Responsorial Psalm
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord,
"You are my Lord, my only good."
O Lord, my inheritance and my cup,
my chosen portion - hold secure my lot.
I bless the Lord who counsels me;
even at night my inmost self instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
for with him at my right hand,
I will never be shaken.
My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices;
my body too will rest assured.
For you will not abandon
my soul to the grave,
nor will you suffer your holy one
to see decay in the land of the dead.
You will show me the path of life,
in your presence the fullness of joy,
at your right hand happiness forever.
2nd. READING (Gal 5,1.13-18)
Christ freed us to make us really free. So remain firm and do not submit again to the
yoke of slavery. You, brothers and sisters, were called to enjoy freedom; I am not
speaking of that freedom which gives free rein to the desires of the flesh, but of that
which makes you slaves of one another through love. For the whole Law is summed
up in this sentence: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. But if you bite and tear
each other to pieces, be careful lest you all perish. Therefore I say to you: walk
according to the Spirit and do not give way to the desires of the flesh! For the desires
of the flesh war against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are opposed to the flesh.
Both are in conflict with each other, so that you cannot do everything you would like.
But let the Spirit lead you: this has nothing to do with submitting to the Law.
Gospel
As the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind
to go to Jerusalem. He had sent ahead of him some messengers who entered a
Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for him. But the people would not receive him
because he was on his way to Jerusalem. Seeing this, James and John, his disciples
said, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village. As they went on
their way, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus said to him,
"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to
lay his head." To another Jesus said, "Follow me." But he answered, "Let me go back
now, for first I want to bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury
their dead; as for you, leave them and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said to
him, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family." And Jesus
said to him, "Whoever has put his hand to the plough and looks back is not fit for the
kingdom of God."
