Bible Readings for Reconciliation

The Roman Catholic Rite of Penance (RP) gives over a hundred Scripture passages as suggestions for the individual or communal form of the sacrament. These readings are excellent material not only for liturgy, but also personal reflection.

The outline below separates these into lists of Old Testament, Psalms and Canticles (separately from other Old Testament passages), New Testament, and Gospels (separately from the other New Testament passages). Some have links to essays written on this site, and more will be added on a somewhat regular basis. Some longer passages are split up into smaller bites.

The purpose here is to give a convenient outline. Some essays will be penned, I hope, by guest contributors.

Old Testament

• Genesis 3:1-19 (RP 101)
• Genesis 4:1-15 (RP 102)
• Genesis 18:17-33 (RP 103)
• Genesis 45:1-8 (non-Lectionary)
• Exodus 17:1-7 (RP 104)
• Exodus 20:1-21 (RP 105)
• Deuteronomy 5:1-3, 6-7, 11-12, 16-21a, 6:4-6 (RP 51)
• Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (RP 106)
• Deuteronomy 9:7-19 (RP 107)
• Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (RP 108)
• 2 Samuel 12:1-9, 13 (RP 109)
• Nehemiah 9:1-20 (RP 110), parts one (verses 1-5) and two (verses 6-20)
• Wisdom 1:1-16 (RP 111), parts one (verses 1-5), two (verses 6-11), and three (verses 12-16)
• Wisdom 5:6-16 (RP 112), parts one (verses 6-7), two (verses 8-13), and three (verses 14-16).
• Wisdom 11:22-12:2 (non-Lectionary)
• Wisdom 15:1-3 (non-Lectionary)
• Sirach 21:1-6 (non-Lectionary)
• Sirach 28:1-7 (RP 113)
• Isaiah 1:2-6, 15-18 (RP 114)
• Isaiah 1:10-18 (RP 51)
• Isaiah 5:1-7 (RP 115)
• Isaiah 43:22-28 (RP 116)
• Isaiah 53:1-12 (RP 117)
• Isaiah 53:4-6 (RP 72)
• Isaiah 55:1-11 (RP 118), part one (verses 1-5), part two (verses 6-9), and part three (verses 10-11)
• Isaiah 58:1-11 (RP 119)
• Isaiah 59:1-4, 9-15 (RP 120)
• Jeremiah 2:1-13 (RP 121)
• Jeremiah 7:21-26 (RP 122)
• Ezekiel 11:14-21 (RP 123)
• Ezekiel 11:19-20 (RP 73) see the above link for comments on the longer passage
• Ezekiel 18:20-32 (RP 124), parts one (verses 20-24) and two (verses 25-32)
• Ezekiel 36:23-28 (RP 125)
• Hosea 2:16-25 (RP 126)
• Hosea 11:1-11 (RP 127)
• Hosea 14: 2-10 (RP 128)
• Joel 2:12-19 (RP 129)
• Micah 6:1-15 (RP 130), parts one (verses 1-6) and two (verses 7-15)
• Micah 7:2-7, 18-20 (RP 131)
• Zechariah 1:1-6 (RP 132)
• Malachi 3:1-7a (RP II 22)

Psalms and Canticles

• Psalm 13 (RP 133)
• Psalm 22:2-3, 7-9, 18-28 (RP II, 16)
• Psalm 25 (RP 134)
• Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-10, 13-14 (RP II, 32)
• Psalm 31:2-4, 6 (RP 135)
• Psalm 31:10, 15-17, 20 (RP II, 26)
• Psalm 32 (RP 136), an older post here
• Psalm 36 (RP 137)
• Psalm 50:7-8, 14-23 (RP 138)
• Psalm 51 (RP 51 & 139), in four separate posts: verses 3-5, verses 6ab, 7-8, verses 9-13, verses 14, 17, 19
• Psalm 73 (RP 140)
• Psalm 85 (RP II, 22)
• Psalm 90 (RP 141)
• Psalm 95 (RP 142)
• Psalm 106:6-10, 13-14, 19-22 (RP II, 10)
• Psalm 119:1, 10-13, 15-16 (RP 143)
• Psalm 123 (RP 144)
• Psalm 130 (RP 145 & II, 65) by Liam
• Psalm 139 (RP 146) verses 1-6, verses 7-12, verses 13-16, verses 17-18+23-24
• Psalm 143:1-11 (RP 147)
• Psalm 146:5-10 (RP II 38)
• Baruch 1:15, 17-19, 21-22 (RP 51)

New Testament

• Romans 3:22-26 (RP 148)
• Romans 5:6-11 (RP 149)
• Romans 5:8-9 (RP 79), see the above link for the longer passage
• Romans 6:2-11(RP 150)
• Romans 6:12-23 (RP 151)
• Romans 7:14-25 (RP 152)
• Romans 7:18-25a (RP II, 57)
• Romans 8:18-25 (RP II, 57)
• Romans 12:1-2, 9-19 (RP 153)
• Romans 13:8-14 (RP 154)
• 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (RP II, 10)
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (RP 155)
• Galatians 5:16-24 (RP 156)
• Ephesians 1:3-6 (RP II, 32)
• Ephesians 2:1-10 (RP 157)
• Ephesians 4:1-3, 17-32 (RP 158) parts one (verses 1-3) two (verses 17-24) and three (verses 23-32)
• Ephesians 4:23-32 (RP 51)
• Ephesians 5:1-2 (RP 80)
• Ephesians 5:1-14 (RP 51 & 159)
• Ephesians 6:10-18 (RP 160)
• Colossians 1:12-14 (RP 81)
• Colossians 3:1-10, 12-17 (RP 161)
• Colossians 3:5, 8-10, 12-17 (RP 82)
• Hebrews 12:1-5 (RP 162)
• James 1:22-27 (RP 163)
• James 2:14-26 (RP 164)
• James 3:1-12 (RP 165)
• James 5:13-16 (RP II, 66)
• 1 Peter 1:13-16, 18-23 (RP 166)
• 1 Peter 2:20b-25 (RP II, 16)
• 2 Peter 1:3-11 (RP 167)
• 1 John 1:5-2:2 (RP 168)
• 1 John 1:6-7, 9 (RP 83)
• 1 John 2:3-11 (RP 169)
• 1 John 3:1-24 (RP 170)
• 1 John 4:16-21 (RP 171)
• Revelation 2:1-5 (RP 172)
• Revelation 3:14-22 (RP 173)
• Revelation 20:11-15 (RP 174)
• Revelation 21:1-8 (RP 175)
• Revelation 21:1-12 (RP II, 22)

Gospel Readings

• Matthew 3:1-12 (RP 176)
• Matthew 4:12-17 (RP 177)
• Matthew 5:1-12 (RP 51 & 178)
• Matthew 5:13-16 (RP 179)
• Matthew 5:17-47 (RP 180) parts one (verses 17-20), two (verses 21-24), three (verses 25-26), four (verses 27-32), five (verses 33-37), six (verses 37-47)
• Matthew 6:14-15 (RP 74)
• Matthew 9:1-8 (RP 181)
• Matthew 9:9-13 (RP 182)
• Matthew 13:44-46 (RP II, 57)
• Matthew 18:15-20 (RP 183)
• Matthew 18:21-35 (RP 184)
• Matthew 22:34-40 (RP 51), see Mark 12:28-34 for a discussion on the parallel passage in another gospel
• Matthew 25:31-46 (RP 185)
• Matthew 26:69-75 (RP 186)
• Mark 1:14-15 (RP 75)
• Mark 2:1-12 (RP II, 66)
• Mark 10:32-45 (RP II, 16)
• Mark 10:32-34, 42-45 (RP II, 16)
• Mark 12:28-34 (RP 187)
• Luke 3:1-17 (RP II, 22)
• Luke 6:31-38 (RP 76)
• Luke 7:36-50 (RP 188)
• Luke 13:1-5 (RP 189)
• Luke 15:1-7 (RP 77), see Luke 15:1-10, linked below
• Luke 15:1-10 (RP 190)
• Luke 15:11-32 (RP 191) in four parts: one, Journey to an Alien Land; two, Coming to One’s Senses; three, Full of Compassion; four, The Older Son
• Luke 17:1-4 (RP 192)
• Luke 18:9-14 (RP 193)
• Luke 19:1-10 (RP 194)
• Luke 22:31-34 (RP II, 26)
• Luke 22:54-62 (RP II, 26)
• Luke 23:39-43 (RP 195)
• John 8:1-11 (RP 196)
• John 8:31-36 (RP 197)
• John 13:34-35; 15:10-13 (RP 51)
• John 15:1-8 (RP 198)
• John 15:9-14 (RP 199)
• John 19:13-37 (RP 200)
• John 20:19-23 (RP 78 or 201)