Catholic Funeral Readings
The Catholic Church provides a set of approved scripture readings for the funeral Mass. Below are all 56 options organized by liturgical slot: choose one First Reading, one Psalm, optionally a Second Reading, and one Gospel.
Easter Timemarks the four first readings appointed for Easter Time, the fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, when the first reading is drawn from Acts or Revelation instead of the Old Testament. Outside those days, choose one of the seven Old Testament readings.
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Old Testament Readings (and Easter Time Alternatives)
11 approved first readings offering hope in resurrection, comfort in loss, and praise of a life well lived. Outside Easter Time the first reading is taken from the Old Testament; during Easter Time it is replaced by a reading from Acts or Revelation.
- Job 19:1, 23-27aI know that my Vindicator lives
- Wisdom 3:1-9The souls of the just are in the hand of God
- Wisdom 4:7-15A blameless life is a ripe old age
- Isaiah 25:6a, 7-9He will destroy death forever
- Lamentations 3:17-26It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord
- Daniel 12:1-3Those who sleep in the dust shall awake
- 2 Maccabees 12:43-46It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead
- Acts 10:34-43Easter TimeAppointed by God as judge of the living and the dead (Easter Time)
- Revelation 14:13Easter TimeBlessed are the dead who die in the Lord (Easter Time)
- Revelation 20:11-21:1Easter TimeThe dead were judged according to their works (Easter Time)
- Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7Easter TimeThere shall be no more death (Easter Time)
Responsorial Psalms
10 psalms approved for the Catholic funeral Mass: ancient prayers of trust, grief, and longing for God.
- Psalm 23:1-6The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want
- Psalm 25:6-7, 17-18, 20-21To you, O Lord, I lift my soul
- Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-9, 13-14The Lord is my light and my salvation
- Psalm 42:2-5; 43:3-5My soul is thirsting for the living God
- Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God
- Psalm 103:8, 10, 13-18The Lord is kind and merciful
- Psalm 116:5-6, 10-11, 15-16I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living
- Psalm 122:1-2, 4-5, 6-9I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord
- Psalm 130:1-8Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord
- Psalm 143:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 10O Lord, hear my prayer
New Testament Readings
16 approved second readings on the Christian hope that death has been conquered through Christ.
- Romans 5:5-11Since we are now justified by his Blood, we will be saved through him
- Romans 5:17-21Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more
- Romans 6:3-9We shall also live with him
- Romans 8:14-23We also groan within ourselves as we wait for the redemption of our bodies
- Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39What will separate us from the love of Christ?
- Romans 14:7-9, 10c-12Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-24a, 25-28So too in Christ shall all be brought to life
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-57Death is swallowed up in victory
- 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:1What is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal
- 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-10We have a building from God, eternal in heaven
- Philippians 3:20-21Our citizenship is in heaven
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18We shall always be with the Lord
- 2 Timothy 2:8-13If we have died with him, we shall also live with him
- 1 John 3:1-2We shall see him as he is
- 1 John 3:14-16We have passed from death to life
- Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7There shall be no more death
Gospel Readings
19 approved Gospel readings for a Catholic funeral Mass.
- Matthew 5:1-12aRejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven
- Matthew 11:25-30Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened
- Matthew 25:1-13Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him
- Matthew 25:31-46Come, you who are blessed by my Father
- Mark 15:33-39; 16:1-6Jesus breathed his last; He has been raised
- Luke 7:11-17Young man, I tell you, arise!
- Luke 12:35-40Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come
- Luke 23:33, 39-43Today you will be with me in Paradise
- Luke 23:44-46, 50, 52-53; 24:1-6aFather, into your hands I commit my spirit
- Luke 24:13-35Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things?
- John 5:24-29Whoever hears my word has passed from death to life
- John 6:37-40Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life
- John 6:51-58Whoever eats this bread will live forever
- John 11:17-27I am the resurrection and the life
- John 11:32-45Lazarus, come out!
- John 12:23-28If the grain of wheat dies, it bears much fruit
- John 14:1-6In my Father's house there are many dwelling places
- John 17:24-26I desire that they also may be with me where I am
- John 19:17-18, 25-39Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit
Browse by theme
Not sure where to start? Each theme page gathers the readings that speak to a particular aspect of Christian life.
- Hope of ResurrectionFuneral readings proclaiming the bodily resurrection: the central Christian hope that death is not the end.
- God's MercyFuneral readings invoking the mercy that holds every soul: broader than human reckoning, older than the world.
- Praying for the DeadReadings supporting the distinctively Catholic practice of praying for the souls of the faithful departed.
- Christ Conquers DeathFuneral readings proclaiming Christ's triumph over death: Easter joy at the heart of the funeral liturgy.
- Comfort and ConsolationGentle funeral readings for grieving families: the shepherd who walks with us, the Father's house, the rest Christ promises.
- Trust Through SufferingFuneral readings for someone whose life or death involved real suffering: the honest grief of Job, Lamentations, and the psalms of longing.
- The Father's HouseFuneral readings on the home toward which the deceased has gone: the Father's house, the new Jerusalem, the city of God.
- The Eucharistic PromiseFuneral readings rooted in the Eucharist: the bread of life that pledges resurrection.
- Christ's CompassionFuneral readings on the tenderness of Jesus toward the grieving: the heart that wept at Lazarus's tomb.
- Death of Someone YoungFuneral readings specifically chosen for the death of a child, teenager, or young adult: Scripture's direct word to grieving parents and friends.
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