FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

February 7, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Jb 7:1-4, 6-7)

I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.

A reading from the Book of Job

Job spoke, saying:

Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?
Are not his days those of hirelings?
He is a slave who longs for the shade,
a hireling who waits for his wages.
So I have been assigned months of misery,
and troubled nights have been allotted to me.
If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?”
then the night drags on;
I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
I shall not see happiness again.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6)

R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

or:
R. Alleluia.

Praise the LORD, for he is good;

sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.

R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

or:
R. Alleluia.

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.

R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

or:
R. Alleluia.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.

R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

or:
R. Alleluia.

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Second Reading (1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23)

Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.

A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:

If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach,
I offer the gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Gospel (Mk 1:29-39)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases.

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,

they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left

and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

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A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (I)
February 8, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Gn 1:1-19)

God spoke, and it was done.

A reading from the beginning of the Book of Genesis

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the
abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Then God said,

“Let there be light,” and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”
Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.

Then God said,

“Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other.”
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome “the sky.”
Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.

Then God said,

“Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear.”
And so it happened:
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 the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land “the earth,”
and the basin of the water he called “the sea.”
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it.”
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.

Then God said:

“Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth.”
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.
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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 24 and 35c)

R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.

R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,

not to be moved forever;
With the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.

R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.

You send forth springs into the watercourses

that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.

R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.

R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.

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Gospel (Mk 6:53-56)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

As many as touched it were healed.

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,

Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (I)
February 9, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Gn 1:20-2:4a)

Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.

A reading from the beginning of the Book of Genesis

God said,
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
“Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.

Then God said,

“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
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God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:

“Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God also said:
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food.”
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been
doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9)

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

You have made him little less than the angels,

and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

All sheep and oxen,

yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

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Gospel (Mk 7:1-13)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

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He went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (I)
February 10, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17)

The LORD God planted a garden in Eden and placed there the man whom he had
formed.

A reading from the beginning of the Book of Genesis

At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,

and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God then took the man

and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.

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The LORD God gave man this order:
“You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.”

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30)

R. (1a) O Bless the Lord, my soul.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.

R. (1a) O Bless the Lord, my soul.

All creatures look to you

to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

R. (1a) O Bless the Lord, my soul.

If you take away their breath, they perish

and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

R. (1a) O Bless the Lord, my soul.

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Gospel (Mk 7:14-23)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,

“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd

his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (I)
February 11, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Gn 2:18-25)

The LORD God brought her to Adam, and the two of them became one flesh.

A reading from the beginning of the Book of Genesis

The LORD God said:

“It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him.”
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
various wild animals and various birds of the air,
and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,

and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs
and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman
the rib that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:

“This one, at last, is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called ‘woman,’
for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.”

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That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one flesh.
The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5)

R. (see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,

who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Behold, thus is the man blessed

who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

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Gospel (Mk 7:24-30)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

The dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.

Jesus went to the district of Tyre.

He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (I)
February 12, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Gn 3:1-8)

You will be like gods, knowing what is good and what is evil.

A reading from the beginning of the Book of Genesis

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
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 and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the
garden
at the breezy time of the day,
the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7)

R. (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,

whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you

in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;

with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

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Gospel (Mk 7:31-37)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.

Jesus left the district of Tyre

and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)
February 13 & 14, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Lv 13:1-2, 44-46)

The leper will dwell apart, making an abode outside the camp.

A reading from the Book of Leviticus

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

“If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch
which appears to be the sore of leprosy,
he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest,
or to one of the priests among his descendants.
If the man is leprous and unclean,
the priest shall declare him unclean
by reason of the sore on his head.

“The one who bears the sore of leprosy

shall keep his garments rent and his head bare,
and shall muffle his beard;
he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,
since he is in fact unclean.
He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.”

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11)

R. (7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy
of salvation.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away

whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.

R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of
salvation.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of
salvation.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;

exult, all you upright of heart.

R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of
salvation.

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Second Reading (1 Cor 10:31-11:1)

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters,

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or the church of
God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way,
not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,
that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Gospel (Mk 1:40-45)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

The leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.

He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,

but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 MONDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (I)
February 15, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Gn 4:1-15, 25)

Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

A reading from the beginning of the Book of Genesis

The man had relations with his wife Eve,

and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
“I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.”
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
“Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”

Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out in the field.”

When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
He answered, “I do not know.
Am I my brother’s keeper?”
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The LORD then said: “What have you done!
Listen: your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive your
brother’s blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain said to the LORD: “My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight.”
“Not so!” the LORD said to him.
“If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold.”
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.

Adam again had relations with his wife,

and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
“God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel,” she said,
“because Cain slew him.”

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm (Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21)

R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,

from the rising of the sun to its setting.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.”

R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

“Why do you recite my statutes,

and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”

R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

“You sit speaking against your brother;

against your mother’s son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”

R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

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Gospel (Mk 8:11-33)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

Why does this generation seek a sign?

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,

seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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 FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY FACE OF JESUS (P)
February 16, 2021

READINGS

First Reading (Is. 50: 4-7)

I did not cover my face against the insult and I know I will not be ashamed
(Third song of the servant of Yahweh).

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah

The Lord has given me

a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.

The Lord God is my help,

therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Responsorial Psalm

R. I look for sympathy, there was none;

For consolers, not one could I find.

For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face.

I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother’s
sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

R. I look for sympathy, there was none;

For consolers, not one could I find.

Rescue me out of the mire; may I not sink!

May I be rescued from my foes and from the watery depths.
Let not flood-waters overwhelm me, nor the abyss swallows me up,
Nor the pit closes its mouth over me.

R. I look for sympathy, there was none;

For consolers, not one could I find.

Answer me, O Lord, for bounteous is your kindness;

In your great mercy turn toward me, hide not your face from your
servant;
In my distress, make haste to answer me.
Come and ransom my life; as an answer for my enemies, redeem me.

R. I look for sympathy, there was none;

For consolers, not one could I find.

You know my reproach, my shame and my ignominy;

Before you all my foes; insult has broken my heart, and I am weak;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
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for comforters and I found none.
Rather they put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
For they kept after him who smote,
and added to the pain of him you wounded.
R. I look for sympathy, there was none;
For consolers, not one could I find.

I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify Him with
thanksgiving: “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; for you who see God,
may your hearts be merry! For the Lord hears the poor
and His own who are in the bonds He spurns not.”

R. I look for sympathy, there was none;

For consolers, not one could I find.

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Second Reading (Phil. 2: 6-11)

He humbled himself to become like us and God raised him on high.

A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians

Your attitude must be Christ’s:

though he was in the form of God
he did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
He was known to be of human estate,
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting death,
death on a cross!
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

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Gospel (Jn. 19:27-38)

P. The Lord be with you.

A. And with your spirit

P. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

A. Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus, realizing that everything was now finished to bring the

Scripture to fulfillment said, “I am thirsty.” There was a jar there, full
of common wine. They struck a sponge soaked in this wine and some
hyssop and raised to his lips. When Jesus took the wine, he said,
“Now it is finished.” Then he bowed his head, and delivered over his
spirit.
Since it was the Preparation Day the Jews did not want to have the
bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, for that Sabbath was a
solemn feast day. They asked Pilate that the legs be broken and the
bodies be taken away. Accordingly, the soldiers came and broke the
legs of the men crucified with Jesus, first of the one, then of the other.
When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did
not break his legs. One of the soldiers thrust a lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This testimony has been
given by an eyewitness and his testimony is true. He tells what he
knows is true, so that you may believe.) These events took place for
the fulfillment of the Scripture:
“Break none of his bones.”
There is still another Scripture passage which says:
“They shall look on him whom they have pierced.”

P. The Gospel of the Lord.

A. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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