Reading 1, Malachi 3:19-20
19 ‘For look, the Day is coming, glowing like a furnace. All the proud and all the evil-doers will be the stubble, and the Day, when it comes, will set them ablaze, says Yahweh Sabaoth, leaving them neither root nor branch.
20 But for you who fear my name, the Sun of justice will rise with healing in his rays, and you will come out leaping like calves from the stall,
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:5-6, 7-8, 9
5 Play to Yahweh on the harp, to the sound of instruments;
6 to the sound of trumpet and horn, acclaim the presence of the King.
7 Let the sea thunder, and all that it holds, the world and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands, and the mountains shout for joy together,
9 at Yahweh’s approach, for he is coming to judge the earth; he will judge the world with saving justice and the nations with fairness.
Gospel, Luke 21:5-19
5 When 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 — the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed.’
7 And they put to him this question, ‘Master,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?’
8 But he said, ‘Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, “I am the one” and “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them.
9 And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once.’
10 Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven.
12 ‘But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of my name
13 -and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.
14 Make up your minds not to prepare your defence,
15 because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death.
17 You will be hated universally on account of my name,
18 but not a hair of your head will be lost.
19 Your perseverance will win you your lives.
Reading 2, Second Thessalonians 3:7-12
7 You know how you should take us as your model: we were not undisciplined when we were with you,
8 nor did we ever accept food from anyone without paying for it; no, we worked with unsparing energy, night and day, so as not to be a burden on any of you.
9 This was not because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to imitate.
10 We urged you when we were with you not to let anyone eat who refused to work.
11 Now we hear that there are some of you who are living lives without any discipline, doing no work themselves but interfering with other people’s.
12 In the Lord Jesus Christ, we urge and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.
Printable PDF of Today’s Reading
