First Reading

The Letter of Saint James (Jas 1: 12-18)

God tempts no one.

Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life
that he promised to those who love him.
No one experiencing temptation should say,

“I am being tempted by God”;

for God is not subject to temptation to evil,
and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,
and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters:
all good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 94: 12-13a, 14-15, 18-19

Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.

Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD,
whom by your law you teach,
Giving him rest from evil days.

For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.

When I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me;
When cares abound within me,
your comfort gladdens my soul.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him and we will come to him.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 8: 14-21)

Guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them,

“Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”

They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,

“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”

They answered him,

“Twelve.”

“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”

They answered him,

“Seven.”

He said to them,

“Do you still not understand?”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

The Letter of Saint James (Jas 1: 1-11)

The testing of your faith produces perseverance so that you may be perfect.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings.

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,
when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect,
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,
and he will be given it.
But he should ask in faith, not doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea
that is driven and tossed about by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.

The brother in lowly circumstances
should take pride in high standing,
and the rich one in his lowliness,
for he will pass away “like the flower of the field.”
For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass,
its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes.
So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 119: 67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76

Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.

Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I hold to your promise.

You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.

It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.

The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

I know, O LORD, that your ordinances are just,
and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 8: 11-13)

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.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Book of Leveticus (Lv 13: 1-2, 44-46)

Leper shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.

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.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 11

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.

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.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.

Second Reading

First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 10: 31 — 11 :1)

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

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.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

A great prophet has arisen in our midst, God has visited his people.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 1: 40-45)

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.

— The Gospel of the Lord.