--- title: "Mass Readings for December 28, 2026: Holy Innocents, Martyrs" url: https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/12/28/ description: "December 28, 2026: Holy Innocents, Martyrs, Year B, Cycle I, red. 1 John 1:5—2:2; Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8; Matthew 2:13-18. Gospel in the CPDV." updated: 2026-10-20 --- Holy Innocents, Martyrs · Feast # Mass Readings *for Monday, December 28, 2026* On Monday, December 28, 2026, the Church in the United States celebrates the feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs; the liturgical color is red. The Gospel is Matthew 2:13-18. Updated October 20, 2026 ## The liturgical day Liturgical color Red - **Celebration**: Holy Innocents, Martyrs - **Season**: Christmas Time - **Rank**: Feast - **Sunday cycle**: Year B - **Weekday cycle**: Cycle I ## Mass readings (US) ### First Reading: 1 John 1:5—2:2 - 5 And this is the announcement which we have heard from him, and which we announce to you: that God is light, and in him there is no darkness. - 6 If we claim that we have fellowship with him, and yet we walk in darkness, then we are lying and not telling the truth. - 7 But if we walk in the light, just as he also is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. - 8 If we claim that we have no sin, then we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. - 9 If we confess our sins, then he is faithful and just, so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity. - 10 If we claim that we have not sinned, then we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us. - 2:1 My little sons, this I write to you, so that you may not sin. But if anyone has sinned, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just One. - 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins. And not only for our sins, but also for those of the whole world. Catholic Public Domain Version Read in the CPDV: [The whole of 1 John 1](https://blessbible.app/bible/1-john/1/) [The whole of 1 John 2](https://blessbible.app/bible/1-john/2/) ### Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8 Read in the CPDV: [Psalm 124 (123 in the Vulgate)](https://blessbible.app/bible/psalms/123/) ### Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18 - 13 And after they had gone away, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt. And remain there until I tell you. For it will happen that Herod will seek the boy to destroy him.” - 14 And getting up, he took the boy and his mother by night, and withdrew into Egypt. - 15 And he remained there, until the death of Herod, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt, I called my son.” - 16 Then Herod, seeing that he had been fooled by the Magi, was very angry. And so he sent to kill all the boys who were in Bethlehem, and in all its borders, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had learned by questioning the Magi. - 17 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying: - 18 “A voice has been heard in Ramah, great weeping and wailing: Rachel crying for her sons. And she was not willing to be consoled, because they were no more.” Catholic Public Domain Version Read in the CPDV: [The whole of Matthew 2](https://blessbible.app/bible/matthew/2/) Citations as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar. In US parishes the readings are proclaimed from the NABRE; the text shown here is the Catholic Public Domain Version. Old Testament readings and the psalm are listed with a link to their chapter: the US Lectionary numbers some of their verses differently from the CPDV, so their text is not printed here. Psalm citations keep the Lectionary’s Hebrew numbering; the CPDV numbers the Psalms as the Vulgate does. Spotted a wrong date, color or citation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here. ## Saint of the day [The Holy Innocents](https://blessbible.app/saints/the-holy-innocents/) Martyrs · Feast day December 28 [Read about The Holy Innocents](https://blessbible.app/saints/the-holy-innocents/) [December 2026, day by day](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/12/) [Liturgical calendar 2026](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/) [Today in the Church](https://blessbible.app/today/) [Previous day Sun, Dec 27](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/12/27/) [Next day Tue, Dec 29](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/12/29/)