{"id":13001,"date":"2025-09-01T11:03:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/?page_id=13001"},"modified":"2025-09-01T11:54:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:54:55","slug":"february-2025-sunday-readings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/","title":{"rendered":"February 2025 Sunday Readings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"761\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/coloured-glass-menu-x5a6.png\" alt=\"Scripture\" class=\"wp-image-440\" style=\"width:219px;height:88px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/coloured-glass-menu-x5a6.png 761w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/coloured-glass-menu-x5a6-300x122.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 761px) 100vw, 761px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">February 2025 Sunday Readings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"186\" src=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/glass-1-1024x186.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-302\" style=\"width:1020px;height:185px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/glass-1-1024x186.png 1024w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/glass-1-300x55.png 300w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/glass-1-768x140.png 768w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/glass-1.png 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Scripture<\/strong> <strong>Readings for Sundays in February 2025<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the Scripture readings for Sundays of the Year. Read and reflect on them as part of your daily prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Select Month:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/january-25-sunday-readings\/\">January<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>February<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/march-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>March<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/april-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>April<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/may-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>May<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/june-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>June<\/strong><\/a> \/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/july-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>July<\/strong><\/a> \/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/august-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>August<\/strong><\/a> \/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/september-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>September<\/strong><\/a> \/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/october-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>October<\/strong><\/a> \/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/november-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>November<\/strong><\/a>  \/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/december-25-sunday-readings\/\"><strong>December<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">_________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-accent-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2b323dea40c506df93f10ef09a40a868\"><strong>Sunday Mass Readings for<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-accent-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f425aeb960d022cf0f361b333ecb3e80\"><strong>February 2025&nbsp; &#8211; Year C<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/#Presentation\">Sunday 2nd February 2025 &#8211; The Presentation of the Lord<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/#5thSunday\">Sunday 9th February 2025 &#8211; 5th Sunday of the Year<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/#6thSunday\">Sunday 16th February 2025 &#8211; 6th Sunday of the Year<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/#7thSunday\">Sunday 23rd February 2025 &#8211; 7th Sunday of the Year<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">_________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"Presentation\"> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"10\" src=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png 1024w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-300x3.png 300w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-768x8.png 768w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1536x15.png 1536w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band.png 1699w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <b> Sunday 2nd February &#8211; Presentation of the Lord <\/p> <\/b><BR>\n\n<img src='https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Presentation-of-the-Lord-2025.png' alt='Presentation of the Lord' class='wp-image-12464' style='width:280px;height:auto'\/><br><br>\n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  We celebrate the day also known as Candlemas. As this is a special feast of the Lord it is celebrated today in place of the 4th Sunday of the Year. We recall  in Luke 2:22-38 when Mary and Joseph took their baby Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord, as the law required. It signifies the light of Christ coming into the world. And they heard Simeon\u2019s great proclamation \u201cNunc Demittis\u201d.  <\/p>  \n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Maybe it is hard to know the intensity of Simeon\u2019s prayer, or maybe it is really easy, for his desire and longing were the same as ours. We long to see the Lord, to know him and to receive his promised peace and saving love. It is the longing of every Christian, of our whole lives, and for the whole world.  <\/p> \n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Each night in the \u201cPrayer of the Church\u201d we say the Nunc Demittis (Now you let your servant depart) Luke 2:22-38:  <br>  <\/p> \n \n<ul>  <i>  At last, all-powerful Master,  <br> \nyou give leave to your servant to go in peace,  <br> \naccording to your promise.  <br> \nFor my eyes have seen your salvation  <br> \nwhich you have prepared for all nations,  <br> \nthe light to enlighten the Gentiles  <br> \nand give glory to Israel, your people  <\/i>  <\/ul> \n\n<b>  <p> \nA reading from the Prophet Malachi 3:1-4  <\/b>  <BR> \n\n<i>  The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner\u2019s fire and the fullers\u2019 alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.  <\/p>\n\n <p>  <b> \nPsalm: 23(24):7-10  <\/b>  <BR> \n\nO gates, lift high your heads;  <br> \ngrow higher, ancient doors.  <br> \nLet him enter, the king of glory!  <\/p> \n\n<p>  Who is the king of glory?  <br> \nThe Lord, the mighty, the valiant,  <br> \nthe Lord, the valiant in war.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  O gates, lift high your heads;  <br> \ngrow higher, ancient doors.  <br> \nLet him enter, the king of glory!  <\/p> \n\n<p>  Who is he, the king of glory?  <br> \nHe, the Lord of armies,  <br> \nhe is the king of glory.  <\/p>\n\n <p>  <b> \nA reading from the Letter to the Hebrews 2:14-18  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  He took to himself descent from Abraham  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God\u2019s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.  <\/p>\n\n <p>  <b> \nA reading from the Gospel of St Luke 2:22-40  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  \u2018The child grew, filled with wisdom.\u2019  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, \u2013 observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord \u2013 and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.  <br> \nNow in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel\u2019s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  <i>  \u2018Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,  <br> \njust as you promised;  <br> \nbecause my eyes have seen the salvation  <br> \nwhich you have prepared for all the nations to see,  <br> \na light to enlighten the pagans  <br> \nand the glory of your people Israel.\u2019  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  As the child\u2019s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, \u2018You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected \u2013 and a sword will pierce your own soul too \u2013 so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.\u2019  <br> \nThere was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.  <br> \nWhen they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God\u2019s favour was with him.  <\/p><br>\n\n\n<p id=\"5thSunday\"> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"10\" src=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png 1024w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-300x3.png 300w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-768x8.png 768w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1536x15.png 1536w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band.png 1699w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure> <\/p>\n\n\n <p><b> Sunday 9th February &#8211; 5th Sunday of the Year <\/b><\/p>\n\n<p><img src='https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5th-Sunday-2025.png' alt='5th Sunday of the Year' class='wp-image-12480' style='width:280px;height:auto'\/><\/p>  \n\n<b>  <p> \nA reading from the Prophet Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8  <\/b>  <BR> \n\n<i>  &#8216;Here I am: send me&#8217;  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  In the year of King Uzziah\u2019s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  And they cried out to one another in this way,  <br> \n\u2018Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.  <br> \nHis glory fills the whole earth.\u2019  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:  <\/p> \n\n<p>  \u2018What a wretched state I am in! I am lost,  <br> \nfor I am a man of unclean lips  <br> \nand I live among a people of unclean lips,  <br> \nand my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.\u2019  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:  <\/p> \n\n<p>  \u2018See now, this has touched your lips,  <br> \nyour sin is taken away,  <br> \nyour iniquity is purged.\u2019  <br> \nThen I heard the voice of the Lord saying:  <br> \n\u2018Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?\u2019  <\/p> \n\n<p>  I answered, \u2018Here I am, send me.\u2019  <\/p> \n\n<p>  <b> \nPsalm:  137(138):1-5, 7-8  <\/b>  <BR> \n\nI thank you, Lord, with all my heart:  <br> \nyou have heard the words of my mouth.  <br> \nIn the presence of the angels I will bless you.  <br> \nI will adore before your holy temple.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  I thank you for your faithfulness and love,  <br> \nwhich excel all we ever knew of you.  <br> \nOn the day I called, you answered;  <br> \nyou increased the strength of my soul.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  All earth\u2019s kings shall thank you  <br> \nwhen they hear the words of your mouth.  <br> \nThey shall sing of the Lord\u2019s ways:  <br> \n\u2018How great is the glory of the Lord!\u2019  <\/p> \n\n<p>  You stretch out your hand and save me,  <br> \nyour hand will do all things for me.  <br> \nYour love, O Lord, is eternal,  <br> \ndiscard not the work of your hands.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  <b> \nA reading from the First Letter of St Paul to Corinthians 15:1-11  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  I preached what the others preach, and you all believed  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you \u2013 believing anything else will not lead to anything.  <br> \nWell then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.  <br> \nI am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God\u2019s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.  <\/p>\n\n <p>  <b> \nA reading from the Gospel of St Luke 5:1-11  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  They left everything and followed him  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats \u2013 it was Simon\u2019s \u2013 and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.  <br> \nWhen he had finished speaking he said to Simon, \u2018Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.\u2019 \u2018Master,\u2019 Simon replied, \u2018we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.\u2019 And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.  <br> \nWhen Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, \u2018Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.\u2019 For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon\u2019s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, \u2018Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.\u2019 Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.  <\/p><br>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"6thSunday\"> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"10\" src=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png 1024w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-300x3.png 300w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-768x8.png 768w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1536x15.png 1536w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band.png 1699w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure> <\/p>\n\n\n <p\/><b>  Sunday 16th February &#8211; 6th Sunday of the Year <\/b><\/p> \n\n<p><img src='https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/6th-Sunday-2025.png' alt='6th Sunday of the Year' class='wp-image-12512' style='width:280px;height:auto'\/><\/p>  \n\n<b>  <p> \nA reading from the Prophet Jeremiah 17:5-8  <\/b>  <BR> \n\n<i>  A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p>  The Lord says this:  <br> \n\u2018A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,  <br> \nwho relies on things of flesh,  <br> \nwhose heart turns from the Lord.  <br> \nHe is like dry scrub in the wastelands:  <br> \nif good comes, he has no eyes for it,  <br> \nhe settles in the parched places of the wilderness,  <br> \na salt land, uninhabited.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  \u2018A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord,  <br> \nwith the Lord for his hope.  <br> \nHe is like a tree by the waterside  <br> \nthat thrusts its roots to the stream:  <br> \nwhen the heat comes it feels no alarm,  <br> \nits foliage stays green;  <br> \nit has no worries in a year of drought,  <br> \nand never ceases to bear fruit.\u2019  <\/p> \n\n<p>  <b> \nPsalm: 1:1-4, 6  <\/b>  <BR> \n\n<p>  Happy indeed is the man  <br> \nwho follows not the counsel of the wicked;  <br> \nnor lingers in the way of sinners  <br> \nnor sits in the company of scorners,  <br> \nbut whose delight is the law of the Lord  <br> \nand who ponders his law day and night.  <br> \nHappy the man who has placed his trust in the  <\/p> \n\n<p>  He is like a tree that is planted  <br> \nbeside the flowing waters,  <br> \nthat yields its fruit in due season  <br> \nand whose leaves shall never fade;  <br> \nand all that he does shall prosper.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  Not so are the wicked, not so!  <br> \nFor they like winnowed chaff  <br> \nshall be driven away by the wind:  <br> \nfor the Lord guards the way of the just  <br> \nbut the way of the wicked leads to doom.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  <b> \nA reading from the First Letter of St Paul to  Corinthians 15:12,16-20  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  If Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  If Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.  <br> \nBut Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.  <\/p>\n\n <p>  <b> \nA reading from the Gospel of St Luke 6:17, 20-26  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  Happy are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Jesus came down with the Twelve and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said:  <\/p> \n\n<p>  \u2018How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.  <br> \nHappy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.  <br> \nHappy you who weep now: you shall laugh.  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  \u2018But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.  <br> \nAlas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry.  <br> \nAlas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  \u2018Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.\u2019  <\/p><br>\n\n\n<p id=\"7thSunday\"> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"10\" src=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1024x10.png 1024w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-300x3.png 300w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-768x8.png 768w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band-1536x15.png 1536w, https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/band.png 1699w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure> <\/p>\n\n\n <p><b>  Sunday 23rd February &#8211; 7th Sunday of the Year <\/b><\/p> \n\n<p><img src='https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7th-Sunday-2025.png' alt='7th Sunday of the Year' class='wp-image-12516' style='width:280px;height:auto'\/><\/p>\n\n<b>  <p> \nA reading from the First Book of Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 11-13, 22-23  <\/b>  <BR> \n\n<i>  Do not lift your hand against the Lord&#8217;s anointed  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Saul set off and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, accompanied by three thousand men chosen from Israel to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.  <br> \nIn the dark David and Abishai made their way towards the force, where they found Saul lying asleep inside the camp, his spear stuck in the ground beside his head, with Abner and the troops lying round him.  <br> \nThen Abishai said to David, \u2018Today God has put your enemy in your power; so now let me pin him to the ground with his own spear. Just one stroke! I will not need to strike him twice.\u2019 David answered Abishai, \u2018Do not kill him, for who can lift his hand against the Lord\u2019s anointed and be without guilt? The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord\u2019s anointed! But now take the spear beside his head and the pitcher of water and let us go away.\u2019 David took the spear and the pitcher of water from beside Saul\u2019s head, and they made off. No one saw, no one knew, no one woke up; they were all asleep, for a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.  <br> \nDavid crossed to the other side and halted on the top of the mountain a long way off; there was a wide space between them. He called out, \u2018Here is the king\u2019s spear. Let one of the soldiers come across and take it. The Lord repays everyone for his uprightness and loyalty. Today the Lord put you in my power, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord\u2019s anointed.\u2019  <\/p> \n\n\n<p>  <b> \nPsalm:  102(103):1-4, 8, 10, 12-13  <\/b>  <BR> \n\n<p>  My soul, give thanks to the Lord  <br> \nall my being, bless his holy name.  <br> \nMy soul, give thanks to the Lord  <br> \nand never forget all his blessings.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  It is he who forgives all your guilt,  <br> \nwho heals every one of your ills,  <br> \nwho redeems your life from the grave,  <br> \nwho crowns you with love and compassion.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  The Lord is compassion and love,  <br> \nslow to anger and rich in mercy.  <br> \nHe does not treat us according to our sins  <br> \nnor repay us according to our faults.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  As far as the east is from the west  <br> \nso far does he remove our sins.  <br> \nAs a father has compassion on his sons,  <br> \nthe Lord has pity on those who fear him.  <\/p> \n\n<p>  <b> \nA reading from the First Letter of St Paul to Corinthians 15:45-49  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  The first Adam became a living soul; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  The first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul; but the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. That is, first the one with the soul, not the spirit, and after that, the one with the spirit. The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven. As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modelled on the earthly man, will be modelled on the heavenly man.  <\/p>\n\n <p>  <b> \nA reading from the Gospel of St Luke 6:27-38  <BR>  <\/b> \n\n<i>  Love your enemies  <\/i>  <\/p> \n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'>  Jesus said to his disciples: \u2018I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.  <br> \n\u2018Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.\u2019  <\/p><br>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">_________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style='text-align: justify;'><font size=\"1\"><i>Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman &amp; Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reproduced with Permission. <br>\nExcerpt from THE GRAIL PSALMS, with permission of A P Watt at United Agents on behalf of The Grail, England. Copyright \u00a9 1963 by The Grail, England. <br>\nCopyright \u00a9 2019-2026 Prayerfulness.com. Users must not reproduce, download, store in any medium, distribute, transmit or retransmit or manipulate any text contained in this website except for non-commercial worship purposes. Thank you.<\/i><\/font size=\"1\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 2025 Sunday Readings Scripture Readings for Sundays in February 2025 Follow the Scripture readings for Sundays of the Year. Read and reflect on them as part of your daily prayer. Select Month:&nbsp;January&nbsp;\/&nbsp;February&nbsp;\/&nbsp;March&nbsp;\/&nbsp;April&nbsp;\/&nbsp;May&nbsp;\/&nbsp;June \/&nbsp;July \/&nbsp;August \/&nbsp;September \/&nbsp;October \/&nbsp;November \/&nbsp;December Sunday Mass Readings for February 2025&nbsp; &#8211; Year C Sunday 2nd February 2025 &#8211; The Presentation &#8230; <a title=\"February 2025 Sunday Readings\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/february-2025-sunday-readings\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about February 2025 Sunday Readings\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13001","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13001"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13021,"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13001\/revisions\/13021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prayerfulness.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}