First Reading

Book of Daniel (Dn 7: 15-27)

The kingship and dominion and majesty shall be given to the holy people of the Most High.

I, Daniel, found my spirit anguished within its covering of flesh,
and I was terrified by the visions of my mind.
I approached one of those present
and asked him what all this meant in truth;
in answer, he made known to me the meaning of the things:

“These four great beasts stand for four kingdoms
which shall arise on the earth.
But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingship,
to possess it forever and ever.”

But I wished to make certain about the fourth beast,
so very terrible and different from the others,
devouring and crushing with its iron teeth and bronze claws,
and trampling with its feet what was left;
about the ten horns on its head, and the other one that sprang up,
before which three horns fell;
about the horn with the eyes and the mouth that spoke arrogantly,
which appeared greater than its fellows.
For, as I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones
and was victorious until the Ancient One arrived;
judgment was pronounced in favor of the holy ones of the Most High,
and the time came when the holy ones possessed the kingdom.
He answered me thus:

“The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth
different from all the others;
It shall devour the whole earth,
beat it down, and crush it.
The ten horns shall be ten kings
rising out of that kingdom;
another shall rise up after them,
Different from those before him,
who shall lay low three kings.
He shall speak against the Most High
and oppress the holy ones of the Most High,
thinking to change the feast days and the law.
They shall be handed over to him
for a year, two years, and a half-year.
But when the court is convened,
and his power is taken away
by final and absolute destruction,
Then the kingship and dominion and majesty
of all the kingdoms under the heavens
shall be given to the holy people of the Most High,
Whose Kingdom shall be everlasting:
all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Dn 3: 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87

Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“You sons of men, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“O Israel, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Be vigilant at all times and pray That you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 21: 34-36)

Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent.

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Book of Daniel (Dn 7: 2-14)

I saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven.

“In a vision I, Daniel, saw during the night,
the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,
from which emerged four immense beasts,
each different from the others.
The first was like a lion, but with eagle’s wings.
While I watched, the wings were plucked;
it was raised from the ground to stand on two feet
like a man, and given a human mind.
The second was like a bear; it was raised up on one side,
and among the teeth in its mouth were three tusks.
It was given the order,

‘Up, devour much flesh.’

After this I looked and saw another beast, like a leopard;
on its back were four wings like those of a bird,
and it had four heads.
To this beast dominion was given.
After this, in the visions of the night I saw the fourth beast,
different from all the others,
terrifying, horrible, and of extraordinary strength;
it had great iron teeth with which it devoured and crushed,
and what was left it trampled with its feet.
I was considering the ten horns it had,
when suddenly another, a little horn, sprang out of their midst,
and three of the previous horns were torn away to make room for it.
This horn had eyes like a man,
and a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
As I watched,

Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was snow bright,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.

The court was convened, and the books were opened.
I watched, then, from the first of the arrogant words
which the horn spoke, until the beast was slain
and its body thrown into the fire to be burnt up.
The other beasts, which also lost their dominion,
were granted a prolongation of life for a time and a season.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw

One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Dn 3: 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81

Give glory and eternal praise to him!

“Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“You springs, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Seas and rivers, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“All you birds of the air, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

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: 29-33)

When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.

Jesus told his disciples a parable.

“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Book of Daniel (Dn 6: 12-28)

My God has sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths.

Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel’s home
and found him praying and pleading before his God.
Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition:

“Did you not decree, O king,
that no one is to address a petition to god or man
for thirty days, except to you, O king;
otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?”

The king answered them,

“The decree is absolute,
irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law.”

To this they replied,

“Daniel, the Jewish exile,
has paid no attention to you, O king,
or to the decree you issued;
three times a day he offers his prayer.”

The king was deeply grieved at this news
and he made up his mind to save Daniel;
he worked till sunset to rescue him.
But these men insisted.
They said,

“Keep in mind, O king,
that under the Mede and Persian law
every royal prohibition or decree is irrevocable.”

So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast into the lions’ den.
To Daniel he said,

“May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you.”

To forestall any tampering,
the king sealed with his own ring and the rings of the lords
the stone that had been brought to block the opening of the den.

Then the king returned to his palace for the night;
he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers.
Since sleep was impossible for him,
the king rose very early the next morning
and hastened to the lions’ den.
As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully,

“O Daniel, servant of the living God,
has the God whom you serve so constantly
been able to save you from the lions?”

Daniel answered the king:

“O king, live forever!
My God has sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths
so that they have not hurt me.
For I have been found innocent before him;
neither to you have I done any harm, O king!”

This gave the king great joy.
At his order Daniel was removed from the den,
unhurt because he trusted in his God.
The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel,
along with their children and their wives,
to be cast into the lions’ den.

Before they reached the bottom of the den,
the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language,
wherever they dwell on the earth:

“All peace to you!
I decree that throughout my royal domain
the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared:

For he is the living God, enduring forever;
his Kingdom shall not be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be without end.
He is a deliverer and savior,
working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth,
and he delivered Daniel from the lions’ power.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Daniel 3: 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74

Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Frost and chill, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Nights and days, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

“Let the earth bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

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.