Mass Readings: Sunday, 28th June 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the Second Book of Kings    4:8-11. 14-16
The man who is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God.

One day as Elisha was on his way to Shunem, a woman of rank who
lived there pressed him to stay and eat there. After this he always
broke his journey for a meal when he passed that way. She said to
her husband, ‘Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our
way must be a holy man of God. Let us build him a small room on
the roof, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp;
whenever he comes to us he can rest there.’
One day when he came, he retired to the upper room and lay
down. ‘What can be done for her then?’ he asked. Gehazi
answered, ‘Well, she has no son and her husband is old’. Elisha said,
‘Call her’. The servant called her and she stood at the door. ‘This
time next year,’ he said ‘you will hold a son in your arms.’

The Word of the Lord.



Responsorial    Psalm Ps 88

Response:  I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

1. I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

Response:  I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

2. Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.

Response:  I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

3. For it is you, O Lord, who are the glory of their strength;
it is by your favour that our might is exalted:
for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord;
our king in the keeping of the Holy One of lsrael.

Response:  I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.



SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Romans    6: 3-4. 8-11
When we were baptised we went into the tomb with Christ, so that
we too might live a new life.

You have been taught that when we were baptised in Christ Jesus
we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were
baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so
that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too
might live a new life.
But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with
him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never
die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died,
he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that
way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for
God in Christ Jesus.

The Word of the Lord.



Gospel Acclamation    Acts 16: 10

Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!

Or 1 Peter 2:9

Alleluia, alleluia!
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart,
to sing the praises of God
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Alleluia!



GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew    10:37-42
Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not
worthy of me. Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me.

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows :
‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me.
Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me.
Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not
worthy of me.
Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my
sake will find it.
Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome
me welcome the one who sent me.
Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and
anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.
‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little
ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most
certainly not lose his reward.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Readings - Sunday, 30th June 2019

First reading          1 Kings 19:16,19-21 †
Elisha leaves the plough to follow Elijah

The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel
Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’
Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing
behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed
near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after
Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said.
Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha
turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the
plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose,
and followed Elijah and became his servant.

The Word of the Lord.



Responsorial Psalm          Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11

Response: O Lord, it is you who are my portion.

1. Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’                                    Response

2. I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.                   Response

3. And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.                                        Response

4. You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.                                  Response



Second reading          Galatians 5:1,13-18 †
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free

When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and
do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as
you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening
for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the
whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour
as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to
pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.
Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no
danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite
of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely
because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good
intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.

The Word of the Lord.



Gospel Acclamation          IS3:9, Jn6:68

Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!



Gospel Luke          9:51-62
Jesus sets out for Jerusalem

As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely
took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set
out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him,
but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem.
Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call
down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them,
and they went off to another village.
As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will
follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my
father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty
is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to
my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough,
no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

The Gospel of the Lord.