First Reading

First reading

Reading from the Book of Revelation

Revelation 7, 2-4. 9-14

I, John, saw an angel coming from the east. He carried the seal of the living God and cried out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the earth and the sea. He said to them: «Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees, until we have marked with the seal the foreheads of the servants of our God!» And I heard the number of those who had been marked: they were one hundred and forty-four thousand, from all the tribes of Israel.

After this I saw a great multitude, which no one could count. They were from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, holding palm branches in their hands, and they cried out with a loud voice: «Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.»

All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: «Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.»

Then one of the elders spoke up and asked me, «Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?» I said to him, «My lord, you are the one who knows.» He said to me, «These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.»

Second reading

Reading from the first Letter of the Apostle Saint John

1 John 3, 1-3

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 5, 1-12

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

«Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.»