Mass in the Morning
Acts 28: 16- 20, 30- 31
| 28:16 | And when we had arrived at Rome, Paul was given permission to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him. |
| 28:17 | And after the third day, he called together the leaders of the Jews. And when they had convened, he said to them: “Noble brothers, I have done nothing against the people, nor against the customs of the fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. |
| 28:18 | And after they held a hearing about me, they would have released me, because there was no case for death against me. |
| 28:19 | But with the Jews speaking against me, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar, though it was not as if I had any kind of accusation against my own nation. |
| 28:20 | And so, because of this, I requested to see you and to speak to you. For it is because of the hope of Israel that I am encircled with this chain.” |
| 28:30 | Then he remained for two whole years in his own rented lodgings. And he received all who went in to him, |
| 28:31 | preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which are from the Lord Jesus Christ, with all faithfulness, without prohibition. |
John 21: 20- 25
| 21:20 | Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, the one who also had leaned on his chest at supper and said, “Lord, who is it who shall betray you?” |
| 21:21 | Therefore, when Peter had seen him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, but what about this one?” |
| 21:22 | Jesus said to him: “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow me.” |
| 21:23 | Therefore, the saying went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?” |
| 21:24 | This is the same disciple who offers testimony about these things, and who has written these things. And we know that his testimony is true. |
| 21:25 | Now there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if each of these were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not be able to contain the books that would be written. |
Pentecost Vigil
Genesis 11: 1- 9
| 11:1 | Now the earth was of one language and of the same speech. |
| 11:2 | And when they were advancing from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt in it. |
| 11:3 | And each one said to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks, and bake them with fire.” And they had bricks instead of stones, and pitch instead of mortar. |
| 11:4 | And they said: “Come, let us make a city and a tower, so that its height may reach to heaven. And let us make our name famous before we are divided into all the lands.” |
| 11:5 | Then the Lord descended to see the city and the tower, which the sons of Adam were building. |
| 11:6 | And he said: “Behold, the people are united, and all have one tongue. And since they have begun to do this, they will not desist from their plans, until they have completed their work. |
| 11:7 | Therefore, come, let us descend, and in that place confound their tongue, so that they may not listen, each one to the voice of his neighbor.” |
| 11:8 | And so the Lord divided them from that place into all the lands, and they ceased to build the city. |
| 11:9 | And for this reason, its name was called ‘Babel,’ because in that place the language of the whole earth became confused. And from then on, the Lord scattered them across the face of every region. |
Exodus 19: 3- 8, 16- 20
| 19:3 | Then Moses ascended to God. And the Lord called to him from the mountain, and he said: “This you shall say to the house of Jacob, and announce to the sons of Israel: |
| 19:4 | ‘You have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, in what way I carried you upon the wings of eagles and how I have taken you for myself. |
| 19:5 | If, therefore, you will hear my voice, and you will keep my covenant, you will be to me a particular possession out of all people. For all the earth is mine. |
| 19:6 | And you will be to me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the sons of Israel.” |
| 19:7 | Moses went, and calling together those greater by birth among the people, he set forth all the words which the Lord had commanded. |
| 19:8 | And all the people responded together: “Everything that the Lord has spoken, we shall do.” And when Moses had related the words of the people to the Lord, |
| 19:16 | And now, the third day arrived and the morning dawned. And behold, thunders began to be heard, and also lightning flashed, and a very dense cloud covered the mountain, and the noise of the trumpet resounded vehemently. And the people who were in the camp were fearful. |
| 19:17 | And when Moses had led them out to meet God, from the place of the camp, they stood at the base of the mountain. |
| 19:18 | Then all of Mount Sinai was smoking. For the Lord had descended over it with fire, and smoke ascended from it, as from a furnace. And the entire mountain was terrible. |
| 19:19 | And the sound of the trumpet gradually increased to be louder, and extended to be longer. Moses was speaking, and God was answering him. |
| 19:20 | And the Lord descended over Mount Sinai, to the very top of the mountain, and he called Moses to its summit. And when he had ascended there, |
Ezekiel 37: 1- 14
| 37:1 | The hand of the Lord was set upon me, and he led me away in the Spirit of the Lord, and he released me in the midst of a plain which was full of bones. |
| 37:2 | And he led me around, through them, on every side. Now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceedingly dry. |
| 37:3 | And he said to me, “Son of man, do you think that these bones will live?” And I said, “O Lord God, you know.” |
| 37:4 | And he said to me, “Prophesy about these bones. And you shall say to them: Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! |
| 37:5 | Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live. |
| 37:6 | And I will set sinews upon you, and I will cause flesh to grow over you, and I will extend skin over you. And I will give you spirit, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am the Lord.” |
| 37:7 | And I prophesied, just as he had instructed me. But a noise occurred, as I was prophesying, and behold: a commotion. And the bones joined together, each one at its joint. |
| 37:8 | And I saw, and behold: sinews and flesh rose up over them; and skin was extended over them. But they had no spirit within them. |
| 37:9 | And he said to me: “Prophesy to the spirit! Prophesy, O son of man, and you shall say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord God: Approach, O spirit, from the four winds, and blow across these ones who were slain, and revive them.” |
| 37:10 | And I prophesied, just as he had instructed me. And spirit entered into them, and they lived. And they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. |
| 37:11 | And he said to me: “Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel. They say: ‘Our bones are dried out, and our hope has perished, and we have been cut off.’ |
| 37:12 | Because of this, prophesy, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your tombs, and I will lead you away from your sepulchers, O my people. And I will lead you into the land of Israel. |
| 37:13 | And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have opened your sepulchers, and when I will have led you away from your tombs, O my people. |
| 37:14 | And I will place my Spirit within you, and you shall live. And I will cause you to rest upon your own soil. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and acted, says the Lord God.” |
Joel 3: 1- 5
| 3:1 | For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will have converted the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, |
| 3:2 | I will gather all the Gentiles, and will lead them into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And there I will dispute with them over my people, and over Israel, my inheritance, for they have scattered them among the nations and have divided my land. |
| 3:3 | And they have cast lots over my people; and the boy they have placed in the brothel, and the girl they have sold for wine, so that they might drink. |
| 3:4 | Truly, what is there between you and me, Tyre and Sidon and all the distant places of the Philistines? How will you take vengeance on me? And if you were to revenge yourselves against me, I would deliver a repayment to you, quickly and soon, upon your head. |
| 3:5 | For you have carried away my silver and gold. And my desirable and most beautiful, you have taken into your shrines. |
Romans 8: 22- 27
| 8:22 | For we know that every creature groans inwardly, as if giving birth, even until now; |
| 8:23 | and not only these, but also ourselves, since we hold the first-fruits of the Spirit. For we also groan within ourselves, anticipating our adoption as the sons of God, and the redemption of our body. |
| 8:24 | For we have been saved by hope. But a hope which is seen is not hope. For when a man sees something, why would he hope? |
| 8:25 | But since we hope for what we do not see, we wait with patience. |
| 8:26 | And similarly, the Spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself asks on our behalf with ineffable sighing. |
| 8:27 | And he who examines hearts knows what the Spirit seeks, because he asks on behalf of the saints in accordance with God. |
John 7: 37- 39
| 7:37 | Then, on the last great day of the feast, Jesus was standing and crying out, saying: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink: |
| 7:38 | whoever believes in me, just as Scripture says, ‘From his chest shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” |
| 7:39 | Now he said this about the Spirit, which those who believe in him would soon be receiving. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. |