1.
A Reading from the
Acts of the Apostles,
Acts
Chapter 10 34 The Gospels
Then Peter began to
speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no
partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does
what is right
is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the
people
of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he
is Lord of all. That
message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after
the
baptism that John announced how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing
good
and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was
with
him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in
Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but
God
raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to
all the
people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who
ate and
drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to
preach to the people and to testify that he is the one
ordained by God
as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify
about him that everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins
through his name.
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2. A Reading from
Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Romans Chapter 5 5 New Testament
Letters
Hope does not
disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our
hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while
we were
still weak, at the right time Christ died for
the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will
anyone die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good
person
someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his
love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died
for us. Much more surely
then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be
saved
through him from the wrath of God. For if while we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the
death of his Son,
much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by
his
life. But more than that,
we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation.
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3.
A Reading from
Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Romans Chapter 5 17 New Testament
Letters
If, because of the
one man’s trespass, death
exercised dominion through that one,
much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life
through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore just as one
man’s
trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act
of righteousness leads
to justification and life for all. For just as by the one
man’s
disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the
one man’s
obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came
in, with the result
that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace
abounded all
the more.
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4.
A Reading from
Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Romans
Chapter 6 3 New Testament Letters
Do you not know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized
into his death? Therefore we have
been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so
we too
might walk in newness of life. For if we have been
united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be
united
with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our
old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might
be
destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For
whoever has
died is freed from sin. But if we have died
with Christ, we believe that we will also live
with him. We know that
Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die
again; death no longer has
dominion over him.
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5.
A Reading from
Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Romans Chapter 8 14New Testament
Letters
For all who are led
by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not
receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but
you have received a
spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that
very
Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of
God, and if children,
then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in
fact, we suffer
with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider
that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with
the
glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation
waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of
God; for the creation
was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will
of the one who
subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will
obtain the
freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the
whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until
now; and not only the
creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the
Spirit,
groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of
our
bodies.
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6. A Reading from
Paul’s letter to the Romans
Romans Chapter 8
31New Testament Letters
What then are we to
say about these things? If God is for us, who is against
us? He who did not
withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he
not with
him also give us everything else? Who will bring any
charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to
condemn?
It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at
the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will
separate
us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No,
in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him
who loved us. For I am convinced
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor
things present,
nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able
to separate us from
the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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7.
A Reading from
Paul’s letter to the Romans
Romans Chapter 14
7 New Testament Letters
We do not live to ourselves, and we
do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to
the Lord, and if we die, we
die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die,
we
are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died
and lived again, so
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why do
you
pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you
despise
your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the
judgement seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I
live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue
shall give praise to God.
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8.
A Reading from the
First Letter to the Corinthians
1
Corinthians Chapter
15 20 New Testament Letters
But in fact Christ
has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who
have died. For since death
came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has
also come
through a human being; for as all die in
Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own
order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who
belong to
Christ. Then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he
has destroyed every ruler and every authority and
power. For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last
enemy to
be destroyed is death. For "God has put
all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says,
"All things
are put in subjection," it is plain that this does not include
the one who
put all things in subjection under him. When all things are
subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the
one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God
may be all
in all.
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9.
A Reading from the
First Letter to the Corinthians
1
Corinthians Chapter
15 51 New Testament Letters
Listen, I will tell
you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all
be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed. For this perishable
body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must
put on
immortality. When this
perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body
puts on
immortality, then the saying that is written will
be fulfilled: "Death
has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is
your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of
death
is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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10.
A Reading from the
Second Letter to the Corinthians
Romans
Chapter 8 11 New Testament Letters
Because we know
that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with
Jesus,
and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything
is
for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more
people,
may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not
lose
heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner
nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight
momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of
glory
beyond all measure, because we look not
at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can
be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen
is eternal. For we know that if
the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building
from God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
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11. A Reading from
the Second Letter to the Corinthians
2
Corinthians Chapter
5 1 New Testament Letters
For we know that if
the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building
from God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens. So we are always
confident; even though we know that while we are at home in
the body
we are away from the Lord— for we walk
by faith, not by
sight. Yes, we do have
confidence, and we would rather be away from the
body and at home with the Lord. So whether
we are at home or
away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of
us
must appear before
the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may receive
recompense
for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
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12.
A Reading from the
Letter to the Philippians
Philippians Chapter 3
20 New Testament Letters
But our citizenship
is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a
Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform
the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the
body of his
glory, by the power that also enables him to make
all things subject
to himself.
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13.
Reading from the
First Letter to the Thessalonians
1
Thessalonians Chapter
4 13 New Testament Letters
But we do not want
you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who
have
died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no
hope. For since we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare
to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are
left
until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those
who
have died. For the Lord
himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and
with the sound
of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in
Christ
will rise first.
Then we who are
alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together
with them
to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord
forever. Therefore encourage
one another with these words.
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14.
A Reading from
Paul’s letter to Timothy
2
Timothy Chapter
2 8 New Testament Letters
Remember Jesus
Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David--that is
my
gospel, for which I suffer
hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal.
But the
word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure
everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also
obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with
eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live
with him; if we endure, we
will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny
us;
if we are
faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.
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15.
A Reading from the
First Letter of John
1
John Chapter
3 1 The Catholic Letters
See what love
the Father has given us, that we should be called children
of God; and that
is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is
that it did not
know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will
be has not yet
been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed,
we will be like
him, for we will see him as he is.
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16.
A Reading from the
book of Revelation
Revelation Chapter 21The Catholic
Letters
Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first
earth had
passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy
city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a
loud
voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among
mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be
his peoples, and
God himself will be with them; he will wipe every
tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and
crying
and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed
away." And the one who was
seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."
Also he said, "Write this, for these words are
trustworthy and
true." Then he said to me,
"It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and
the
end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the
spring of the
water of life. Those who conquer
will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they
will be my
children.
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Old
Testament Readings:
1.
A Reading from the book of Job
Job Chapter 19
23 The Wisdom Books
Then Job
answered: "How long will you
torment me, and break me in pieces with words? "O that my
words
were written down! O that they were inscribed in
a book! O that with an iron
pen and with lead they were engraved on a
rock forever!
For I know that my
Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the
earth; and after my skin
has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see
God, whom I shall see on
my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart
faints within me!
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2. A Reading from
the book of Wisdom
The
Book of Wisdom Chapter
3 1 The Wisdom Books
But the souls of
the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment ill ever
touch
them. In the eyes of the
foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was
thought to be a disaster, and their going
from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For
though in the
sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of
immortality. Having been
disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and
found them worthy of himself; like gold in the
furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering
he
accepted them. In the time of
their visitation they will shine forth, and will run
like sparks through the
stubble. They will govern
nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over
them
forever. Those who trust in
him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with
him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches
over
his elect.
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3.
A reading from the book of Wisdom
The
Book of Wisdom Chapter
4 7 The Wisdom Books
But the righteous,
though they die early, will be at rest. For old age is not
honored for length of time, or measured by number of
years; but understanding
is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old
age. There were some who
pleased God and were loved by him, and while living among
sinners were taken up. They were caught up
so that evil might not change their understanding or
guile deceive their souls. For the fascination
of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire
perverts the
innocent mind. Being perfected in
a short time, they fulfilled long years; for their souls
were pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took them quickly from
the
midst of wickedness. Yet the peoples saw
and did not understand, or take such a thing to heart, that
God's
grace and mercy are with his elect, and that he watches over
his
holy ones.
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4.
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah
Chapter 25 6 The Prophetic Books
On this mountain
the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich
food, a
feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of
well-aged wines
strained clear. And he will destroy
on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all
peoples, the sheet
that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death
forever. Then the Lord GOD
will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of
his
people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has
spoken. It will be said on
that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that
he might
save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be
glad and
rejoice in his salvation.
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5.
A Reading from Lamentations
Lamentations Chapter 3 17The Prophetic
Books
My soul is bereft
of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "Gone
is
my glory, and all that I had hoped for from
the LORD." The thought of my
affliction and my homelessness is wormwood
and gall! My soul continually
thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to
mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love
of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an
end; they are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my
portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope
in him." The LORD is good to
those who wait for him, to the soul that
seeks him. It is good that one
should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
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6.
A Reading from the
Book of Daniel
Daniel Chapter 12
1 The Prophetic Books
At that time
Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall
arise. There
shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since
nations first came into existence. But at that time
your people shall be
delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
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