Sunday, June 24, 2018
Liturgical Season: 
V The Season of Pentecost
Special Significance: 
V Sunday after Pentecost
Birth of John, the Baptist
Commemoration of Cheppattu Philipose Ramban

Mk 9:30-37

The Second Prediction of the Passion. 30g They left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it.h 31He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise.” 32But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

The Greatest in the Kingdom.* 33They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”i 34But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. 35Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”j 36Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, 37“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”k

Ex 23:14-19

14h Three times a year you shall celebrate a pilgrim feast to me.* 15You shall keep the feast of Unleavened Bread. As I have commanded you, you must eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for it was then that you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before me* empty-handed. 16You shall also keep the feast of the grain harvest with the first fruits of the crop that you sow in the field; and finally, the feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you collect your produce from the fields. 17Three times a year shall all your men appear before the LORD God.

18You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened;i nor shall the fat of my feast be kept overnight till the next day. 19The choicest first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the LORD, your God.

You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.*

Zec 6:1-8

Seventh Vision: Four Chariots.a 1Again I raised my eyes and saw four chariots* coming out from between two mountains; and the mountains were of bronze. 2The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot black horses, 3the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong horses. 4I asked the angel who spoke with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the heavens,* which are coming forth after presenting themselves before the LORD of all the earth.b 6The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, and the white horses go toward the west, and the dappled ones go toward the land of the south.” 7These strong horses went out, eager to set about patrolling the earth, for he said, “Go, patrol the earth!” So they patrolled the earth. 8Then he cried out to me and said, “See, those who go forth to the land of the north provide rest for my spirit in the land of the north.”*

Hos 14:6-10

6I will be like the dew for Israel:f

he will blossom like the lily;

He will strike root like the Lebanon cedar,

7and his shoots will go forth.g

His splendor will be like the olive tree

and his fragrance like Lebanon cedar.h

8Again they will live in his shade;

they will raise grain,

They will blossom like the vine,

and his renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.

9Ephraim! What more have I to do with idols?i

I have humbled him, but I will take note of him.

I am like a verdant cypress tree.*

From me fruit will be found for you!

10* Who is wise enough to understand these things?j

Who is intelligent enough to know them?

Straight are the paths of the LORD,k

the just walk in them,l

but sinners stumble in them.

Is 40:27-31

27Why, O Jacob, do you say,*

and declare, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the LORD,

and my right is disregarded by my God”?

28Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is God from of old,

creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary,

and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.

29He gives power to the faint,

abundant strength to the weak.

30Though young men faint and grow weary,

and youths stagger and fall,

31They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,

they will soar on eagles’ wings;

They will run and not grow weary,

walk and not grow faint.

Acts 9:10-19

Saul’s Baptism. 10i There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying,j 12and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” 13But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones* in Jerusalem.k 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”l 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,m 16and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” 17So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” 18Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, 19and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.*

2 Cor 6:14-18

Call to Holiness. 14* Do not be yoked with those who are different, with unbelievers.* For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15What accord has Christ with Beliar? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16l What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said:

“I will live with them and move among them,*

and I will be their God

and they shall be my people.

17Therefore, come forth from them

and be separate,” says the Lord,

“and touch nothing unclean;

then I will receive youm

18and I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.”n

Lk 9:10-17

The Return of the Twelve and the Feeding of the Five Thousand.g 10When the apostles returned, they explained to him what they had done. He took them and withdrew in private to a town called Bethsaida. 11The crowds, meanwhile, learned of this and followed him. He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. 12As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” 13h He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” 14Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of [about] fifty.” 15They did so and made them all sit down. 16Then taking* the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.i 17They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Heb 12:14-17

Penalties of Disobedience. 14h Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15* See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled,i 16that no one be an immoral or profane person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.j 17For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit his father’s blessing, he was rejected because he found no opportunity to change his mind, even though he sought the blessing with tears.k

Lk 1:57-66

The Birth of John.* 57When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.g 59* When they came on the eighth day to circumciseh the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.”i 61But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.j 65Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.