Sunday, July 24, 2016
Liturgical Season: 
V The Season of Pentecost
Special Significance: 
X Sunday after Pentecost

Mk 9:42-50

Temptations to Sin. 42o “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. 43If 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. [ 44 ]* 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. [ 46 ] 47And 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, 48where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’p

The Simile of Salt. 49* “Everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt 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.”q

Ex 15:22-27

At Marah and Elim. 22g Then Moses led Israel forward from the Red Sea,* and they marched out to the wilderness of Shur. After traveling for three days through the wilderness without finding water, 23they arrived at Marah, where they could not drink its water, because it was too bitter. Hence this place was called Marah. 24As the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” 25he cried out to the LORD, who pointed out to him a piece of wood. When he threw it into the water, the water became fresh.h

It was here that God, in making statutes and ordinances for them, put them to the test. 26He said: If you listen closely to the voice of the LORD, your God, and do what is right in his eyes: if you heed his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases with which I afflicted the Egyptians;i for I, the LORD, am your healer.

27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.j

Jb 42:9-17

9Then Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, went and did as the LORD had commanded them. The LORD showed favor to Job.

10The LORD also restored the prosperity of Job, after he had prayed for his friends; the LORD even gave to Job twice* as much as he had before. 11Then all his brothers and sisters came to him, and all his former acquaintances, and they dined with him in his house. They consoled and comforted him for all the evil the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of money* and a gold ring.

12b Thus the LORD blessed the later days of Job more than his earlier ones. Now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-donkeys. 13He also had seven sons and three daughters: 14the first daughter he called Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch.* 15In all the land no other women were as beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance* among their brothers.

16After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; and he saw his children, his grandchildren, and even his great-grandchildren.c 17Then Job died, old and full of years.

Nm 12:1-8

Jealousy of Aaron and Miriam. 1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the Cushite woman he had married; for he had in fact married a Cushite woman.* 2They complained,* “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD has spoken? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard this. 3a Now the man Moses was very humble, more than anyone else on earth. 4So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam: Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting. And the three of them went. 5Then the LORD came down in a column of cloud, and standing at the entrance of the tent, called, “Aaron and Miriam.” When both came forward, 6the LORD said: Now listen to my words:

If there are prophets among you,

in visions I reveal myself to them,

in dreams I speak to them;

7Not so with my servant Moses!

Throughout my house he is worthy of trust:* b

8face to face I speak to him,c

plainly and not in riddles.

The likeness of the LORD he beholds.

Why, then, do you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?

Eccl 7:1-14

1A good name is better than good ointment,*

and the day of death than the day of birth.a

2It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to the house of feasting,

For that is the end of every mortal,

and the living should take it to heart.b

3Sorrow is better than laughter;

when the face is sad, the heart grows wise.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of merriment.

5It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise

than to listen to the song of fools;

6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,

so is the fool’s laughter.

This also is vanity.

7Extortion can make a fool out of the wise,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8Better is the end of a thing than its beginning;

better is a patient spirit than a lofty one.

9Do not let anger upset your spirit,

for anger lodges in the bosom of a fool.

10Do not say: How is it that former times were better than these? For it is not out of wisdom that you ask about this.

11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance

and profitable to those who see the sun.

12* For the protection of wisdom is as the protection of money; and knowledge is profitable because wisdom gives life to those who possess it.

13Consider the work of God. Who can make straight what God has made crooked?c 14On a good day enjoy good things, and on an evil day consider: Both the one and the other God has made, so that no one may find the least fault with him.

Acts 5:17-32

Trial Before the Sanhedrin.* 17Then the high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy,e 18laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said,f 20“Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.” 21When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the Israelites, and sent to the jail to have them brought in. 22But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported, 23“We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24When they heard this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss about them, as to what this would come to. 25Then someone came in and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.” 26Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them in, but without force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.g

27When they had brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, 28“We gave you strict orders [did we not?] to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”h 29But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men.i 30* The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,j though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand* as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.k 32We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.”l

Rom 10:14-20

14* But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?m 15And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written,n “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!”* 16But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?”o 17Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.p 18But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for

“Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.”q

19But I ask, did not Israel understand?r First Moses says:

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;

with a senseless nation I will make you angry.”

20s Then Isaiah speaks boldly and says:

“I was found [by] those who were not seeking me;

I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.”

Mt 21:28-32

The Parable of the Two Sons.* 28“What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 30The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 31* Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32* q When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.