First Reading

The Book of Revelation (Rv 18: 1-2, 21-23; 19: 1-3, 9a)

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.

I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast.”

A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:

“With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion.”

After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:

“Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

They said a second time:

“Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever.”

Then the angel said to me,

“Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 100: 1b-2, 3, 4, 5

Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.

Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.

For he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 21: 20-28)

Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jesus said to his disciples:

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

The Book of Revelation (Rv 15: 1-4)

They sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.

I, John, saw in heaven another sign, great and awe-inspiring:
seven angels with the seven last plagues,
for through them God’s fury is accomplished.

Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire.
On the sea of glass were standing those
who had won the victory over the beast
and its image and the number that signified its name.
They were holding God’s harps,
and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb:

“Great and wonderful are your works,
Lord God almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
O king of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
or glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 98: 1, 2-3ab, 7-8, 9

Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.

Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 21: 12-19)

You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.

Jesus said to the crowd:

“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

The Book of Revelation (Rv 14: 14-19)

The hour of reaping has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.

I, John, looked and there was a white cloud,
and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man,
with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Another angel came out of the temple,
crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud,

“Use your sickle and reap the harvest,
for the time to reap has come,
because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”

So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth,
and the earth was harvested.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven
who also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel came from the altar, who was in charge of the fire,
and cried out in a loud voice
to the one who had the sharp sickle,

“Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines,
for its grapes are ripe.”

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage.
He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 96: 10, 11-12, 13

The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.

Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 21: 5-11)

The days will come when there will be no stone left upon another stone.

While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said,

“All that you see here –
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him,

“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”

He answered,

“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”

Then he said to them,

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.