First Reading

Letter of Saint James (Jas 5: 9-12)

Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered.
You have heard of the perseverance of Job,
and you have seen the purpose of the Lord,
because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear,
either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath,
but let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No,”
that you may not incur condemnation.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 10: 1-12)

What God has joined together, no human being must separate.

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,
he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him and asked,

“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”

They were testing him.
He said to them in reply,

“What did Moses command you?”

They replied,

“Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her.”

But Jesus told them,

“Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”

In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Letter of Saint James (Jas 5: 1-6)

Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud and their cries of have reached the ears of the Lord.

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
your gold and silver have corroded,
and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;
it will devour your flesh like a fire.
You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud;
and the cries of the harvesters
have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
You have condemned;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 49: 14-15ab, 15cd-16, 17-18, 19-20

Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

This is the way of those whose trust is folly,
the end of those contented with their lot:
Like sheep they are herded into the nether world;
death is their shepherd and the upright rule over them.

Quickly their form is consumed;
the nether world is their palace.
But God will redeem me
from the power of the nether world by receiving me.

Fear not when a man grows rich,
when the wealth of his house becomes great,
For when he dies, he shall take none of it;
his wealth shall not follow him down.

Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,
“They will praise you for doing well for yourself,”
He shall join the circle of his forebears
who shall never more see light.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 9: 41-50)

It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna.

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Letter of Saint James (Jas 4: 13-17)

You have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.

Beloved:
Come now, you who say,

“Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town,
spend a year there doing business, and make a profit” –

you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
Instead you should say,

“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”

But now you are boasting in your arrogance.
All such boasting is evil.
So for one who knows the right thing to do
and does not do it, it is a sin.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 49: 2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all who dwell in the world,
Of lowly birth or high degree,
rich and poor alike.

Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
They trust in their wealth;
the abundance of their riches is their boast.

Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one's life; he would never have enough
to remain alive always and not see destruction.

For he can see that wise men die,
and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
leaving to others their wealth.

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 9: 38-40)

For whoever is not against us is for us.

John said to Jesus,

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”

Jesus replied,

“Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.