Sunday, July 28, 2019
Liturgical Season: 
Special Significance: 
VII Sunday after Pentecost
St. Alphonsa

Mt 12:30-37

30* p Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31q Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit* will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

A Tree and Its Fruits. 33r “Either declare* the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. 34* s You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. 35A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. 36* t I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. 37By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Hos 5:1-5

1Hear this, priests,

Pay attention, house of Israel,

Household of the king, give ear!a

For you are responsible for judgment.*

But you have been a snare at Mizpah,*

a net spread upon Tabor,

2a pit dug deep in Shittim.

Now I will discipline them all.

3I know Ephraim,

and Israel is not hidden from me:

Now, Ephraim, you have practiced prostitution,

Israel is defiled.

4Their deeds do not allow them

to return to their God;b

For the spirit of prostitution is in them,

and they do not know the LORD.

5The arrogance of Israel bears witness against him;

Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their iniquity,

and Judah stumbles with them.

Acts 4:23-31

Prayer of the Community. 23After their release they went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. 24And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, 25you said by the holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant:

‘Why did the Gentiles rageg

and the peoples entertain folly?

26The kings of the earth took their stand

and the princes gathered together

against the Lord and against his anointed.’

27Indeed they gathered in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, Herod* and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,h 28to do what your hand and [your] will had long ago planned to take place. 29And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, 30as you stretch forth [your] hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31* As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.i

Eph 2:11-22

One in Christ.* 11Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, 12were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel* and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.j 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.k

14* For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,l 15abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person* in place of the two, thus establishing peace,m 16and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.n 17He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,o 18for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.p

19So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God,q 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,r with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.* 21Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;s 22in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.t

Mk 3:20-30

Blasphemy of the Scribes. 20* He came home.* Again [the] crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat.i 21When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”j 22The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”* and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”k

Jesus and Beelzebul. 23Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. 27But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. 28Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.l 29But whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit* will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” 30For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”