First Reading

Letter of Saint James (Jas 4: 13-17)

You have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.

Beloved:
Come now, you who say,

“Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town,
spend a year there doing business, and make a profit” –

you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
Instead you should say,

“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”

But now you are boasting in your arrogance.
All such boasting is evil.
So for one who knows the right thing to do
and does not do it, it is a sin.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 49: 2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all who dwell in the world,
Of lowly birth or high degree,
rich and poor alike.

Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
They trust in their wealth;
the abundance of their riches is their boast.

Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one's life; he would never have enough
to remain alive always and not see destruction.

For he can see that wise men die,
and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
leaving to others their wealth.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 9: 38-40)

For whoever is not against us is for us.

John said to Jesus,

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”

Jesus replied,

“Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Letter of Saint James (Jas 4: 1-10)

You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly.

Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 55: 7-8, 9-10a, 10b-11a, 23

Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness.”

“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.

In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls.

Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 9: 30-37)

The Son of Man is to be handed over. If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He 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 the Son of Man will rise.”

But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,

“What were you arguing about on the way?”

But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then 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.”

Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,

“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.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Letter od Saint James (Jas 3: 13-18)

If you have jealousy in your hearts, do not boast.

Beloved:
Who among you is wise and understanding?
Let him show his works by a good life
in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts,
do not boast and be false to the truth.
Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 19: 8, 9, 10, 15

The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.

Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 9: 14-29)

I do believe, help my unbelief!

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him.
He asked them,

“What are you arguing about with them?”

Someone from the crowd answered him,

“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”

He said to them in reply,

“O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”

They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around
and foam at the mouth.
Then he questioned his father,

“How long has this been happening to him?”

He replied,

“Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him,

“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”

Then the boy’s father cried out,

“I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,

“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”

Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say,

“He is dead!”

But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,

“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”

He said to them,

“This kind can only come out through prayer.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.