First Reading

First Book of the Kings (1 Kgs 8: 1-7, 9-13)

The priests brought the ark in the Holy of Holies and the cloud filled the temple of the LORD.

The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon
during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)

King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel
at their departure from the land of Egypt.

When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
Then Solomon said,

“The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;
I have truly built you a princely house,
a dwelling where you may abide forever.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 132: 6-7, 8-10

Lord, go up to the place of your rest!

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter into his dwelling,
let us worship at his footstool.

Advance, O LORD, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your majesty.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 6: 53-56)

Whoever as touched the tassel on his cloak were healed.

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Book of Job (Jb 7: 1-4, 6-7)

Troubled nights have been allotted to me.

Job spoke, saying:

“Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?
Are not his days those of hirelings?
He is a slave who longs for the shade,
a hireling who waits for his wages.
So I have been assigned months of misery,
and troubled nights have been allotted to me.
If in bed I say,

‘When shall I arise?’

then the night drags on;
I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
I shall not see happiness again.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 147: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.

Second Reading

First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 9: 16-19, 22-23)

Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!

Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach,
I offer the gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.

— The word of the Lord.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 1: 29-39)

He cured many who were sick with various diseases.

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said,

“Everyone is looking for you.”

He told them,

“Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”

So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

Older people are a gift from God, for the family, for the community, for the Church. Older people must be respected throughout their lives; they are important to society. The education of the elderly is important, and this is confirmed by the observation that: teach the child the path he must follow, even if he is grown up, he will not deviate from it. Catechesis on community and successive generations, in collaboration with Fr. Rakotondramanana Soloniaina J. Emilien.

February 1, 2024 — Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time — The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel — Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 6: 7-13)

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