The First Reading is from Zechariah 5:1-11
5 Again I looked up and saw a flying scroll. 2 And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.’ 3 Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to the writing on the other side. 4 I have sent it out, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name; and it shall abide in that house and consume it, both timber and stones.’ 5 Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, ‘Look up and see what this is that is coming out.’ 6 I said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘This is a basket coming out.’ And he said, ‘This is their iniquity in all the land.’ 7 Then a leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8 And he said, ‘This is Wickedness.’ So he thrust her back into the basket, and pressed the leaden weight down on its mouth. 9 Then I looked up and saw two women coming forward. The wind was in their wings; they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky. 10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘Where are they taking the basket?’ 11 He said to me, ‘To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it; and when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.’
Hear the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
The Gospel Reading is from Luke 12:32-40
32 ‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35 ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’
For the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
