Catholic Mass Readings for December 31 2023, Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Catholic Daily Mass Readings for December 31 2023, Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
First Reading – Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3
1 The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.”
2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
3 Abram continued, “See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir.”
5 The Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
6 Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
1 The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would; he did for her as he had promised.
2 Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time that God had stated.
3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his whom Sarah bore him.
Or: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
2 God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
3 Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard;
4 he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
5 Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard.
6 Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.
12 My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives.
13 Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life;
14 kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of your sins a house raised in justice to you.
Or: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
20 In those days Hannah conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
21 The next time her husband Elkanah was going up with the rest of his household to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows,
22 Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband, “Once the child is weaned, I will take him to appear before the LORD and to remain there forever; I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite.”
24 Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
25 After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
26 “Pardon, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
28 Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” Hannah left Samuel there.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (7a, 8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
1 Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
2 Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
3 Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
4 Look to the LORD in his strength;
constantly seek his face.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
5 You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
6 He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
8 He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations
9 which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Or: Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.
R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
2 For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
4 Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Or: Psalms 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10.
R. (cf. 5a) Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
2 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
3 My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
5 Happy they who dwell in your house!
Continually they praise you.
6 Happy the men whose strength you are!
Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
9 O LORD of hosts, hear our prayer;
hearken, O God of Jacob!
10 O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Second Reading – Colossians 3:12-21
Brothers and sisters:
12 Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18 Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.
Or: Colossians 3:12-17
Brothers and sisters:
12 Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Or: Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
Brothers and sisters:
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
11 By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age – and Sarah herself was sterile – for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
12 So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
19 He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Or 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Beloved:
1 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God
22 and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.
24 Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.
Alleluia – Colossians 3:15A, 16A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
15A Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
16A let the word of Christ dwell in your richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Or: Acts 16:14B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
14B Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Or: Hebrews 1:1-2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
2 in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Reading for December 31 2023 – Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 – Year A
13 When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
15 He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.
19 When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
20 and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
21 He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.
23 He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean.
Or: Luke 2:22-40 – Year B
22 When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
23 just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
24 and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
27 He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
28 He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
29 “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted
35 and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
38 And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Or: Luke 2:22, 39-40
22 When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
39 When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Or: Luke 2:41-52 – Year C
41 Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
42 and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.
43 After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
44 Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
45 but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,
47 and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
50 But they did not understand what he said to them.
51 He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.
Tomorrow’s Catholic Mass readings for January 1 2024, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
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