First Reading

Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 13: 15-17, 20-21)

May the God of peace equip you with everything good.

Brothers and sisters:
Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise,
that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have;
God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.

Obey your leaders and defer to them,
for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account,
that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow,
for that would be of no advantage to you.

May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead
the great shepherd of the sheep
by the Blood of the eternal covenant,
furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will.
May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm (Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6)

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

Gospel

Alleluia. Alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 6: 30-34)

They were like sheep without a shepherd.

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 13: 1-8)

Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said,

I will never forsake you or abandon you.

Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm (Ps 27: 1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc)

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.

For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.

Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.

Gospel

Alleluia. Alleluia.

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart, and yield a harvest through perseverance.

Alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 6: 14-29)

John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying,

“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
That is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Others were saying,

“He is Elijah”;

still others,

“He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”

But when Herod learned of it, he said,

“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,

“It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.”

Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,

“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”

He even swore many things to her,

“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”

She went out and said to her mother,

“What shall I ask for?”

Her mother replied,

“The head of John the Baptist.”

The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,

“I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.”

The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

— The Gospel of the Lord.