MASS READINGS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEAST DAYS
Introduction
The cycle of the Church's traditional liturgy - like the astronomical cycle - is completed within one year. While the calendar year always starts on January 1st, the Church begins her year on the first Sunday of Advent - the date of which varies between November 27 and December 3.
While the calendar year has four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter), the Church has six seasons - Advent, Christmastide, Septuagesima, Lent, Paschaltide and the time after Pentecost. These six seasons vary in length, depending on the date of Easter (which always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring.)
The four weeks of Advent precede the feast of Christ's birth, which falls on December 25th. The period between Christmas and Septuagesima Sunday is known as Christmastide. Septuagesima Sunday can fall anywhere between January 16th and February 22nd, depending on the date of the following Easter Sunday. (Its name comes from the Latin word for "seventy", marking the number of days until the Saturday after Easter.)
The season of Septuagesima is a preparation for Lent (just as Lent is a period of preparation for Easter, the feast of Christ's resurrection.)
Lent is the most ancient of the Church's seasons and is a period of self-denial, fasting and good works in preparation for Easter. It consists of six full weeks, plus the four days which follow Ash Wednesday. Excluding Sundays - which are never days of fasting - it lasts 40 days, in imitation of Christ's fast in the desert (recounted in the Gospel of the first Sunday of Lent).
The last two weeks of Lent - Passion Week and Holy Week - are not separate liturgical seasons, but form an integral part of Lent. The last three days of Holy Week (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday), together with Easter Sunday, comprise the most important days of the Church's liturgical year, since they recall the crucifixion and resurrection of our Saviour.
Paschaltide, which begins on Easter Sunday, runs for 50 days and is followed by the feast of Pentecost (or Whitsunday), which marks the start of the Season after Pentecost. This season, which may last as long as 28 weeks, ends on the day before the first Sunday of Advent, when the Church's year begins all over again.
Every day of the year has its own special liturgical readings. The Epistle is normally taken from one of the letters of the New Testament. The Gospel reading is always taken from the writings of one of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Because of the difficulty of obtaining Tridentine Missals nowadays, Massgoers may have no option but to use Mass leaflets or booklets which contain only the Common of the Mass and do not include the readings of the day. The following list of readings enables Catholics to use their Bible to follow the readings every Sunday and on the major feast days during the year.
© Kieron Wood
| SUNDAY |
EPISTLE |
GOSPEL |
 |
|
|
| • 1st
of Advent |
Rom.
13. 11-14 |
Luke
21. 25-33 |
| • 2nd
of Advent |
Rom.
15. 4-13 |
Matt. 11. 2-10 |
| • 3rd
of Advent |
Phil. 4. 4-7 |
John
1. 19-28 |
| • 4th
of Advent |
1
Cor. 4. 1-5 |
Luke
3. 1-6 |
| • Sunday after Christmas |
Gal.
4. 1-7 |
Luke
2. 33-40 |
| • 1st
after Epiphany |
Rom.
12. 1-5 |
Luke
2. 42-52 |
| • 2nd
after Epiphany |
Rom.
12. 6-16 |
John
2. 1-11 |
| • 3rd
after Epiphany |
Rom.
12. 16-21 |
Matt. 8. 1-13 |
| • 4th
after Epiphany |
Rom.
13. 8-10 |
Matt. 8. 23-27 |
| • 5th
after Epiphany |
Col.
3. 12-17 |
Matt. 13. 24-30 |
| • 6th
after Epiphany |
1
Thess. 1. 2-10 |
Matt. 13. 31-35 |
| • Septuagesima |
1
Cor. 9.24-10.5 |
Matt. 20. 1-16 |
| • Sexagesima |
2
Cor. 11.19-12.9 |
Luke
8. 4-15 |
| • Quinquagesima |
1
Cor. 13. 1-13 |
Luke
18. 31-43 |
| • 1st
of Lent |
2
Cor. 6. 1-10 |
Matt. 4. 1-11 |
| • 2nd
of Lent |
1
Thess. 4. 1-7 |
Matt. 17. 1-9 |
| • 3rd
of Lent |
Ephes. 5. 1-9 |
Luke
11. 14-28 |
| • 4th
of Lent |
Gal.
4. 22-31 |
John
6. 1-15 |
| • Passion Sunday |
Heb.
9. 11-15 |
John
8. 46-59 |
| • Palm
Sunday |
Phil. 2. 5-11 |
Matt. 26.36-27.60 |
| • Easter Sunday |
1
Cor. 5. 7-8 |
Mark
16. 1-7 |
| • Low
Sunday |
1
John 5. 4-10 |
John
20. 19-31 |
| • 2nd
after Easter |
1
Peter 2. 21-25 |
John
10. 11-16 |
| • 3rd
after Easter |
1
Peter 2. 11-19 |
John
16. 16-22 |
| • 4th
after Easter |
James 1. 17-21 |
John
16. 5-14 |
| • 5th
after Easter |
James 1. 22-27 |
John
16. 23-30 |
| • Sunday after Ascension |
1
Peter 4. 7-11 |
John
15.26-16.4 |
| • Pentecost |
Acts
2. 1-11 |
John
14. 23-31 |
| • Trinity |
Rom.
11. 33-36 |
Matt. 28. 18-20 |
| • 1st
after Pentecost |
1
John 4. 8-21 |
Luke
6. 36-42 |
| • 2nd
after Pentecost |
1
John 3. 13-18 |
Luke
14. 16-24 |
| • 3rd
after Pentecost |
1
Peter 5. 6-11 |
Luke
15. 1-10 |
| • 4th
after Pentecost |
Rom.
8. 18-23 |
Luke
5. 1-11 |
| • 5th
after Pentecost |
1
Peter 3. 8-15 |
Matt. 5. 20-24 |
| • 6th
after Pentecost |
Rom.
6. 3-11 |
Mark
8. 1-9 |
| • 7th
after Pentecost |
Rom.
6. 19-23 |
Matt. 7. 15-21 |
| • 8th
after Pentecost |
Rom.
8. 12-17 |
Luke
16. 1-9 |
| • 9th
after Pentecost |
1
Cor. 10. 6-13 |
Luke
19. 41-47 |
| • 10th
after Pentecost |
1
Cor. 12. 2-11 |
Luke
18. 9-14 |
| • 11th
after Pentecost |
1
Cor. 15. 1-10 |
Mark
7. 31-37 |
| • 12th
after Pentecost |
2
Cor. 3. 4-9 |
Luke
10. 23-37 |
| • 13th
after Pentecost |
Gal.
3. 16-22 |
Luke
17. 11-19 |
| • 14th
after Pentecost |
Gal.
5. 16-24 |
Matt. 6. 24-33 |
| • 15th
after Pentecost |
Gal.
5.25-6.10 |
Luke
7. 11-16 |
| • 16th
after Pentecost |
Ephes. 3. 13-21 |
Luke
14. 1-11 |
| • 17th
after Pentecost |
Ephes. 4. 1-6 |
Matt. 22. 34-46 |
| • 18th
after Pentecost |
1
Cor. 1. 4-8 |
Matt. 9. 1-8 |
| • 19th
after Pentecost |
Ephes. 4. 23-28 |
Matt. 22. 1-14 |
| • 20th
after Pentecost |
Ephes. 5. 15-21 |
John
4. 46-53 |
| • 21st
after Pentecost |
Ephes. 6. 10-17 |
Matt. 18. 23-35 |
| • 22nd
after Pentecost |
Phil. 1. 6-11 |
Matt. 22. 15-21 |
| • 23rd
after Pentecost |
Phil. 3.17-4.3 |
Matt. 9. 18-26 |
| • 24th
after Pentecost |
Col.
1. 9-14 |
Matt. 24. 15-35 |
| • Christ the King |
Col.
1. 12-20 |
John
18. 33-37 |
| FEAST DAY |
EPISTLE |
GOSPEL |
|
|
|
| • Immaculate Conception |
Prov. 8. 22-35 |
Luke
1. 26-28 |
| • Christmas Day |
Titus 2. 11-15 |
Luke
2. 1-14 |
| • Circumcision |
Titus 2. 11-15 |
Luke
2. 21 |
| • Holy
Name |
Acts
4. 8-12 |
Luke
2. 21 |
| • Epiphany |
Isaias 60. 1-6 |
Matt. 2. 1-12 |
| • Holy
Family |
Col.
3. 12-17 |
Luke
2. 42-52 |
| • Purification |
Malachy 3. 1-4 |
Luke
2. 22-32 |
| • St
Patrick |
Eccli. 44.16-45.20 |
Matt. 25. 14-23 |
| • St
Joseph |
Eccli. 45. 1-6 |
Matt. 1. 18-21 |
| • Ash
Wednesday |
Joel
2. 12-19 |
Matt. 6. 16-21 |
| • Holy
Thursday |
1
Cor. 11. 20-32 |
John
13. 1-15 |
| • Good
Friday |
Osee
6. 1-6 |
John
18.1-19.42 |
| • Annunciation |
Isaias 7. 10-15 |
Luke
1. 26-38 |
| • Ascension |
Acts
1. 1-11 |
Mark
16. 14-20 |
| • Corpus Christi |
1
Cor. 11. 23-29 |
John
6. 56-59 |
| • SS.
Peter and Paul |
Acts
12. 1-11 |
Matt. 16. 13-19 |
| • Assumption |
Jud.
13.22-25;15.10 |
Luke
1. 41-50 |
| • All
Saints |
Apoc. 7. 2-12 |
Matt. 5. 1-12 |
| • All
Souls |
1
Cor. 15. 51-57 |
John
5. 25-29
|
|
