FIRST READING
The widow made a little cake from her meal and brought it to Elijah.
A reading from the first Book of Kings (1 Kings 17:10-16)
In those days: Elijah [the prophet] arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a pitcher; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, ‘The Jar of meal shall not be spent, and the pitcher of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said; and she, and he, and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the pitcher of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 146:6c-7.8-9a.9bc-10ab (R. 1b)
R/. Come, Lord, and save us.
Or: Alleluia.
It is the Lord who preserves fidelity forever,
Who does justice to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
The LORD who sets prisoners free. R/.
It is the LORD who opens the eyes of the blind,
The LORD who raises up those who are bowed down.
It is the LORD who loves the just,
The LORD who protects the stranger. R/.
The LORD upholds the orphan and the widow,
But thwarts the path of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever,
The God of Sion from age to age. R/.
SECOND READING
“Christ offered himself once to bear the sins of many.”
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 9:24-28)
Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as he high priest enters the Holy place yearly with blood not his own; for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
The word of the Lord.
ALLELUIA Matthew 5:3
Alleluia. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“This poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 12:38-44)
At that time: In his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.”
The Gospel of the Lord