Widow

First Reading 1 Kings 17:10-16 10So he arose and went to Zar'ephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." 11And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." 13And Eli'jah said to her, "Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son. 14For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, `The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'" 15And she went and did as Eli'jah said; and she, and he, and her household ate for many days. 16The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Eli'jah. Responsorial Psalm Psalms 146:7-10 6who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever; 7who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 9The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Second Reading Hebrews 9:24-28 24For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own;26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.27And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment,28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Gospel First OptionSecond Option Mark 12:38-44 38And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places 39and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." 41And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. 43And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."

Mammon

First Reading Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 3Greet Prisca and Aq'uila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks; 5greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epae'netus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. 6Greet Mary, who has worked hard among you. 7Greet Androni'cus and Ju'nias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners; they are men of note among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8Greet Amplia'tus, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urba'nus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. 22I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23Ga'ius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Eras'tus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. 25Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages 26but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith -- 27to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. Responsorial Psalm Psalms 145:2-5, 10-11 2Every day I will bless thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever. 3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. 4One generation shall laud thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5On the glorious splendor of thy majesty, and on thy wondrous works, I will meditate. 10All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee! 11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power, Gospel Luke 16:9-15 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations. 10"He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." 14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him. 15But he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Stewardship

First Reading Romans 15:14-21 14I myself am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyr'icum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, 20thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man's foundation, 21but as it is written, "They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him." Responsorial Psalm Psalms 98:1-4 1O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2The LORD has made known his victory, he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Gospel Luke 16:1-8 1He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' 3And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?' 6He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Every one

First Reading Wisdom 3:1-9 1But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. 2In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, 3and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. 4For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; 6like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. 7In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. 8They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. 9Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones. Responsorial Psalm Psalms 23:1-6 1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; 2he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; 3he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Gospel John 6:37-40 37All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; 39and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. 40For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Rich

First Reading Romans 13:8-10 8Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Responsorial Psalm Psalms 112:1-2, 4-5, 9 1Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 4Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the LORD is gracious, merciful, and righteous. 5It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice. 9He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn is exalted in honor. Gospel Luke 14:25-33 25Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, 26"If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' 31Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. 33So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Compel

First Reading Romans 12:5-16 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; 8he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited. Responsorial Psalm Psalms 131:1-3 1O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 2But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul. 3O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Gospel Luke 14:15-24 15When one of those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" 16But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; 17and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.' 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' 19And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' 20And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' 22And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"

Lazarus

First Reading Wisdom 3:1-9 1But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. 2In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, 3and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. 4For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; 6like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. 7In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. 8They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. 9Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones. Responsorial Psalm Psalms 27:1, 4, 7-9, 13-14 1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 4One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. 7Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! 8Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, LORD, do I seek." 9Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! 14Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD! Second Reading Romans 5:5-11 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. 6While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. 8But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. Gospel John 11:17-27 17Now when Jesus came, he found that Laz'arus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."