Readings for Friday 4th Week in Ordinary Time

Year 1

First Reading
Heb13:1-8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
   for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
   and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
   for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
   and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
   for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
   but be content with what you have,
   for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

      The Lord is my helper,
      and I will not be afraid.
      What can anyone do to me?


Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc

R. :

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
   whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
   of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Though an army encamp against me,
   my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
   even then will I trust.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

For he will hide me in his abode
   in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
   he will set me high upon a rock.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
   do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Year 2

First Reading
Sir 47:2-11

With his every deed David offered thanks to God Most High; in words of praise he loved his Maker.

A reading from the Book of Sirach

Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings,
   so was David in Israel.
He made sport of lions as though they were kids,
   and of bears, like lambs of the flock.
As a youth he slew the giant
   and wiped out the people’s disgrace,
When his hand let fly the slingstone
   that crushed the pride of Goliath.
Since he called upon the Most High God,
   who gave strength to his right arm
To defeat the skilled warrior
   and raise up the might of his people,
Therefore the women sang his praises,
   and ascribed to him tens of thousands
   and praised him when they blessed the Lord.
When he assumed the royal crown, he battled
   and subdued the enemy on every side.
He destroyed the hostile Philistines
   and shattered their power till our own day.
With his every deed he offered thanks
   to God Most High, in words of praise.
With his whole being he loved his Maker
   and daily had his praises sung;
   He set singers before the altar and by their voices
      he made sweet melodies,
He added beauty to the feasts
   and solemnized the seasons of each year
So that when the Holy Name was praised,
   before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.
The LORD forgave him his sins
   and exalted his strength forever;
He conferred on him the rights of royalty
   and established his throne in Israel.


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 18:31, 47 and 50, 51

R. :

R. (see 47b) Blessed be God my salvation!

God’s way is unerring,
   the promise of the LORD is fire-tried;
   he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.

R. Blessed be God my salvation!

The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
   extolled be God my savior.
Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,
   and I will sing praise to your name.

R. Blessed be God my salvation!

You who gave great victories to your king
   and showed kindness to your anointed,
   to David and his posterity forever.

R. Blessed be God my salvation!


Gospel Acclamation
See Lk 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel
Mk 6:14-29

It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
   and people were saying,
   “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
   that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
   still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
   “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
   on account of Herodias,
   the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
   “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
   and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
   and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
   yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
   gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
   and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
   that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
   “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
   “I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
   even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
   “What shall I ask for?”
Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
   “I want you to give me at once on a platter
   the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
   but because of his oaths and the guests
   he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
   with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
   and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
   they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:

Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.


Homilies / Gospel Reflections






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