Memorial of Saint Andrew D?ng-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

Reading 1 and//usccb.org/bible/daniel/2:31 DN 2:31-45 Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzarand In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,very large and exceedingly bright,terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.The head of the statue was pure gold,its chest and arms were silver,its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,its feet partly iron and partly tile.While you looked at the statue,a stone which was hewn from a mountainwithout a hand being put to it,struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountainand filled the whole earth. This was the dreamthe interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence.You, O king, are the king of kingsto you the God of heavenhas given dominion and strength, power and glorymen, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them allyou are the head of gold.Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours,then a third kingdom, of bronze,which shall rule over the whole earth.There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as ironit shall break in pieces and subdue all these others,just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron,mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,but yet have some of the hardness of iron.As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,and the toes partly iron and partly tile,the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.The iron mixed with clay tilemeans that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.In the lifetime of those kingsthe God of heaven will set up a kingdomthat shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another peoplerather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdomsand put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountainwithout a hand being put to it,which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the futurethis is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.” Responsorial Psalm and//usccb.org/bible/daniel/3:57 DANIEL 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61 R.Give glory and eternal praise to him. Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever.” R.Give glory and eternal praise to him. Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever.” R.Give glory and eternal praise to him. You heavens, bless the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever.” R.Give glory and eternal praise to him. All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,praise and exalt him above all forever.” R.Give glory and eternal praise to him. All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lordpraise and exalt him above all forever.” R.Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia and//usccb.org/bible/revelation/2:10 RV 2:10C R.Alleluia, alleluia.Remain faithful until death,and I will give you the crown of life.R.Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel and//usccb.org/bible/luke/21:5 K 21:5-11 While some people were speaking abouthow the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,Jesus said, All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be lefta stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”Then they asked him, Teacher, when will this happen?And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”He answered, See that you not be deceived,for many will come in my name, saying,‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’Do not follow them!When you hear of wars and insurrections,do not be terrified for such things must happen first,but it will not immediately be the end.”Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plaguesfrom place to placeand awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”