First Reading





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Please choose one reading from this section

for the First Reading of the Liturgy

Selection #1

First Reading: Read by _______________ Job 19:1,23-27

A reading from the book of Job:

Job answered and said:

Oh, would that my words were written down!

Would that they were inscribed in a record:

That with an iron chisel and with lead

they were cut in the rock forever!

But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,

and that the Lord will at last stand forth upon the dust;

Whom I myself shall see:

my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold the Lord,

And from my flesh I shall see God;

my inmost being is consumed with longing.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #2

First Reading: Read by ______________ Wisdom 3:1-6,9

A reading from the book of Wisdom

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.

They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.

But they are in peace.

For if before humans, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality;

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of God's self.

As gold in the furnace, God proved them, and as sacrificial offerings God took them to self.

Those who trust in the Lord shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with the Lord in love:

Because Grace and mercy are with God's holy ones, and God's care is with the elect

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #2a

First Reading: Read by ______________ Wisdom 3:1-3

A reading from the book of Wisdom

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.

They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.

But they are in peace.

The Word of the Lord

Selection #3

First Reading: Read by __________________ Wisdom 4: 7-15

A reading from the book of Wisdom:

The just one, though dying early, shall be at rest.

For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years.

Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for humans, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age.

The one who pleased God was loved;

The one who lived among sinners was transported-

Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert the mind or deceit beguile the soul.

Having become perfect in a short while, the just one reached the fullness of a long career;

for the soul was pleasing to the Lord,

therefore God sped this one out of the midst of wickedness.

But the people saw and did not understand,

nor did they take this into account.

Because grace and mercy are with God's holy ones,

and God's care is with the elect.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #4

First Reading: Read by _____________ Isaiah 25: 6a, 7-9

A reading from the book of Isaiah:

On this mountain the Lord of hosts
will provide for all peoples.

On this mountain God will destroy the veil that veils all peoples,

The web that is woven over all nations;

God will destroy death forever.

The Lord God will wipe away the tears

from all faces;

The reproach of the people God

will remove from the whole earth;

for the Lord has spoken.

On that day it will be said:

Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!

This is the Lord for whom we looked;

let us rejoice and be glad

that the Lord has saved us!

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #5

First Reading: Read by ___________ Maccabees 12: 43-46

A reading from the book of Maccabees

Judas, (the ruler of Israel) then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this wit a view to the splendid reward that await those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #6

First Reading: Read by ________________ Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven;

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate

a time for war and a time for peace,

What does the worker gain from toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on people. God has made everything beautiful in its time. The Lord has also set eternity in the hearts of humanity; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #7

First Reading: Read by _________________ Proverbs 31: 10, 25-31

A reading from the book of Proverbs

When one finds a valiant woman,

her value is far beyond pearls.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who honors the Lord is to be praised.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #7a

First Reading: Read by _________________ Proverbs 31: 10, 25-31

A reading from the book of Proverbs

When one finds a valiant woman,

her value is far beyond pearls.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

"Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who honors the Lord is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #8

First Reading: Read by ______________ Isaiah 49: 13-16

A reading from the prophet Isaiah:

Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,

break forth into song, you mountains.

For the Lord comforts the Lord’s people and shows

mercy to the Lord’s afflicted.

But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me;

My Lord has forsaken me"

Can a mother forget her infant, be without

tenderness for the child of her womb?

Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

See, upon the palms of my hands I have written

your name; your walls are ever before me.

The Word of the Lord

Selection #9

First Reading: Read by ______________ Isaiah 65:17-20, 22b

A reading from the prophet Isaiah:

Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;

The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.

Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create;

For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight;

I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying;

No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;

He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred hall be thought accursed.

As the years of a tree, so the years of my people; and my chosen ones shall long enjoy the produce of their hands.

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #10

First Reading: Read by _____________ Jeremiah 29:11-14

A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah

"For I know the plans I have for you,"declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord,"and will bring you back from captivity."

The Word of the Lord.

Selection #11

First Reading: Read by _____________ Isaiah 43:1-5

A reading from the prophet Isaiah:
Israel, the Lord who created you says,
"Do not be afraid - I will save you.
I have called you by name - you are mine.

When you pass through deep waters,
I will be with you;
Your troubles will not overwhelm you.

When you pass through fire,
You will not be burned;
The hard trials that come will not hurt you.

For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy God of Israel, who saves you.

I will give up whole nations to save your life,
Because you are precious to me
And because I love you and
Give you honor.

Do not be afraid - I am with you!
"From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.

The Word of the Lord

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