Responsorial Psalm
O blessed are those who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
You will be happy and prosper
Your wife like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
your children like shoots of the olive,
around your table.
Indeed thus shall be blessed
the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
all the days of your life!
A READING FROM THE LETTER
OF ST. PAUL TO THE COLOSSIANS 3:12-21
You are God's chosen race, his saints; he loves you and you should be clothed in
sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one
another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel beings. The Lord has forgiven you;
now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete
them, put on love.
And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were
called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful. Let the message of Christ, in
all its richness, find a home with you.
Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts
sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything
except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. Children, be obedient to
your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord. Parents, never drive
your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated. This is the word of
the Lord. Thanks be to God.
A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO MATTHEW 2:13-15.19-23
Glory to you, Lord. After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and
escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for
the child and do away with him." So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his
mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead.
This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out
of Egypt. After Herod's death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the
land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead."
So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land
of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of
Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of
Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken
through the prophets were to be fulfilled:
He will be called a Nazarene. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Christ.
