＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊       Gen 28:10–22a

  Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place the sun had set and he spent the night there.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal, married woman, queen 

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Gen 22: 1b–19*

 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”

Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac.(…..) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife.  As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father! And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”

They went on, the two of them together, until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar. He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son.

But the Angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from me your only son.”(……)

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Is 66:10–14

Rejoice for Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her.   

St. Elizabeth of Portugal, married woman, queen 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Gen 22: 1b–19*

 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”

Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac.(…..) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife.  As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father! And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”

They went on, the two of them together, until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar. He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son.

But the Angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from me your only son.”(……)

Blessed Virgin Mary /St. Maria Goretti, virgin & martyr 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊   Gen 27:1–5, 15–29

  (…..)Jacob went to his father and said, “Father!” He answered, “Yes, my son, who is it?” and Jacob said to his father, “It is Esau, your firstborn; I have done what you told me to do. Come, sit up and eat my game so that you may give me your blessing.”

St. Elizabeth of Portugal, married woman, queen 

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Gen 22: 1b–19*

 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”

Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac.(…..) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife.  As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father! And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”

They went on, the two of them together, until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar. He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son.

But the Angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from me your only son.”(……)

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

 Gen 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

 Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years. She died at Kiriatharba —that is Hebron—in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to weep and mourn for Sarah.  Abraham left his dead one and spoke to the Hittites,““I am only a stranger among you; give me a burial place among you, so that I may bury my dead.” After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. Abraham was now old and well on in years, and Yahweh had blessed him in every way.  

 Abraham said to his senior servant, who was his steward, “Put your hand under my thigh and you will swear to me by Yahweh, God of heaven and earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom we live; rather it is to my country and my kinsfolk that you will go to choose a wife for my son, Isaac.”

The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not want to follow me to this country. In that case should I take your son to the country you came from?” Abraham said to him,  “In no way will you take my son back. For Yahweh, God of heaven and God of earth, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, spoke to me and swore to me that he would give this country to my race. He will send his angel before you, that you may find a wife for my son. But if the woman is unwilling to follow you,you will be free of this oath.

In any case you are not to take my son down there.” Now Isaac had come from the well of Lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negeb.  As Isaac went out in the early evening to meditate in the field, he looked up and saw camels coming. Rebekah also looked up and when she saw Isaac she alighted from her camel and said to the servant,     “Who is this man in the field coming to meet us?” He replied, “It is my master!” She then covered her face with her veil. The servant related to Isaac all that he had done and Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, his mother. He made her his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

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Gen 19:15–29

 At daybreak the Angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and two daughters who are here, lest they perish because of the sin of the town.” As he hesitated, the men took him by the hand and his wife and two daughters with him, because Yahweh had mercy on him. And they led him outside the town. When they were outside, the visitors said to him, “Flee for your life and don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere in the plain. Flee to the mountain lest you perish.”

But Lot replied,  “My lords, your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot flee to the mountains for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. See, there is a town near enough for me to flee to and it’s a small one. Let me flee there: it is| very small|(that is why the town is called Zoar).   So I will be safe.” And the angel answered,  “I grant you this favor as well by not destroying the town you speak of. But flee fast for I can do nothing until you arrive there.”

The sun had risen on the earth when Lot reached Zoar. Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur out of the heavens from Yahweh, and he completely destroyed those towns and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the towns and everything that grew there. Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt.

Early next morning Abraham returned to the place where he had stood before Yahweh.  He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and towards all the land of the valley and he saw smoke rising from the earth like the smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the towns of the plain he remembered Abraham and made Lot escape from the catastrophe while he destroyed the cities where Lot had lived.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal, married woman, queen 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Gen 22: 1b–19*

 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”

Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac.(…..) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife.  As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father! And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”

They went on, the two of them together, until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar. He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son.

But the Angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from me your only son.”(……)

St.Junipero Serrra, Priest 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Genesis 18: 16-33

The men went away and turned towards Sodom. Abraham walked with them to set them on their way. And Yahweh said, “Can I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham, in fact, is going to become a great and powerful nation and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed, for I have chosen him to command his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that Yahweh may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Then Yahweh said, “How great is the cry for justice against Sodom and Gomorrah! And how grievous is their sin! I am going down to see if they have done all that they are charged with in the outcry that has reached me. If it is not so, I will know.”

The men with him turned away and went towards Sodom, but Yahweh remained standing before Abraham. Abraham went forward and said,” Will you really let the just perish with the wicked? Perhaps there are fifty good people in the town. Are you really going to let them perish? Would you not spare the place for the sake of these fifty righteous people? It would not be at all like you to do such a thing and you can’t let the good perish with the wicked, nor treat the good and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the judge of all the earth be just?” Yahweh said, “If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will spare the shole place for their sake.”

Abraham spoke up again, “I know that I am very bold to speak like this to my Lord, I who am only dust and ashes! But perhaps the number of the good is five less than fifty. Will you destroy the town because of five?” Yahweh replied,” I will not destroy the town if I find forty-five good people there.” Again Abraham said to him, “Perhaps there will be only forty.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Abraham went on, saying , “May my Lord not be angry, but let me speak. Maybe only thirty good people will be found in the town.” Yahweh answered, “ I will not destroy it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to my Lord, what if only twenty can be found? “ He said, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy the place.”

But Abraham insisted, “May my Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found? And Yahweh answered, “For the sake of ten good people, I will not destroy Sodom.” When Yahweh had finished speaking with Abraham, he left and Abraham went home.