Using calendar: England. You can pick a diocese or region.

Pages

About Today · Readings at Mass · Office of Readings · Morning Prayer · Terce · Sext · None · Evening Prayer · Night Prayer · Yearly calendar

Links

· Spoken Word · Donate · Tweet · Show QR code

Listen to the podcast!

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).

First reading
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a

‘He fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know.’

Moses spoke to the people: You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know.

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 147: 12-13. 14-15. 19-20. ℟12a

O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord!

or: Alleluia.

O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord!

O Sion, praise your God!

He has strengthened the bars of your gates;

he has blessed your children within you.

O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord!

or: Alleluia.

He established peace on your borders;

he gives you your fill of finest wheat.

He sends out his word to the earth,

and swiftly runs his command.

O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord!

or: Alleluia.

He reveals his word to Jacob;

to Israel, his decrees and judgements.

He has not dealt thus with other nations;

he has not taught them his judgements.

O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord!

or: Alleluia.

Second reading
1 Corinthians 10:16-17

‘Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.’

Brothers and Sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Sequence

Lauda, Sion

The Sequence may be said or sung in full, or using the shorter form indicated by the asterisked verses.

Praise, O Sion, praise your Saviour,

praise your captain and your pastor,

with hymns and solemn songs.

Perform what pow’r affords indeed;

his worth all praises far exceed,

none can reach his dignity.

A special theme of praise is read,

a living and life-giving bread,

on this day exhibited.

Which in the supper of our Lord,

to twelve disciples at his board

no doubt was delivered.

Let our praise be loud and free,

full of joy and decent glee,

with minds’ and voices’ melody.

For now solemnise we that day,

which with joy does to us display

the prince of this mystery.

At this board of our new Ruler,

of new law, new Paschal order

abolishes the ancient rite.

Old decrees be new annulled,

shadows are in truths fulfilled,

day finishes darkness.

That at supper Christ performed,

to be done he rightly charged

for his eternal memory.

Guided by his sacred orders,

bread and wine upon our altars

to saving host we sanctify.

Christians are by faith assured

that to flesh the bread is changed,

the wine to blood most precious.

That no wit nor sense conceives,

firm and grounded faith believes,

in strange effects not curious.

Under kinds two in appearance,

two in show but one in substance,

lie things beyond comparison.

Flesh is meat, blood drink most heav’nly,

yet is Christ in each kind wholly,

most free from all division.

None that consumes him does rend him,

none that takes him does divide him:

received, he whole perseveres.

Be there one or thousands hosted,

one as much as all received,

he by no eating perishes.

Both the good and bad receive him,

but effects are diverse in them,

true life or true destruction.

Life to the good, death to the wicked,

mark how both alike received

with far unlike conclusion.

Form of bread not Christ is broken,

not of Christ, but of his token,

is state or stature altered.

The shorter form of the sequence begins here.

*Angels’ bread made pilgrims’ feeding

truly bread for children’s eating,

to dogs not to be offered.

*Signed by Isaac on the altar,

by the lamb and paschal supper,

and in the manna figured.

*Jesu, food and feeder of us,

here with mercy feed and friend us,

then grant in heaven felicity.

*Lord of all, who here do feed us,

heav’nly guests, heirs, fellows make us,

in eternal company.

Amen. Alleluia.

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), translated by St Robert Southwell (c.1561-1595)

Gospel Acclamation	John 6:51

Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord.

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever.

Alleluia.

Gospel	John 6:51-58

‘My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.’

At that time: Jesus said to the Jews, ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’

So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.’

You can also view this page with the New Testament in Greek and English.

Christian Art

Each day, The Christian Art website gives a picture and reflection on the Gospel of the day.

The readings on this page are from the English Standard Version, which is used at Mass in Great Britain. The Jerusalem Bible (which is used at Mass in much of the English-speaking world) will appear instead if you set this page to use a calendar from outside Great Britain. The New American Bible readings, which are used at Mass in the United States, are available in the Universalis apps, programs and downloads.