New Testament
The Letter to the Colossians
The Letter to the Colossians is the twelfth of the 27 books of the New Testament: 4 chapters and 95 verses.
About Colossians
About Colossians · Letter to a community
Colossians answers a church Paul had never met, unsettled by teachers pushing angelic powers, ascetic rules, and secret fullness beyond Christ. Its answer is the highest Christology in the letters: in Christ all things were created and hold together, and in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Sent under Paul's name from prison, with some scholarly debate about whether a close disciple penned it, it was written to insist that no spiritual add-on improves on Christ — and to translate that fullness into patience, forgiveness, and household peace.
| Testament | New Testament — book 12 of 27, 58 of 73 in the Bible |
|---|---|
| Canon | Protocanonical (in every Christian canon) |
| Chapters | 4 |
| Verses | 95, as Bless numbers them |
| Latin | Clementine Vulgate, every chapter |
| Bp. Challoner | Summaries of all 4 chapters · 6 notes |
| Catechism | 54 paragraphs cite it |
Chapter by chapter
All 4 chapters, in brief.
Bishop Richard Challoner’s summary of each chapter, from his revision of the Douay-Rheims (1749–52). Open a chapter for the full text.
Colossians 1
29 versesHe gives thanks for the grace bestowed upon the Colossians and prays for them. Christ is the head of the church and the peacemaker through his blood. Paul is his minister.
Colossians 2
23 versesHe warns them against the impostures of the philosophers and the Jewish teachers, that would withdraw them from Christ.
Colossians 3
25 versesHe exhorts them to put off the old man, and to put on the new. The duties of wives and husbands, children and servants.
Colossians 4
18 versesHe recommends constant prayer and wisdom. Various salutations.
Bp. Richard Challoner · chapter summaries
In the comments
What the saints said.
12 quotations from 12 saints linked to passages of Colossians in Bless. Each names the work it comes from.
St. Joan of Arc · on Colossians 1:18
On this theme
About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they are just one thing, and we should not complicate the matter.
Trial testimony, 1431, 1431
St. Bernadette Soubirous · on Colossians 1:24
On this theme
The more I am crucified, the more I rejoice.
Personal notes, Nevers, c. 1875
St. Bonaventure · on Colossians 3:1
On this theme
No one can be made happy unless he rise above himself, not by an ascent of the body, but of the heart.
The Journey of the Mind to God, prologue, 1259
St. Clare of Assisi · on Colossians 3:2
On this theme
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity; place your soul in the brilliance of glory; place your heart in the figure of the divine substance, and transform your whole being into the image of the Godhead itself through contemplation.
Letter to Agnes of Prague, 3, 1238
St. Francis de Sales · on Colossians 3:12
On this theme
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself.
Introduction to the Devout Life, III.9, 1609
6 more, on the chapter pages
- Colossians 3:14St. Dominic
- Colossians 3:16St. Augustine of Hippo · attributed
- Colossians 3:16St. Basil the Great
- Colossians 3:17St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- Colossians 3:17St. Hilary of Poitiers
- Colossians 3:23St. Ignatius of Loyola · attributed
Coming up
Read at Mass.
From October 29, 2026 to October 28, 2027, Colossians is read at the principal Mass on 12 days in the US calendar. The next 8 readings:
| Date | Celebration | Reading | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | Second Reading | Colossians 3:12-21 | |
| The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | Alleluia | Colossians 3:15a, 16a | |
| The Resurrection of the Lord | Second Reading | Colossians 3:1-4 | |
| Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter | Alleluia | Colossians 3:1 | |
| Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter | Alleluia | Colossians 3:1 | |
| Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time | Alleluia | See Colossians 3:16a, 17c | |
| computed | Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Colossians 1:1-8 |
| computed | Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Colossians 1:9-14 |
| computed | St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church | First Reading | Colossians 1:15-20 |
| computed | Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Colossians 1:21-23 |
| computed | Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Colossians 1:24—2:3 |
| computed | Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Colossians 2:6-15 |
| computed | St. Peter Claver, Priest | First Reading | Colossians 3:12-17 |
| computed | The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | Second Reading | Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 |
| computed | The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | Alleluia | Colossians 3:15a, 16a |
| computed | The Resurrection of the Lord | Second Reading | Colossians 3:1-4 |
| computed | Monday of the Second Week of Easter | Alleluia | Colossians 3:1 |
| computed | Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter | Alleluia | Colossians 3:1 |
| computed | Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter | Alleluia | Colossians 3:1 |
| computed | Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Alleluia | Colossians 3:15a, 16a |
| computed | Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Second Reading | Colossians 1:15-20 |
| computed | Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Second Reading | Colossians 1:24-28 |
| computed | Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Second Reading | Colossians 2:12-14 |
| computed | The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe | Second Reading | Colossians 1:12-20 |
No more readings are listed here; the liturgical calendar has every date through December 31, 2028.
Citations as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar (principal Mass, first option). Dates after May 31, 2027 are computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.