Follow the Daily Mass Readings Through the Liturgical Year
The Catholic daily Mass readings, organized by the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. Each day includes a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, and a Gospel — with a Second Reading added on Sundays and solemnities.
What is the Lectionary?
The lectionary is the Church's schedule of scripture readings appointed for each day of the year. In the Roman Catholic tradition the daily Mass readings are assigned by the liturgical calendar and are the same for Catholics worldwide; in the United States they are published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Each weekday Mass includes a First Reading (usually from the Old Testament, or from Acts and Revelation during the Easter season), a Responsorial Psalm, and a Gospel. Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts add a Second Reading drawn from the New Testament letters.
The readings are organized around the liturgical year, which begins with Advent in late November or early December and moves through Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, and back into Ordinary Time. Each season has a distinct focus: Advent on expectation and preparation, Lent on repentance and the journey to the cross, Easter on the resurrection and new life. Saints' memorials, feasts, and solemnities throughout the year carry their own appointed readings.
For individuals and families, the lectionary offers a ready-made framework for daily Bible reading that removes the guesswork of what to read next. Rather than choosing passages at random, you read what the universal Church reads the same day. This grounds personal study in the communal prayer of the Church and carries you through the major events of salvation history over the course of the year.
Gospel Daily presents the daily Mass readings in a clean, accessible format. Each day shows the full set of readings with verse text, the liturgical season and the day's feast or memorial, and navigation to move between days. You can read today's readings, look ahead to upcoming days, or review the readings already past.
How It Works
Find today's readings
Open the Lectionary to see today's appointed readings — First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, and Gospel (plus a Second Reading on Sundays and major feasts) — each with full verse text.
Read by liturgical season
Navigate through the liturgical year -- Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time -- to see how the readings track the story of salvation across the seasons.
Browse the whole year
Browse every day of the liturgical year, grouped by season and labeled with each day's feast or memorial, and jump to any date's readings.
Key Features
Daily Mass Readings
Each day includes a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, and a Gospel -- with a Second Reading on Sundays and solemnities -- exactly as appointed by the liturgical calendar.
Liturgical Calendar Navigation
Browse readings by liturgical season -- Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time -- with clear markers for feasts, memorials, and solemnities.
Feasts and Memorials
Every day is labeled with its place in the liturgical year, including the saints' memorials, feasts, and solemnities that shape the day's readings.
Season and Day Tracking
Automatically highlights today's readings and shows where you are in the liturgical year, so you always know what the Church is reading today.
A sample day's readings (Christmas, Mass during the Night):
First Reading
Isaiah 9:1-6
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 96
Second Reading
Titus 2:11-14
Gospel
Luke 2:1-14 (The birth of Jesus)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the lectionary?
The lectionary is the Church's appointed schedule of scripture readings for each day of the year. In the Catholic tradition the daily Mass readings follow the liturgical calendar and are the same worldwide; in the United States they are published by the USCCB. Each day includes a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, and a Gospel, with a Second Reading added on Sundays and major feasts.
What readings are included each day?
Weekday Masses include a First Reading (usually from the Old Testament, or from Acts and Revelation during the Easter season), a Responsorial Psalm, and a Gospel. Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts add a Second Reading drawn from the New Testament letters.
What are the seasons of the liturgical year?
The liturgical year begins with Advent (the weeks before Christmas) and moves through Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent (the forty days of preparation before Easter), Easter (the fifty days celebrating the resurrection), and the long stretch of Ordinary Time. Each season shapes the readings and the focus of worship.
Are these the same readings used at Mass?
Yes. These are the daily Mass readings appointed by the liturgical calendar -- the same readings proclaimed at Catholic Masses. In the United States they follow the calendar and lectionary published by the USCCB.
How does the lectionary differ from a Bible reading plan?
A Bible reading plan typically moves sequentially through books of the Bible to cover the whole text in a set period. The lectionary is organized around the liturgical calendar and selects passages to match the seasons, feasts, and memorials of the Church's year, so the readings follow the rhythm of salvation history rather than the order of the books.
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