Weekday Masses for Years I & II
in the
Seasons of Advent and Christmas

The Season of Advent:

#192 = Alleluia Verses for Weekdays of Advent up to December 16: "These texts may be used in place of the texts proposed for each day." (14 options)

#201 = Alleluia Verses for Weekdays of Advent from December 17 to December 24: "These texts may be used in place of the texts proposed for each day." (7 "O Antiphons")

*Lectionary Note before each of ##187-191: "If today is December 17 or 18, omit these readings and use those given for the weekdays of Advent, nos. 193 or 194."

**Lectionary Note before #193: "The following readings are used from December 17 to 24. If a Sunday occurs during this time, the weekday readings for that day are omitted, but they may be anticipated or used later on another day during the week, especially to avoid duplicating the Sunday readings."

Rationale: The "General Introduction to the Lectionary" (Second Edition, 1981) briefly explains the rationale for the reading choices for the Weekdays of Advent:

"There are two series of readings: one to be used from the beginning of Advent until 16 December; the other from 17 to 24 December.
In the first part of Advent there are readings from the Book of Isaiah, distributed in accord with the sequence of the book itself and including the more important texts that are also read on the Sundays. For the choice of the weekday Gospel the first reading has been taken into consideration.
On Thursday of the second week the readings from the Gospel concerning John the Baptist begin. The first reading is either a continuation of Isaiah or a text chosen in view of the Gospel.
In the last week before Christmas the events that immediately prepared for the Lord's birth are presented from the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 1) and Luke (chapter 1). The texts in the first reading, chosen in view of the Gospel reading, are from different Old Testament books and include important Messianic prophecies." (Lectionary for Mass, "Introduction," chap. 5, par. 94.)

The Season of Christmas:

Note: In the Lectionary for Mass, the readings for December 26-28 are listed in the "Proper of Saints" rather than among the weekdays of Christmas; but they are included here to provide a comprehensive overview of the readings for the Christmas Season, esp. its use of the complete text of 1 John in the First Readings. The readings for January 1, for the Epiphany of the Lord, and for the Baptism of the Lord, each of which has both a First Reading and a Second Reading, are listed in the Sunday Lectionary.

*Lectionary Note before #209: "If the Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday, January 7 or 8, the following readings are used for the Mass on January 6.

**Lectionary Note before #210: "If the Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday, January 8, the following readings are used for the Mass on January 7.

***Lectionary Note before #212: "In the dioceses of the United States of America, where Epiphany is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and January 8, the following readings are used on the days that follow Epiphany up to the following Sunday. Nevertheless, on Monday after the Sunday on which the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated (that is, the Sunday after January 6), the readings of Ordinary Time begin, and any readings left over from those assigned for January 7 to January 12 are omitted."

#211 = Alleluia Verses for Weekdays before Epiphany: "These texts may be used in place of the texts proposed for each day. (3 options)

#218 = Alleluia Verses for Weekdays after Epiphany: "These texts may be used in place of the texts proposed for each day. (5 options)

Rationale: The "General Introduction to the Lectionary" (Second Edition, 1981) briefly explains the rationale for the reading choices for the Weekdays of the Christmas Season:

"From 29 December on, there is a continuous reading of the whole of the First Letter of John, which actually begins earlier, on 27 December, the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, and on 28 December, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. The Gospels relate manifestations of the Lord: events of Jesus' childhood from the Gospel of Luke (29-30 December); passages from the first chapter of the Gospel of John (31 December-5 January); other manifestations of the Lord from the four Gospels (7-12 January)." (Lectionary for Mass, "Introduction," chap. 5, par. 96.)

More Advent/Christmas Resources:

• Liturgical Readings for the Four Sundays of Advent
• An Overview of the Advent and Christmas Seasons
• How Long is the Season of Advent?
• The "O Antiphons" for December 17 to 24
• Movable Feasts during the Christmas Season
• The Birth of Jesus in the Gospel Infancy Narratives
• Full Texts of the Liturgical Readings - from the USCCB website

See also the Weekday Readings for the other Liturgical Seasons:

Advent and Christmas | Lent and Easter | Ordinary Time: Year I | Ordinary Time: Year II | Saints and Feast Days

Source: Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, 
© 2001, 1998, 1992, 1986, 1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C.

The Lectionary for Mass used in the USA is based on the Ordo Lectionum Missae, editio typical altera (Latin Lectionary, second edition, 1981).

For the full texts of the readings for the current and upcoming months, 
please refer to the official web-site of the New American Bible, sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.