FIRST READINGS

(A) (Gen. 1:26-38, 31)

A Reading from the Book of Genesis

God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the
cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the
ground.” God created man in his image; in the divine image he created
him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: “Be
fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fist
of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the
earth.” God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.

The Word of the Lord.

(B) (Gen. 2:18-24)

A Reading from the Book of Genesis

The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will
make a suitable partner for him.” So the Lord God formed out of the
ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought
them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called
each of them would be its name. the man gave names to all the cattle, all
the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the
suitable partner for the man.

So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was
asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The
Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the
man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman’,
for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his
father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one
body.

The Word of the Lord.

(C) (Tobit 8:5-7)

A Reading from the Book of Tobit

On the wedding night Sarah got up, and she and Tobiah started to
pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. He began with these words:
“Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your name forever and
ever. Let the heavens and all you creation praise you forever. You made
Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from
these two the human race descended. You said, ‘it is not good for the man
to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.’ Now, Lord, you know
that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a
happy old age.”

The Word of the Lord.

(D) (Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16:8)

A Reading from the Song of Songs

Hark! My lover – here he comes springing across the mountains,

leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he
stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the
lattices. My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful
one, and come! O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses
of the cliff, let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.” My lover belongs to me and I to him. [He said to me:]
Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for stern as death is
love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire.
Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away.
 The Word of the Lord.

E) (Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16)

A Reading from the Book of Sirach

Happy the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days; a

worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life. A good
wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord; be he rich of
poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face. A gracious wife
delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones; a gift
from the Lord is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is of surpassing
worth. Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste person.
Like the sun rising in the Lord’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is
the radiance of her home.

The Word of the Lord.

 RESPONSORIAL PSALMS

(A) (Ps. 103:1-2, 8, 13, 17-18)

(R) THE LORD IS KIND AND MERCIFUL.

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits. (R)

Merciful and gracious is the Lord,

Slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.(R)

But the kindness of the Lord is from eternity to eternity

Toward those who fear him,
And his justice toward children’ children
Among those who keep his covenant.(R)

(B) (Ps. 128:1-2, 3, 4-5)

(R) HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD.

Happy are those who fear the Lord.

Who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
Happy shall you be, and favored. (R)

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

In the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.(R)

Behold, thus is the man blessed

Who fears the Lord.
 The Lord bless you from Sion:
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life. (R)

(C) (Ps. 33:12, 18, 20-21, 22)

(R) THE EARTH IS FULL OF THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD.

Happy the nation whose God is the Lord,

The people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him,
Upon those who hope for his kindness. (R)

Our soul waits for the Lord,

Who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
In his holy name we trust. (R)

May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us

Who have put our hope in you.(R)

(D) (Ps. 145:8-9, 10, 15, 17-18)

(R) THE LORD IS COMPASSIONATE TO ALL HIS CREATURES.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
And compassionate toward all his works. (R)

Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,

And let your faithful ones bless you.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
And you give them their food in due season. (R)
The Lord is just in all his ways
And holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
To all who call upon him in truth.(R)
 SECOND READINGS

(A) (1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:8)

A Reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Set your hearts on the greater gifts. I will show you the way, which
surpasses all the others. If I speak with human tongues and angelic as
well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. If I have
the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I
have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am
nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body
to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on
airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not
prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice
in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s
forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure. Love never fails.

The Word of the Lord.

(B) (Roman 8:31-35, 37-39)

A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

If God is for us, who can be against us? Is it possible that he who did
not spare his own Son but handed him over for the sake of us all will not
grant us all things besides? Who shall bring a charge against God’s
chosen ones? God, who justifies? Who shall condemn them? Christ
Jesus, who died or rather was raised up, who is at the right hand of God
and who intercedes for us?
 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or
persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? Yet in all
this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us. For I
am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities,
neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor
any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that
comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

(C) (Roman 12:1-2, 9-18)

A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans

Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as
a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship. Do
not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing
and perfect.

Your love must be sincere. Detest what is evil, cling to what is good.
Love one another with the affection of brothers. Anticipate each other in
showing respect. Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit; he whom you
serve is the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient under trial, persevere in
prayer. Look on the needs of the saints as your own; be generous in
offering hospitality. Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same
attitude toward all. Put away ambitious thoughts and associate with those
who are lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never repay injury
with injury. See that your conduct is honorable in the eyes of all. If
possible, live peaceably with everyone.

The Word of the Lord.

(D) (Ephesians 5:2, 25-32)

 A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Follow the way of love, even as Christ loved you. He gave himself for
us. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church. He gave
himself up for her to make her holy, purifying her in the bath of water by the
power of the word, to present to himself a glorious church, holy and
immaculate, without stain or wrinkle or anything of that sort. Husbands
should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself. Observe that no one ever hates his own flesh; no, he
nourishes it and takes care of it as Christ cares for the Church – for we are
members of his body.

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall
cling to his wife, and the two shall be made into one.” This is a great
foreshadowing; I mean that it refers to Christ and the Church.

The Word of the Lord.

 GOSPEL

(A) (Matthew 5:1-12)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds he went up on the mountainside. After

he had sat down his disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach
them: “How blest are the poor in spirit: the reign of God is theirs. Blest too
are the sorrowing; they shall be consoled. [Blest are the lowly; they shall
inherit the land.] Blest are they who hunger and thirst for holiness; they
shall have their fill. Blest are they who show mercy; mercy shall be theirs.
Blest are the single-hearted for they shall see God. Blest too the
peacemakers; they shall be called sons of God. Blest are those persecuted
for holiness’ sake; the reign of God is theirs. Blest are you when they
insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you
because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

(B) (Matthew 5:13-16)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But what if
salt goes flat? How can you restore its flavor? Then it is good for nothing
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Men do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket. They set it
on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, your
light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts
and give praise to your heavenly Father.”
 The Gospel of the Lord.

(C) (Matthew 19:3-6)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus and said, to test him, “May a man
divorce his wife for any reason whatever?” He replied, “Have you not read
that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female and declared,
‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his
wife, and the two shall become as one? Thus they are no longer two but
one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

(D) ( John 15:12-16)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one

another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay
down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I
command you. I no longer speak of you as slaves, for a slave does not
know what his master is about. Instead, I call you friends, since I have
made known to you all that I heard from my Father. It was not you who
chose me, it was I who chose you t go forth and bear fruit. Your fruit must
endure, so that all you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

(E) (John 2:1-11)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

 There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was
there. Jesus and his disciples had likewise been invited to the celebration.
At a certain point the wine ran out, and Jesus’ mother told him, “They have
no more wine.” Jesus replied, “Woman, how does this concern of yours
involve me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother instructed those
waiting on table, “Do whatever he tells you.” As prescribed for Jewish
ceremonial washings, there were at hand six stone water jars, each on
holding fifteen to twenty-five galloons. “Fill those jars with water,” Jesus
ordered, at which they filled them to the brim. “Now,” he said, “draw
some out and take it to the waiter in charge.” They did as he instructed
them. The waiter in charge tasted the water made wine, without knowing
where it had come from; only the waiters knew, since they had drawn the
water. Then the waiter in charge called the groom over and remarked to
him: “People usually serve the choice wine first; then when the guests
have been drinking a while, a lesser vintage. What you have done is keep
the choice wine until now.” Jesus performed this first of his signs at Cane
in Galilee. Thus did he reveal his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

(F) ( John 15:9-12)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father has loved me, so I have
loved you. Live on in my love. You will live in my love if you keep my
commandments, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and live
in his love. All this I tell you that my joy may be yours and your joy may be
complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved
you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.