First Reading

The Book of Job (Jb 9: 1-12, 14-16)

How can a man be justified before God?

Job answered his friends and said:

“I know well that it is so;
but how can a man be justified before God?
Should one wish to contend with him,
he could not answer him once in a thousand times.
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who has withstood him and remained unscathed?

He removes the mountains before they know it;
he overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth out of its place,
and the pillars beneath it tremble.
He commands the sun, and it rises not;
he seals up the stars.

He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads upon the crests of the sea.
He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;
He does great things past finding out,
marvelous things beyond reckoning.

Should he come near me, I see him not;
should he pass by, I am not aware of him;
Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay?
Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

How much less shall I give him any answer,
or choose out arguments against him!
Even though I were right, I could not answer him,
but should rather beg for what was due me.
If I appealed to him and he answered my call,
I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 88: 10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15

Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?

Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?

But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Bless the LORD, all you angels, you ministers, who do his will.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 18: 1-5, 10)

Their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.

The disciples approached Jesus and said,

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”

He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

The Book of Job (Jb 3: 1-3, 11-17, 20-23)

Why is light given to the toilers?

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
Job spoke out and said:

“Perish the day on which I was born,
the night when they said, ‘The child is a boy!’

Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?

For then I should have lain down and been tranquil;
had I slept, I should then have been at rest
With kings and counselors of the earth
who built where now there are ruins
Or with princes who had gold
and filled their houses with silver.

There the wicked cease from troubling,
there the weary are at rest.

Why is light given to the toilers,
and life to the bitter in spirit?
They wait for death and it comes not;
they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,
Rejoice in it exultingly,
and are glad when they reach the grave:
Those whose path is hidden from them,
and whom God has hemmed in!”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 88: 2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8

Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

O LORD, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.

For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a man without strength.

My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.

You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss.
Upon me your wrath lies heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 9: 51-56)

Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”

Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

The Book of Job (Jb 1: 6-22)

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!

One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD,
Satan also came among them.
And the LORD said to Satan,

“Whence do you come?”

Then Satan answered the LORD and said,

“From roaming the earth and patrolling it.”

And the LORD said to Satan,

“Have you noticed my servant Job,
and that there is no one on earth like him,
blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?”

But Satan answered the LORD and said,

“Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?
Have you not surrounded him and his family
and all that he has with your protection?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
and his livestock are spread over the land.
But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has,
and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”

And the LORD said to Satan,

“Behold, all that he has is in your power;
only do not lay a hand upon his person.”

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And so one day, while his sons and his daughters
were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
a messenger came to Job and said,

“The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them,
and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid.
They put the herdsmen to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was yet speaking, another came and said,

“Lightning has fallen from heaven
and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them;
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said,

“The Chaldeans formed three columns,
seized the camels, carried them off,
and put those tending them to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was yet speaking, another came and said,

“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
when suddenly a great wind came across the desert
and smote the four corners of the house.
It fell upon the young people and they are dead;
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair.
He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,

“Naked I came forth from my mother's womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!”

In all this Job did not sin,
nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 17: 1bcd, 2-3, 6-7

Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.

From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 9: 46-50)

The one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.

An argument arose among the disciples
about which of them was the greatest.
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child
and placed it by his side and said to them,

“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
For the one who is least among all of you
is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John said in reply,

“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name
and we tried to prevent him
because he does not follow in our company.”

Jesus said to him,

“Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.