Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
1st Reading – 1 John 1:5-2:2
Beloved:
This is the announcement which we have heard from him, and which we announce to you: that God is light, and in him there is no darkness.
If we claim that we have fellowship with him, and yet we walk in darkness, then we are lying and not telling the truth.
But if we walk in the light, just as he also is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim that we have no sin, then we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, then he is faithful and just, so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity.
If we claim that we have not sinned, then we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us.
My little sons, this I write to you, so that you may not sin. But if anyone has sinned, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just One.
And he is the propitiation for our sins. And not only for our sins, but also for those of the whole world.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 124:2-3, 4-5, 7CD-8
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Had not the LORD been with us
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Alleluia – See Te Deum
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the white robed army of martyrs praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel – Matthew 2:13-18
When the magi had departed, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt. And remain there until I tell you. For it will happen that Herod will seek the boy to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the boy and his mother by night, and withdrew into Egypt.
And he remained there, until the death of Herod, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt, I called my son.”
Then Herod, seeing that he had been fooled by the Magi, was very angry. And so he sent to kill all the boys who were in Bethlehem, and in all its borders, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had learned by questioning the Magi.
Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying:
“A voice has been heard in Ramah, great weeping and wailing: Rachel crying for her sons. And she was not willing to be consoled, because they were no more.”
No comments: