OFFICE OF READINGS

Invocation to the Holy Family

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph most kind,

Bless us now and in death's agony.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Jer 1:4-5, 17-19

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I dedicated you,

a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

But do you gird your loins;

stand up and tell them

all that I command you.

Be not crushed on their account,

as though I would leave you crushed before them;

for it is I this day

who have made you a fortified city,

a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,

against the whole land:

against Judah’s kings and princes,

against its priests and people.

They will fight against you but not prevail over you,

for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17

R. I will sing of your salvation.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;

incline your ear to me, and save me.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to give me safety,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O Lord;

my trust, O God, from my youth.

On you I depend from birth;

from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,

day by day your salvation.

O God, you have taught me from my youth,

and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

Reading 2

1 Cor 12:31—13:13 Or 13:4-13

Brothers and sisters:

Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues,

but do not have love,

I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy,

and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;

if I have all faith so as to move mountains,

but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own,

and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,

but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It is not jealous, it is not pompous,

It is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,

it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

it does not rejoice over wrongdoing

but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;

if tongues, they will cease;

if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,

think as a child, reason as a child;

when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,

but then face to face.

At present I know partially;

then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

or

Brothers and sisters:

Love is patient, love is kind.

It is not jealous, it is not pompous,

it is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,

it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;

if tongues, they will cease;

if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,

think as a child, reason as a child;

when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,

but then face to face.

At present I know partially;

then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

Gospel

Lk 4:21-30

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:

“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

And all spoke highly of him

and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”

He said to them,

“Surely you will quote me this proverb,

‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say,

‘Do here in your native place

the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”

And he said,

“Amen, I say to you,

no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

Indeed, I tell you,

there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah

when the sky was closed for three and a half years

and a severe famine spread over the entire land.

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,

but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.

Again, there were many lepers in Israel

during the time of Elisha the prophet;

yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

When the people in the synagogue heard this,

they were all filled with fury.

They rose up, drove him out of the town,

and led him to the brow of the hill

on which their town had been built,

to hurl him down headlong.

But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.

SAINT OF THE DAY

February 3

St. Ansgar (801-865)

The “apostle of the north” (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint—and he did. He became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Three years later, when the king of Denmark became a convert, Ansgar went to that country for three years of missionary work, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for Christian missionaries, and he went there, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships on the way. Fewer than two years later, he was recalled, to become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped with Emperor Louis’s death. After 13 years’ work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen; 

Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism.

He directed new apostolic activities in the North, traveling to Denmark and being instrumental in the conversion of another king. By the strange device of casting lots, the king of Sweden allowed the Christian missionaries to return.

Ansgar’s biographers remark that he was an extraordinary preacher, a humble and ascetical priest. He was devoted to the poor and the sick, imitating the Lord in washing their feet and waiting on them at table. 

He died peacefully at Bremen, Germany, without achieving his wish to be a martyr.

Sweden became pagan again after his death, and remained so until the coming of missionaries two centuries later.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 23 (24)

We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

the world and all who live in it.

He himself founded it upon the seas

and set it firm over the waters.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

Who will climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who will stand in his holy place?

The one who is innocent of wrongdoing and pure of heart,

who has not given himself to vanities or sworn falsely.

He will receive the blessing of the Lord

and be justified by God his saviour.

This is the way of those who seek him,

seek the face of the God of Jacob.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of might and power.

The Lord, strong in battle.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of hosts

– he is the king of glory.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

 come, let us worship him, alleluia.

Hymn

All creatures of our God and king,

Lift up your voice and with us sing:

Alleluia! alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

Thou silver moon with softer gleam:

O praise him, O praise him!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,

Ye clouds that sail in heaven along,

O praise him, alleluia!

Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,

Ye lights of evening, find a voice:

O praise him, O praise him!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou flowing water pure and clear,

Make music for thy Lord to hear:

Alleluia! alleluia!

Thou fire so masterful and bright,

That givest man both warmth and light:

O praise him, O praise him!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart,

Forgiving others, take your part:

O sing ye, alleluia!

Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,

Praise God and on him cast your care:

O praise him, O praise him!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Psalm 94 (95)

A call to worship

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,

let us acclaim God our salvation.

Let us come before him proclaiming our thanks,

let us acclaim him with songs.

For the Lord is a great God,

a king above all gods.

For he holds the depths of the earth in his hands,

and the peaks of the mountains are his.

For the sea is his: he made it;

and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

bend the knee before the Lord who made us;

for he himself is our God and we are his flock,

the sheep that follow his hand.

If only, today, you would listen to his voice:

“Do not harden your hearts

as you did at Meribah,

on the day of Massah in the desert,

when your fathers tested me –

they put me to the test,

although they had seen my works.”

“For forty years they wearied me,

that generation.

I said: their hearts are wandering,

they do not know my paths.

I swore in my anger:

they will never enter my place of rest.”

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

Psalm 65 (66)

Hymn for a sacrifice of thanksgiving

All peoples, bless our God, 

who gave his life to our souls, alleluia.

Cry out to God, all the earth,

sing psalms to the glory of his name,

give him all glory and praise.

Say to God, “How tremendous your works!

Faced with the greatness of your power

your enemies dwindle away.

Let all the earth worship you and sing your praises,

sing psalms to your name.”

Come and see the works of God,

be awed by what he has done for the children of men.

He turned the sea into dry land,

and they crossed the waters on foot:

therefore will we rejoice in him.

In his might he will rule for all time,

his eyes keep watch on the nations:

no rebellion will ever succeed.

Bless our God, you nations,

and let the sound of your praises be heard.

Praise him who brought us to life,

and saved us from stumbling.

For you have tested us, O Lord,

you have tried us by fire, as silver is tried.

You led us into the trap,

heaped tribulations upon us.

You set other men to rule over us –

but we passed through fire and water,

and you led us out to our rest.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

All peoples, bless our God, 

who gave his life to our souls, alleluia.

Psalm 65 (66)

Come and hear, all who fear God.

I will tell what he did for my soul, alleluia.

I shall enter your house with burnt-offerings.

I shall fulfil my vows to you,

the vows that I made with my lips,

the vows that I uttered in my troubles.

I shall offer you rich burnt-offerings,

the smoke of the flesh of rams;

I shall offer you cattle and goats.

Draw near and listen, you who fear the Lord,

and I will tell all that he has done for me.

I cried out aloud to him,

and his praise was on my tongue.

If I looked upon sin in the depths of my heart,

the Lord would not hear me –

but the Lord has listened,

he has heard the cry of my appeal.

Blessed be God, who has not spurned my prayer,

who has not kept his mercy from me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Come and hear, all who fear God.

I will tell what he did for my soul, alleluia.

The word of God is a living and active thing.

– It is sharper than a double-edged sword.

Reading

1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12

From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy,

to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ;

wishing you grace and peace.

We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction. And you observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, and you were led to become imitators of us, and of the Lord; and it was with the joy of the Holy Spirit that you took to the gospel, in spite of the great opposition all round you. This has made you the great example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia since it was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread – and not only throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us how we started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, 

to come from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.

You know yourselves, my brothers, that our visit to you has not proved ineffectual.

We had, as you know, been given rough treatment and been grossly insulted at Philippi, and it was our God who gave us the courage to proclaim his Good News to you in the face of great opposition. We have not taken to preaching because we are deluded, or immoral, or trying to deceive anyone; it was God who decided that we were fit to be entrusted with the Good News, and when we are speaking, we are not trying to please men but God, who can read our inmost thoughts. You know very well, and we can swear it before God, that never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery, or a cover for trying to get money; nor have we ever looked for any special honour from men, either from you or anybody else, when we could have imposed ourselves on you with full weight, as apostles of Christ.

Instead, we were unassuming. Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as well. Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, that our treatment of you, since you became believers, has been impeccably right and fair. You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.

Responsory

You were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God,

and you are now waiting for his Son,

whom he raised from the dead,

to come from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.

May the Lord be generous in increasing your love,

and may he confirm your hearts in holiness until the Lord comes

to save us from the retribution which is coming.

Reading

From a letter to the Church of Smyrna

by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

Christ has called us to his kingdom and glory

From Ignatius, known as Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, his beloved, at Smyrna in Asia, wishing you all joy in an immaculate spirit and the Word of God. By his mercy you have won every gift and lack none, filled as you are with faith and love, beloved of God and fruitful in sanctity.

I celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ as God, because he is responsible for your wisdom, well aware as I am of the perfection of your unshakeable faith. You are like men who have been nailed body and soul to the cross of Jesus Christ, confirmed in love by his blood.

In regard to the Lord, you firmly believe that he was of the race of David according to the flesh, but God’s son by the will and power of God; truly born of the Virgin and baptized by John, that all justice might be fulfilled; truly nailed to a cross in the flesh for our sake under Pontius Pilate and the Tetrarch Herod, and of his most blessed passion we are the fruit. And thus, by his resurrection he raised up a standard over his saints and faithful ones for all time (both Jews and Gentiles alike) in the one body of his Church. For he endured all this for us, for our salvation; 

and he really suffered, and just as truly rose from the dead.

As for myself, I am convinced that he was united with his body even after the resurrection. When he visited Peter and his companions, he said to them: Take hold of me, touch me and see that I am not a spirit without a body. Immediately they touched him and believed, clutching at his body and his very spirit. And for this reason they despised death and conquered it. In addition, after his resurrection, the Lord ate and drank with them like a real human being, 

even though in spirit he was united with his Father.

And so I am giving you serious instruction on these things, dearly beloved, 

even though I am aware that you believe them to be so.

Responsory

I am dead to the law, so that I can live for God.

The life I now live in this body I live in faith:

faith in the Son of God, who loved me and sacrificed himself for my sake.

I have been crucified with Christ,

and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me,

who loved me and sacrificed himself for my sake.

Hymn

Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal –

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power –

The cherubim, the seraphim –

unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”

The glorious choir of Apostles –

The noble ranks of prophets –

The shining army of martyrs –

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

– Father of immeasurable majesty,

– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

– You are the king of glory.

– You are the Father’s eternal Son.

– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.

– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.

– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants,

whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Let us pray.

Lord our God,

make us love you above all things,

and all our fellow-men

with a love that is worthy of you.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.