Lev 19:1-2.11-18; Matthew 25

Memorial of Ss. Perpetua and Felicity Martyrs.
Readings on p. 205 and Antiphons on p. 1579 of the Daily Missal.

Entrance Antiphon.
The souls of the Saints are rejoicing in heaven, the saints who followed the footsteps of Christ, and since for love of him they shed their blood, now with Christ they exult forever.

First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2.11-18

A reading from the Book of Leviticus.

The Lord said to Moses,
“Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel,
You shall be holy;
for I the Lord your God am holy.

“You shall not steal, nor deal falsely,
nor lie to one another.
And you shall not swear by my name falsely,
and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall not oppress your neighbour or rob him.
The wages of a hired servant
shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
You shall not curse the deaf
or put a stumbling block before the blind,
but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall do no injustice in judgment;
you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great,
but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.
You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people,
and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbour:
I am the Lord.

“You shall not hate your brother or sister in your heart,
but you shall reason with your neighbour,
lest you bear sin because of him.
You shall not take vengeance
or bear any grudge against the children of your own people,
but you shall love your neighbour as yourself:
I am the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8.9.10.15 (R. see John 6:63c)

Let us now pray the Responsorial Psalm beginning and ending with the response:

R/. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.

The law of the Lord is perfect;
it revives the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are steadfast;
they give wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right;
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear;
it gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure,
abiding forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true;
they are, all of them, just.

May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favour in your sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer!

R/. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.

Please stand for the Gospel.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

 

 

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

At that time:
Jesus said to his disciples,
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Before him will be gathered all the nations,
and he will separate them one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
and he will place the sheep at his right hand,
but the goats at the left.
Then the King will say to those at his right hand,
‘Come, O blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you clothed me,
I was sick and you visited me,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them,
‘Truly, I say to you,
as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,
you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those at his left hand,
‘Depart from me, you cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
for I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not clothe me,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

Then they also will answer,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not minister to you?’

Then he will answer them,
‘Truly, I say to you,
as you did it not to one of the least of these,
you did it not to me.’
And they will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon.
For the sake of Jesus we are given up to death, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh