FIRST READING
“Prepare yourself for temptation.”
A reading from the Book of Sirach 2: l – 11

My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, remain in justice and in fear, and prepare yourself for temptation. Set your heart right and be steadfast, incline your ear, and receive words of understanding, and do not be hasty in time of calamity. Await God’s patience, cling to him and do not depart, that you may be wise in all your ways. Accept whatever is brought upon you, and endure it in sorrow; in changes that humble you be patient. For gold and silver are tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. Trust in God, and he will help you; hope in him, and he will make your ways straight. Stay in fear of him, and grow old in him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; and turn not aside, lest you fall. You who fear the Lord, trust in him, and. your reward will not fail; you who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for everlasting joy and mercy. You who fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts will be made radiant. Consider the ancient generations and see: who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame? Or whoever persevered in his commandments and was forsaken? Or whoever called upon him and was overlooked? For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and saves in time of affliction, and he is the shield of all who seek him in truth.

The word of the Lord

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 37:3-4.18-19.27-28.39-40 (R. see 5)
R/. Commit your way to the Lord, and he will act.

Trust in the Lord and do good;
then you will dwell in the land and safely pasture.
Find your delight in the Lord,
who grants your heart’s desire. R/.

The Lord takes note of the days of the blameless;
their heritage will last forever.
They shall not be put to shame in evil days;
in time of famine they shall have their fill. R/.

R/. Commit your way to the Lord, and he will act.

Then turn away from evil and do good,
and you may abide forever;
for indeed, the Lord loves justice,
and will never forsake his faithful.
The unjust shall be wiped out forever,
and the descendants of the wicked destroyed. R/.

But from the Lord comes the salvation of the just,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and rescues them,
rescues and saves them from the wicked:
because they take refuge in him. R/.

ALLELUIA Galatians 6:14
Alleluia. Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
The Son of man will be betrayed. If anyone would be first, he must be last.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 9:30-37

At that time: Jesus and his disciples went on from the mountain and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the Twelve; and he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

TODAY’S REFLECTION
Trials and tribulations are surely part of the experience of man on earth, and even more so for followers of Christ. The Book of Sirach tells us that when we come to serve the Lord, we must ‘prepare ourselves for trials’. Serving God comes with its own difficulties and problems. Indeed, the Lord does not promise us that we will be free from difficulties and problems by serving him; rather, he says, ‘if anyone wants to be a follower of mine, he must renounce himself, take up his cross and follow me. ‘Definitely so many want to run away from difficulties, so many want to be free from trials, but if we truly want to serve God, we must be ready to stand in justice and fear. What is necessary however, as we serve the Lord, is to have total trust and confidence in God. Yes, we need to trust God like a little child would trust its parents, and surely God will help us. Childlike trust will definitely help us to have the fear of God and seek his direction. No matter how many the trials or tribulations, trust in God and you will be happy.

FIRST READING
Wisdom was created before all things.
The beginning of the Book of Jesus, son of Sirach 1:1-10

All wisdom comes from the Lord and is with him forever. The sand of the sea, the drops of rain, and the days of eternity — who can count them? The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth, the abyss, and wisdom — who can search them out? Wisdom was created before all things, and prudent understanding from eternity. The source of wisdom is God’s word in the highest heaven, and her ways are the eternal commandments. The root of wisdom to whom has it been revealed? Her clever devices — who knows them? The knowledge of wisdom — to whom was it manifested? And her abundant experience — who has understood it? There is one who is wise, the Creator of all, the King greatly to be feared, sitting upon his throne, and ruling as God. The Lord himself created wisdom in the Holy Spirit; he saw her and apportioned her, he poured her out upon all his works. She dwells with all flesh according to his gift, and he supplied her to those who love him.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm93:1abc. 1d-2.5 (R. 1a)
R/. The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The LORD is king, with majesty enrobed.
The Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power. R/.

The world you made firm, not to be moved;
your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are. R/.

R/. The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time. R/.

ALLELUIA 2 Timothy 1:10
Alleluia. Our Saviour Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“I believe, help my unbelief.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 9: 14-29

At that time: [When Jesus came down the mountain with Peter and James and John] and they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” And one of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a mute spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The book of Sirach tells us that ‘before all things, wisdom was created’ and the word of God is the fountain of wisdom. Definitely, if we immerse ourselves in the word of God, we will have everlasting wisdom; for the word of God will be a lamp for our feet and a light on our path (Ps 119:105). This wisdom will be for us faith; faith that will not make us say ‘if you can ‘but know that nothing is impossible with God. Yes, the lack of faith on the part of the other disciples make is difficult for them to drive out the mute spirit in the little boy. They have forgotten that everything is possible to one who has faith and if only their faith is as little as the mustard seed, they can move mountains. The church tells us that faith is the supernatural gift that enables us to believe without doubting what God has revealed. No wonder, when the boy’s father demonstrates his faith in God saying ‘I believe, help my unbelief,’ his request is granted. Let us not be a faithless generation but let us continually seek the wisdom of God and be faithful children of God.

FIRST READING
“By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God.”
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews 11: 1-7

Brethren: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 145:2-3.4-5.10-11 (R. see 1b)
R/. I will bless your name, O Lord, forever.

I will bless you day after day,
And praise your name forever and ever.
The Lord is great and highly to be praised;
His greatness cannot be measured. R/.

Age to age shall proclaim your works,
shall declare your mighty deeds.
They will tell of your great glory and splendour,
and recount your wonderful works. R/.

R/. I will bless your name, O Lord, forever.

All your works shall thank you, O Lord,
and all your faithful ones bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign,
and declare your mighty deeds. R/.

ALLELUIA Mark 9:6
Alleluia. The heavens opened, and the Father’s voice was heard: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Alleluia

GOSPEL
“He was transfigured before them.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 9:2-13

At that time: Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud. “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things; and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
On mount Tabor, God confirms that, what is most important in our relationship with Jesus is to ‘listen to him’ (Mark 9:7). Listening to Jesus and following his directions are key ingredients for us Christians. As peter proposes, we may build three tents on the mountain, giving one to the law, one to the prophets, and another to the fulfillment of the laws and the prophets but if we fail to listen to Jesus our tents will be useless. What will however make us listen to him and follow him is faith. This faith is described by the author of the letter to the Hebrews as ‘the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’ (Heb. 11:1). The examples of Abel, Enoch and Noah are placed before us as men who, though they did not understand, yet loved, trusted and obeyed God. Let us take Noah for example; he listens to God by building the ark and going into the ark at God’s command. He has no doubt as to what God was about to do; he has complete trust and obedience. Despite so much noise in our world today, we must keep making efforts to listen to God. The voice of the world may be so loud and pleasing but the voice of God even though it is still and gentle, will always be the best voice. Let us have firm faith in God, listen always to him and surely he will lead us on the right path.

FIRST READING
“Let us go down, and there confuse their language.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis 11: 1-9

The whole earth had one language and few words. And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PSALM 33;10-11.12-13.14-15 (R.12b)
R/. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen as his heritage.

The Lord frustrates the designs of the nations;
he defeats the plans of the peoples.
The designs of the Lord stand forever,
the plans of his heart from age to age. R/.

Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his heritage.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth;
he sees all the children of men. R/.

From the place where he dwells
he gazes on all the dwellers on the earth,
He who shapes the hearts of them all,
and considers all their deeds. R/.

ALLELUIA John 15:15b
Alleluia. I have called you friends, says the Lord, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 8:34-9:1

At that time: Jesus called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would have his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

The Gospel of the Lord

FIRST READING
“I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis 9: 1-13

God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it.” Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

The word of the Lord.

FIRST READING
“I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis 9: 1-13

God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it.” Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA John 6:63c.68c
Alleluia. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“You are the Christ. The Son of man must suffer many things.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 8:27-33

At that time: Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
To begin a new world order after the flood, God blessed the new humanity represented by Noah and his family in almost the same way as he blessed our first parents in the Book of Genesis (1:28-29). God tells Noah, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’ God also makes a covenant with Noah, with the bow in the clouds to serve as sign of the covenant. This bow in the clouds is a sign of God’s bond of union with the new humanity; the old humanity having been washed away by the flood, just as the waters of baptism washes away our sins and makes us new creations. For us, therefore, the sign of the covenant is Christ himself and a firm understanding of his mission is very important. No wonder he asks his disciples their opinion of him after asking them the opinion of others. No wonder too that he rebukes Peter, calling him Satan even though he has earlier called him the ‘Rock’. The fact is that, to be the new people of God, we must be ready to know Christ and his mission of salvation which followed the path of suffering and death. Our knowledge of him will not be complete until we accept that he suffered, died and rose on the third day. Let us realize that without the cross, there can be no crown.

FIRST READING
He saw that the face of the ground was dry.
A reading from the Book of Genesis 8:6- 13.20-22

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him anymore. In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odour, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 116:12-13.14- 15.18- 19 (R. cf. 1 7a)
R/. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
Or: Alleluia.

How can I repay the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the name of the Lord. R/.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people.
How precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful. R/.

My vows to the LORD I will fulfil
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem. R/.

ALLELUIA Ephesians 1:17-18
Alleluia. May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we might know what is the hope to which he has called us. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“He restored sight to the blind man and he saw everything clearly.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 8:22-26

At that time: Jesus and the disciples came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man, and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village; and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men; but they look like trees, walking.” Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly. And he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The act of Noah, sending out the raven and the dove to see if the waters have abated is a lesson of hope and trust. His choice of a raven and a dove signifies his quest for peace, love and forgiveness. This same quest is the motivating factor for the people who bring the blind man to Jesus and beg him to touch the man see not just faintly but clearly. Peace, love and forgiveness will be far from us when we are blind to God or see him faintly, but when we allow him to restore our eyes and make us see clearly we will see ‘what hope his call holds for us’. Let us beg God to make us his instruments of peace, love and forgiveness.

FIRST READING
“I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 29:1a. 2.3ac-4.3b .9c- 10 (R. 11b)
R/. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly powers,
ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
bow down before the Lord,
majestic in holiness. R/.

The voice of the LORD upon the waters,
the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord full of power;
the voice of the Lord full of splendour. R/.

R/. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

The God of glory thunders;
in his temple they all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sat enthroned above the flood;
the Lord sits as king forever. R/.

ALLELUIA John 14:23
Alleluia. If a man loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 8:14-21

At that time: The disciples had forgotten to bring bread; and they has only one loaf with them in the boat. And Jesus cautioned them, saying. “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. “And they discussed it with one another, saying, “We have no bread. “And being aware of it. Jesus said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves, for the five thousand, how many basket full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve” “And the seven for the four thousand how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
Warning his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, Jesus reminded them to be careful not to imitate their behavior. While the Pharisees were filled with hypocrisy, always pretending to be whom they were not, Herod on his part was living a self-centered and disordered life. Indeed, the signs of these leavens are in each one of us but we must strive to do away with them and be who God wants us to be. God calls us to realize that he is ever ready to provide for our needs but we must understand that anyone with a life of hypocrisy, anyone who is self-centered, and anyone with a disordered life, will surely not see the face of God.

FIRST READING
“Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis 4:1-15.25

Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought some of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain said to Abel his brother, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me this day away from the ground; and from your face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for Cain slew him.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 50: 1 and 8.16bc-17.20-21 (R. cf. 14a)
R/. Give your praise as a sacrifice to God.

“The God of gods, the Lord,
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices;
your offerings are always before me.” R/.

“How can you recite my commandments,
and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise correction,
and cast my words behind you?” R/.

“You who sit and malign your own brother,
and slander your own mother’s son?
You do this, and should I keep silence?
Do you think that I am like you?
I accuse you, lay the charge before you.” R/.

Alleluia John 14:6
Alleluia. I am the way, and the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father but by me. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Why does this generation seek a sign?”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 8:11-13

At that time: The Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” And he left them, and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side.

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The Pharisees were supposed to be epitomes of faith, but rather they were seeking signs from Jesus. The sign of the acceptance of Abel’s offering was that God looked with favour on it but it was first his faith in God that made him bring the best to God. Instead of seeking signs and wonders, we must have faith and make all the efforts to remove from us the vices of jealousy, hatred and anger. Remember, a humble contrite heart the Lord will not spurn.