Responsorial Psalm
The law of the Lord is perfect:
it gives life to the soul.
The word of the Lord is trustworthy:
it gives wisdom to the simple.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
it endures forever;
the judgements of the Lord are true,
all of them just and right.
They are a light to your servant,
in keeping them they win a great reward.
But who can discern one's own errors?
Forgive the failings of which I am unaware.
Preserve me from wilful sin;
do not let it get the better of your servant.
Then shall I walk blameless
and innocent of serious sin.
2nd. READING (Jas 5,1-6)
So, now for what concerns the rich! Cry and weep for the misfortunes, which are
coming upon you. Your riches are rotting and your clothes eaten up by the moths.
Your silver and gold have rusted and their rust grows into a witness against you. It will
consume your flesh like fire, for having piled up riches in these the last days.
You deceived the workers who harvested your fields but now their wages cry out to
the heavens. The reapers' complaints have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You
lived in luxury and pleasure in this world and felt happy while others were murdered.
You have easily condemned and killed the innocent since they offered no resistance.
Gospel
John said to Jesus, "Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon
your name, and we tried to forbid him because he does not belong to our group."
Jesus answered, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in my name can
soon after speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. If anyone gives
you a drink of water because you belong to Christ and bear his name, truly, I say to
you, he will not go without reward. If anyone should cause one of these little ones who
believe in me to stumble and sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea
with a great millstone around his neck. If your hand makes you fall into sin, cut it off!
It is better for you to enter life without a hand than with two hands to go to hell, to the
fire that never goes out. And if your foot makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better
for you to enter life without a foot than with both feet to be thrown into hell. And if
your eye makes you fall into sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of
God with one eye than, keeping both eyes, to be thrown into hell where the worms
that eat them never die, and the fire never goes out.
