedding know of your choice of readings well in advance of the ceremony.
"God
created humankind in his image;
in
the divine image he created them;
male
and female he created them."
Genesis 1:27.
GOLD
ONE
GENESIS
1:26-28,31.
MALE
AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM.
A reading from the book of
Genesis.
God said, “Let us make man in
our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the
fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all
the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.”
God
created man in the image of himself,
in
the image of God he created him,
male
and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying to
them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the
earth and conquer it. Be masters of the
fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, and all living animals on the earth.” God saw all he had made, and indeed it was
very good.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD TWO
GENESIS
2:18-24.
THEY
BECOME ONE BODY.
A reading from the book of
Genesis.
The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be
alone. I will make him a helpmate.” So from the soil the Lord God fashioned all
the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven.
These he brought to the man to see what he would call them; each one was to bear the name the man would
give it. The man gave names to all the
cattle, all the birds of heaven and all the wild beasts. But no helpmate suitable for man was found
for him. So the Lord God made the man
fall into a deep sleep. And while he
slept, he took one of his ribs and enclosed it in flesh. The Lord God built the rib he had taken
from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man exclaimed:
“This
at last is bone from my bones,
and
flesh from my flesh!
This
is to be called woman,
for
this was taken from man.”
This is why a man leaves his
father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD THREE
GENESIS
24:48-51, 58-67.
ISAAC
LOVED REBEKAH.
A reading from the book of
Genesis.
Abraham's servant said to Laban,
“I blessed the Lord, God of my master Abraham, who had so graciously led me to
choose the daughter of my master's brother for his son. Now tell me whether you are prepared to
show kindness and goodness to my master;
if not, say so, and I shall know what to do.”
Laban and Bethuel replied, “This
is from the Lord; it is not in our power to say yes or no to you. Rebekah is there before you. Take her and go; and let her become the wife
of your master's son, as the Lord has decreed.” They called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you
want to leave with this man?” “I
do,” she replied. Accordingly they let their sister Rebekah
go, with her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. They blessed Rebekah in these words:
“Sister
of ours, increase
to
thousands and tens of thousands!
May
your descendants gain possession
of
the gates of their enemies!”
Rebekah and her servant stood
up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah and
departed.
Isaac, who lived in the Negeb,
had meanwhile come into the wilderness of Lahai Roi. Now Isaac went walking in the fields as
evening fell, and looking up saw camels approaching. And Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She jumped down from her camel, and asked
the servant, “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” The servant replied, “That is my master;” then she took her veil and hid her face. The servant told Isaac the whole story, and
Isaac led Rebekah into his tent and made her his wife; and loved her. And so Isaac was consoled for the loss of
his mother.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD FOUR
TOBIT
7:6-14.
THE
LORD GRANT YOU GRACE AND PEACE.
A reading from the book of
Tobit.
Raguel kissed Tobias and
wept. Then finding words, he said,
`Blessings on you child! You are the son
of a noble father. How sad it is that
someone so virtuous and full of good deeds should have gone blind!' He fell on
the neck of his kinsman Tobias and wept.
And his wife Edna wept for him and so did his daughter Sarah. Raguel killed a sheep from the flock, and
they gave Tobias and Raphael a warm-hearted welcome.
They washed and bathed and sat
down to table. Then Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother
Azarias, will you ask Raguel to give me my sister Sarah?” Raguel overheard the words, and said to the
young man, “Eat and drink, and make the most of your evening; no one else has
the right to take my daughter Sarah - no one but you my brother. In any case I, for my own part, am not at
liberty to give her to anyone else, since you are her next of kin.... Very
well. Since, as prescribed by the Book
of Moses, she is given to you, heaven itself decrees she shall be yours. She is given to you from today for ever. The Lord of heaven favour you tonight, my
child, and grant you his grace and peace.”
Raguel called his daughter Sarah, took her by the hand and gave her to
Tobias with these words, “I entrust her
to you; the law and the ruling record of the Book of Moses assign her to you as
your wife. Take her; take her home to
your father's house with a good conscience.
The God of heaven grant you a good journey in peace.” Then he turned to her mother and asked her
to fetch him writing paper. He drew up
the marriage contract, how he gave his daughter as bride to Tobias according to
the ordinance in the Law of Moses.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD FIVE
TOBIT
8:4-8.
BRING
US TO OLD AGE TOGETHER.
A reading from the book of
Tobit.
On the evening of their
marriage, Tobias said to Sarah, “You and
I must pray and petition our Lord to win his grace and protection.” They began to praying for protection, and this
was how he began:
“You
are blessed, O God of our fathers;
blessed
too, is your name
for
ever and ever.
Let
the heavens bless you
and
all things you have made
for
evermore.
It
was you who created Adam,
you
who created Eve his wife
to
be his help and support;
and
from these two the human race was born.
It
was you who said,
“It
is not good that the man should be alone;
let
us make him a helpmate like himself.”
And
so I do not take my sister
for
any lustful motive;
I
do it in singleness of heart.
Be
kind enough to have pity on her and on me
and
bring us to old age together.”
And together they said, “Amen, Amen”.
This is the word of God.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD SIX
SONG
OF SONGS 2:8-10,14,16, 8:6-7.
LOVE
NO FLOOD CAN QUENCH.
A reading from the Song of
Songs.
I hear my Beloved.
See how she comes
leaping on the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My Beloved is like a gazelle,
like a young stag.
See where he stands
behind our wall.
He looks in at the window,
he peers through the lattice.
My Beloved lifts up his voice,
he says to me,
“Come then, my love,
my lovely one, come.
My dove, hiding in the clefts of
the rock.
In the coverts of the cliff,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet
and your face is beautiful.”
My beloved is mine and I am his.
Set me like a seal on your
heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is strong as Death
jealousy relentless as Sheol.
The flash of it is a flash of
fire,
a flame of the Lord himself.
Love no flood can quench,
no torrents drown.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD SEVEN
ECCLESIASTICUS
26:1-4. 13-16.
THEY
WILL BE GLAD OF HEART.
A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus.
Happy the husband of a really
good wife;
the number of his days will be
doubled.
A perfect wife is the joy of her
husband,
he will live out the years of
his life in peace.
A good wife is the best of
portions,
reserved for those who fear the
Lord;
rich or poor, they will be glad
at heart;
cheerful of face, whatever the
season.
The grace of a wife will charm
her husband,
her accomplishments will make
him stronger.
A silent wife is a gift from the
Lord,
no price can be put on a
well-trained character.
A modest wife is a boon twice
over,
a chaste character cannot be
weighed on scales.
Like the sun rising over the
mountains of the Lord
is the beauty of a good wife in
a well-kept house.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD EIGHT
JEREMIAH
31:31-34.
I
WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT.
A reading from the prophet
Jeremiah.
“See, the days are coming” - it
is the Lord who speaks - “when I will make a new covenant with the House of
Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with
their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt. No, this is the covenant
I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive - it is the Lord
who speaks. Deep within them I will
plant my Law, writing it on their hearts.
Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour
to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, “Learn to know the Lord!” No, they will all know me, the least no less
than the greatest” - it is the Lord who speaks.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOLD NINE
REVELATION
19:1. 5-9.
LET
US BE GLAD AND JOYFUL.
A reading from the book of
Revelation.
I, John, seemed to hear the
great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing,
“Alleluia! Victory and glory and
power to our God!”
Then a voice came from the
throne; it said, “Praise our God, you servants of his and all who, great or
small, revere him.” And I seemed to hear
the voices of a huge crowd, like the
sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, “Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God
Almighty has begun, let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because
this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb.
His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling
white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints.” The angel said, “Write this: Happy are those who are invited
to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
BLUE ONE
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 32:12. 18. 20-22.
The response to the Psalm
is: “The Lord fills the earth with his
love.”
They
are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the
people he has chosen as his own.
The
Lord looks on those who revere him,
on
those who hope in his love.
Our
soul is waiting for the Lord.
The
Lord is our help and our shield.
In
him do our hearts find joy.
We
trust in his holy name.
May
your love be upon us, O Lord,
as
we place all our hopes in you.
BLUE TWO
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 148:1-4. 9-14
The response to the Psalm is:
“Praise the name of the Lord.”
Praise
the Lord from the heavens,
praise
him in the heights.
Praise
him, all his angels,
praise
him, all his host. R.
Praise
him, sun and moon,
praise
him, shining stars,
Praise
him, highest heavens
and
the waters above the heavens. R.
All
mountains and hills,
all
fruit trees and cedars,
beasts,
wild and tame,
reptiles
and birds on the wing. R.
All
earth's kings and peoples,
earth's
princes and rulers,
young
men and maidens,
old
men together with children. R.
Let
them praise the name of the Lord
for
he alone is exalted.
The
splendor of his name
reaches
beyond heaven and earth. R.
BLUE THREE
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 144:8-10. 15. 17-18.
The response to the Psalm is:
“How good is the Lord to all.”
The
Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow
to anger, abounding in love.
How
good is the Lord to all,
compassionate
to all his creatures. R.
All
your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and
your friends shall repeat their blessing.
The
eyes of all creatures look to you
and
you give them their food in due time. R.
The
Lord is just in all his ways
and
loving in all his deeds
He
is close to all who call him,
who
call on him from their hearts. R.
BLUE FOUR
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 102:1-2. 8. 13. 17-18.
The response to the Psalm is:
“The Lord is compassion and love.”
My
soul, give thanks to the Lord,
all
my being, bless his holy name.
My
soul, give thanks to the Lord
and
never forget all his blessings. R.
The
Lord is compassion and love,
slow
to anger and rich in mercy.
As
a father has compassion on his sons,
the
Lord has pity on those who fear him. R.
The
love the Lord is everlasting
upon
those who hold him in fear;
his
justice reaches out to children's children
when
they keep his covenant in truth. R.
BLUE FIVE
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 127:1-5
The response to the Psalm is: “O
blessed are those who fear the Lord!”
O
blessed are those who fear the Lord
and
walk in his ways!
By
the labour of your hands you shall eat.
You
will be happy and prosper. R.
Your
wife will be like a fruitful vine
in
the heart of your house;
your
children like shoots of the olive,
around
your table. R.
Indeed
thus shall be blessed
the
man who fears the Lord.
May
the Lord bless you from Zion
all
the days of your life! R.
BLUE SIX
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 33:2 - 9.
The response to the Psalm is: “I
will bless the Lord at all times.”
I will
bless the Lord at all times,
his
praise always on my lips;
in
the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The
humble shall hear and be glad. R.
Glorify
the Lord with me.
Together
let us praise his name.
I
sought the Lord and he answered me;
from
all my terrors he set me free. R.
Look
towards him and be radiant;
let
your faces not be abashed.
This
poor man called; the Lord heard him
and
rescued him from all his distress. R.
The
angel of the Lord is encamped
around
those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste
and see that the Lord is good.
He
is happy who seeks refuge in him. R.
BLUE
SEVEN
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 111:1-9.
The response to the Psalm
is: “Happy the man who takes delight
in the Lord's commands.”
Happy
the man who fears the Lord,
who
takes delight in his commands.
His
sons will be powerful on earth;
the
children of the upright are blessed. R.
Riches
and wealth are in his house;
his
justice stands firm for ever.
He
is light in the darkness for the upright:
he
is generous, merciful and just. R.
The
good man takes pity and lends,
he
conducts his affairs with honour.
The
just man will never waver:
he
will be remembered for ever. R.
He
has no fear of evil news;
with
a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With
a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he
will see the downfall of his foes. R.
Open-handed,
he gives to the poor;
his
justice stands firm for ever.
His
head will be raised in glory. R.
GREEN ONE
ROMANS
8:31-35. 37-39.
NOTHING
BETWEEN US AND CHRIST'S LOVE.
A reading from the letter of St.
Paul to the Romans.
With God on our side who can be
against us? Since God did not spare his
own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a
gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has
chosen? When God acquits, could anyone
condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us - he rose from the dead,
and there at God's right hand he stands and pleads for us.
Nothing therefore can come
between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried or being
persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even
attacked. These are the trials through
which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.
For I am certain of this:
neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still
to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever
come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN TWO
ROMANS
12:1-2. 9-18.
DISCOVER
THE WILL OF GOD.
A reading from the letter of St.
Paul to the Romans.
Think of God's mercy, my
brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking
beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to
God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour
of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new
mind. This is the only way to discover
the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the
perfect thing to do.
Do not let your love be a
pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil.
Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect
for each other. Work for the Lord with
untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope, this will make you
cheerful. Do not give up if trials come;
and keep on praying. If any of the
saints are in need you must share with them, and you should make hospitality
your special care.
Bless those who persecute you:
never curse them, bless them. Rejoice
with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be
condescending but make real friends with the poor. Do not allow yourself to become
self-satisfied. Never repay evil with
evil but let everyone see that you are interested only in the highest
ideals. Do all you can to live at peace
with everyone.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN THREE
1
CORINTHIANS 6:13-15. 17-20.
MAKING
UP THE BODY OF CHRIST.
A reading from the first letter
of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
The body is not meant for
fornication; it is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. God, who raised the Lord from the dead, will
by his power raise us up too.
You know, surely, that your
bodies are members making up the body of Christ. But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one
spirit with him.
Keep away from fornication. All the other sins are committed outside the
body; but to fornicate is to sin against your own body. Your body, you know, is the temple of the
Holy Spirit, who is in you since you received him from God. You are not your own property; you have been
bought and paid for. That is why you
should use your body for the glory of God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN FOUR
1
CORINTHIANS 12:31 - 13:8.
BUT
WITHOUT LOVE...
A reading from the first letter
of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
Be ambitious for the higher
gifts. And I am going to show you a way
that is better than any of them.
If I have all the eloquence of
men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a
cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of
prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything,
and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love,
then I am nothing at all. If I give away
all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn
it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind;
it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or
selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins
but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and
to endure whatever comes.
Love does not come to an end.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN FIVE
EPHESIANS
5:2. 21-33.
FOLLOW
CHRIST BY LOVING AS HE LOVED.
A reading from the letter to the
Ephesians.
Follow Christ by loving as he
loved you, giving himself up in our place.
Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they
regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole
body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to
Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as
Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water
with a form of words, so that when he took her to himself she would be
glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and
faultless. In the same way, husbands
must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife
is for him to love himself. A man never
hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way
Christ treats the Church, because it is his body - and we are its living
parts. For this reason, a man must leave
his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one
body. This mystery has many
implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church. To sum up; you too, each one of you, must
love his wife as he loves himself; and let every wife respect her husband.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN SIX
COLOSSIANS
3:12-17.
PUT
ON LOVE.
A reading from the letter to the
Colossians.
You are God's chosen race, his
saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in
kindness and humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel
begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now
you must do the same. Over all these
clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your
hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one
body. Always be thankful.
Let the message of Christ, in
all its richness, find a home with you.
Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and
hymns and inspired songs to God and never say or do anything except in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN SEVEN
1 PETER 3:1-9.
AGREE
AMONG YOURSELVES.
A reading from the first letter
of Peter.
Wives should be obedient to
their husbands. Then, if there are some
husbands who have not yet obeyed the word, they may find themselves won over,
without a word spoken, by the way their wives behave, when they see how
faithful and conscientious they are. Do
not dress up for show: doing up your hair, wearing gold bracelets and fine
clothes; all this should be inside, in a person's heart, imperishable: the
ornament of a sweet and gentle disposition - this is what is precious in the
sight of God. That was how the holy
women of the past dressed themselves attractively - they hoped in God and were
tender and obedient to their husbands; like Sarah, who was obedient to Abraham,
and called him her lord. You are now her
children, as long as you live good lives and do not give way to fear or worry.
In the same way, husbands must
always treat their wives with consideration in their life together, respecting
a woman as one who, though she may be the weaker partner, is equally an heir to
the life of grace. This will stop
anything from coming in the way of your prayers.
Finally: you should all agree
among yourselves and be sympathetic; love the brothers, have compassion and be
self-effacing. Never pay back one wrong
with another one; instead, pay back with a blessing. That is what you are called to do, so that
you inherit a blessing yourself.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN EIGHT
1
JOHN 3:18-24.
LOVE
IS SOMETHING REAL AND ACTIVE.
A reading from the first letter
of John.
My children,
our love is not to be just words
or mere talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the
truth
and be able to quieten our
conscience in his presence,
whatever accusations it may
raise against us,
because God is greater than our
conscience and he knows everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our
own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God's
presence,
and whatever we ask him,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that
he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of
his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in
him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given
us.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GREEN NINE
1
JOHN 4:7-12.
LET
US LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
A reading from the first letter
of John.
My dear people,
let us love one another
since love comes from God
and everyone who loves is
begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can
never have known God,
because God is love.
God's love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his
only Son
so that we could have life
through him;
this is the love I mean:
not our love for God,
but God's love for us when he
sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes
our sins away.
My dear people,
since God has loved us so much,
we too should love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
but as long as we love one
another
God will live in us
and his love will be complete in
us.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCAMALATION:
Alleluia, alleluia! WHITE
ONE
As long as we love one another
God will love in us,
and his love will be complete in
us.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia! WHITE
TWO
Anyone who lives in love
lives in God,
and God lives in them.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia! WHITE
THREE
God is love;
let us love one another
as God has loved us.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia! WHITE
FOUR
Everyone who loves
is begotten by God,
and knows God
Alleluia!
RED ONE
MATTHEW
5:1-12.
THIS
IS WHAT HE TAUGHT THEM.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to Matthew.
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up
the hill. There he sat down and was
joined by his disciples. Then he began
to speak. This is what he taught them:
“How
happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy
the gentle:
they
shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy
those who mourn:
they
shall be comforted.
Happy
those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they
shall be satisfied.
Happy
the merciful:
they
shall have mercy shown them.
Happy
the pure in heart:
they
shall see God.
Happy
the peacemakers:
they
shall be called sons of God.
Happy
those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Happy are you when people
ill-treat you and persecute you and
speak all kings of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be
great in heaven.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED
TWO
MATTHEW
5:13-16.
YOU
ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to Matthew.
Jesus said to his
disciples: “You are the salt of the
earth. But if salt becomes tasteless,
what can make it salty again? It is good
for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.”
“You are the light of the
world. A city built on a hilltop cannot
be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put
it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in
the house. In the same way your light
must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give
the praise to your Father in heaven.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED
THREE
MATTHEW
7:21. 24-29.
HE
BUILT HIS HOUSE ON ROCK.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to Matthew.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“It is not those who say to me,
“Lord, Lord”, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father
in heaven.”
“Therefore, everyone who listens
to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built
his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled
themselves against the house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of
mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on
sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales
blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!”
Jesus had now finished what he
wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people because he
taught them with authority, and not like their own scribes.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED FOUR
MATTHEW
19:3-6.
GOD HAS UNITED, MAN MUST NOT DIVIDE.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to Matthew.
Some Pharisees approached Jesus,
and to test him they said, “Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife
on any pretext whatever?” He
answered, “Have you not read that the
creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is
why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two
become one body? They are no longer two,
therefore, but one body. So then, what
God has united, man must not divide.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED FIVE
MATTHEW
22:35-40.
LOVE
YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF.
A lawyer, to disconcert Jesus,
put a question, “Master, which is the
greatest commandment of the Law?”
Jesus said, “You must love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the greatest and first
commandment. The second resembles
it: You must love your neighbour as
yourself. On these two commandments
hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED
SIX
MARK
10:6-9.
THEY
ARE NO LONGER TWO, BUT ONE BODY.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to Mark.
Jesus said, “From the beginning of creation God made them
male and female. This is why a man must
leave father and mother, and the two become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one
body. So then, what God has united, man
must not divide.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED SEVEN
JOHN
2:1-11.
JESUS
AT CANA IN GALILEE.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to John.
There was a wedding at Cana in
Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there,
and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine
provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to
him: “They have no wine.” Jesus said,
“Woman why turn to me? My hour
has not come yet.” His mother said to
the servants: “Do whatever he tells
you.” There were six stone water jars
standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each
could hold twenty or thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill
the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. “Draw some out now,” he told them “and take it to the steward.” They did this; the steward tasted the water,
and it had turned into wine. Having no
idea where it came from - only the servants who had drawn the water knew - the
steward called the bridegroom and said,
“People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort
till the guests have had plenty to drink, but you have kept the best wine till
now.”
This was the first of the signs
given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples
believed in him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED EIGHT
JOHN
15:9-12.
REMAIN
IN MY LOVE.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to John.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As
the Father has loved me,
so
I have loved you.
Remain
in my love.
If
you keep my commandments
you
will remain in my love,
just
as I have kept my Father's commandments
and
remain in his love.
I
have told you this
so
that my own joy may be in you
and
your joy be complete.
This
is my commandment:
love
one another,
as
I loved you.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED NINE
JOHN
15:12-16.
I
COMMAND YOU TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to John.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“This
is my commandment:
love
one another,
as
I have loved you.
A
man can have no greater love
than
to lay down his life for his friends.
You
are my friends,
if
you do what I command you.
I
shall not call you servants any more,
because
a servant does not know
his
master's business;
I
call you friends,
because
I have made known to you
everything
I have learnt from my Father.
You
did not choose me,
no,
I chose you;
and
I commissioned you
to
go out and to bear fruit,
fruit
that will last;
and
then the Father will give you
anything
you ask him in my name.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
RED TEN
JOHN
17:20-26.
MAY
THEY BE COMPLETELY ONE.
A reading from the holy Gospel
according to John.
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven
and said:
“Holy
Father,
I
pray not only for these,
but
for those also
who
through their words will believe in me.
May
they all be one.
Father,
may they be one in us,
as
you are in me and I am in you,
so that
the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I
have given them the glory you gave to me,
that
they may be one as we are one.
With
me in them and you in me,
may
they be so completely one
that
the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and
that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father,
I want those you have given me
to
be with me where I am,
so
that they may always see the glory
you
have given me because you loved me
before
the foundation of the world.
Father,
Righteous One,
the
world has not known you,
but
I have known you,
and
these have known
that
you have sent me.
I
have made your name known to them
and
will continue to make it known,
so that
the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and
so that I may be in them.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.