FIRST READING

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the  Hebrews        6:10-20
In the hope that is held oit to us we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm

God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.

When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us. Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm       Ps 109
Response                             The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind

1.  I will thank the Lord with all my heart.
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord;
to be pondered by all who love them.    Response

2. He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
He gives food to those who fear him
keeps his covenant ever in mind.            Response

3. He sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
His praise shall last forever!                    Response

Gospel  Acclamation        Ps 118: 18
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!

Or                                            Eph 1:17. 18
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark            2:23-28
'The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

One sabbath day Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?' And he replied, 'Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry - how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?'

And he said to them, 'The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath'.

The Word of the Lord

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Gospel Reflection         Tuesday        Second Week in Ordinary Time         Mark 2:23–28

When Jesus says at the end of today’s gospel reading that ‘the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath’, he is making quite a claim for himself. He is stating that he is not simply subject to the Law of the Sabbath like other men and women, but he is over the Law of the Sabbath. He is its authoritative interpreter. As master of the Sabbath, he tells those who criticise his disciples for plucking ears of grain on the Sabbath that the Sabbath is there to serve God’s people and not the other way around. God’s people are more important than God’s Law, and if God’s people are hungry on the Sabbath, then no Sabbath Law can prohibit them from satisfying their hunger. Jesus is declaring that people’s basic needs must take priority over human institutions, even an institution as sacred and venerable as the Sabbath Law. Every so often the guardians of institutions have to ask themselves, ‘Whose needs are being served here, those of the institution or those of the people it claims to serve?’ We can substitute various nouns for the word ‘Sabbath’ in Jesus’ saying, ‘The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath’, such as, ‘The Church was made for humanity, not humanity for the Church’, or ‘The national parliament is there for the people, not the people for the national parliament’. Jesus, who declared of himself that he came not to be served but to serve, is always prompting us to put the fundamental needs of our fellow human beings before all else.

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The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers. http://dltbooks.com/

The Gospel reflection comes from: Weekday Reflections for the Liturgical Year 2018/2019; I Want to Know Christ
by Martin Hogan, published by The Messenger  c/f   www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Scripture themes
The teaching of the Church on the Liturgy of the Word is expressed in these texts Jesus states that the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in himself: so the Scripture word Is proclaimed in church. Christ is really present in his Word, That Word challenges us to a renewal of life, as the people rediscovered their identity when Ezra read the Law to them.

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet  Nehemiah      6. 8-10
Ezra read from the Law of God and the people understood what was read.

Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose; In full view of all the people-since he stood higher than all the people-Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, 'Amen! Amen!'; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.

Then (Nehemiah-His Excellency-and) Ezra, priest and scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people) said to all the people, 'This day is sacred to Yahweh your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.' For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.

He then said, 'Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm     Ps 18
Response                         Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.

1. The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.       Response

2.The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.                 Response

3.The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.                        Response

4. May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favour in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock!                     Response

SECOND READING     

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Corinthians      12: 12-30
You together are Christ's body; but each of you  is a different part.

Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, 'I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body’. Would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, ' I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body,' would that mean that it is not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear,l how would you smell anything?

Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is; the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you,’ nor can the head say to the feet, I do not need you.’

What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it.

Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers;’after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good, leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?

The Word of the Lord

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Shorter form
SECOND READING
A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Corintians        12: 12. 14. 27
You together are Chirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

Nor is the body to be irist's body; but each of you is a different part.

Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spdentified with any one of its many parts. Now you together are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of it.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel  Acclamation      Lk 4: 18

Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL                       

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke       1:1-4; 4:14-21   
This text is being fulfilled today.

Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received.

Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.

He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord's year of favour
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, 'This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen'

The Gospel of the Lord.



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.