Responsorial Psalm

℟. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
   praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
   the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

℟. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
   upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
   and preserve them in spite of famine.

℟. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
   who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
   who have put our hope in you.

℟. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

2nd Reading

Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
   and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.

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.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
   dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
   for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
   whose architect and maker is God.
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.
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.

All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
   but saw it and greeted it from afar
   and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
   for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
   they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
   for he has prepared a city for them.

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,
   of whom it was said,
   “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
   and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Or: [Shorter Form]

Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
   and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.

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.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
   dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
   for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
   whose architect and maker is God.
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.
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.

The word of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day the Son of Man will come.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 12:32-48 or 12:35-40

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
   for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
   an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
   that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“Gird your loins and light your lamps
   and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
   ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
   whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
   have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
   and find them prepared in this way,
   blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
   if the master of the house had known the hour
   when the thief was coming,
   he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
   the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
   “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
   “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
   whom the master will put in charge of his servants
   to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
   in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
   ‘My master is delayed in coming,’
   and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
   to eat and drink and get drunk,
   then that servant’s master will come
   on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
   and will punish the servant severely
   and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
   but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
   shall be beaten severely;
   and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
   but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
   shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
  and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Or: [Shorter form]

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
   and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
   ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
   whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
   have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
   and find them prepared in this way,
   blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
   if the master of the house had known the hour
   when the thief was coming,
   he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
   the Son of Man will come.”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:

Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.

The Creed is said.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of
the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the
Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to
the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

Gospel Canticle

Ant. Amen, amen I say to you: Whoever believes in me will live for ever, alleluia.

Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
  that he would save us from our enemies, *
  from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
   all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.


Ant. Amen, amen I say to you: Whoever believes in me will live for ever, alleluia.