Reading 1 Gn 4:1-15, 25 The man had relations with his wife Eve,and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,“I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.”Next she bore his brother Abel.Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORDfrom the fruit of the soil,while Abel, for his part,brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,but on Cain and his offering he did not.Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.So the LORD said to Cain:“Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.If you do well, you can hold up your head;but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out in the field.”When they were in the field,Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.Then the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”The LORD then said:  “What have you done!Listen: your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil!Therefore you shall be banned from the soilthat opened its mouth to receiveyour brother’s blood from your hand.If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth.”Cain said to the LORD:  “My punishment is too great to bear.Since you have now banished me from the soil,and I must avoid your presenceand become a restless wanderer on the earth,anyone may kill me at sight.”“Not so!” the LORD said to him.“If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold.”So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.Adam again had relations with his wife,and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.“God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel,” she said,“because Cain slew him.” Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21 R. (14a)  Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,from the rising of the sun to its setting.“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,for your burnt offerings are before me always.”R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.“Why do you recite my statutes,and profess my covenant with your mouthThough you hate disciplineand cast my words behind you?”R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.“You sit speaking against your brother;against your mother’s son you spread rumors.When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?Or do you think that I am like yourself?I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. Alleluia Jn 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;no one comes to the Father except through me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 8:11-13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,“Why does this generation seek a sign?Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”Then he left them, got into the boat again,and went off to the other shore. - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Sir 15:15-20 If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you;if you trust in God, you too shall live;he has set before you fire and waterto whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.Before man are life and death, good and evil,whichever he chooses shall be given him.Immense is the wisdom of the Lord;he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.The eyes of God are on those who fear him;he understands man's every deed.No one does he command to act unjustly,to none does he give license to sin. Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!Blessed are they whose way is blameless,who walk in the law of the LORD.Blessed are they who observe his decrees,who seek him with all their heart.R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!You have commanded that your preceptsbe diligently kept.Oh, that I might be firm in the waysof keeping your statutes!R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!Be good to your servant, that I may liveand keep your words.Open my eyes, that I may considerthe wonders of your law.R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,that I may exactly observe them.Give me discernment, that I may observe your lawand keep it with all my heart.R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Reading 2 1 Cor 2:6-10 Brothers and sisters:We speak a wisdom to those who are mature,not a wisdom of this age,nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden,which God predetermined before the ages for our glory,and which none of the rulers of this age knew;for, if they had known it,they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.But as it is written:What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,and what has not entered the human heart,what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Alleluia cF. mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 5:17-37 Jesus said to his disciples:"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letterwill pass from the law,until all things have taken place.Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do sowill be called least in the kingdom of heaven.But whoever obeys and teaches these commandmentswill be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.I tell you, unless your righteousness surpassesthat of the scribes and Pharisees,you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.But I say to you,whoever is angry with his brotherwill be liable to judgment;and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,'will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;and whoever says, 'You fool,'will be liable to fiery Gehenna.Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,and there recall that your brotherhas anything against you,leave your gift there at the altar,go first and be reconciled with your brother,and then come and offer your gift.Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,and the judge will hand you over to the guard,and you will be thrown into prison.Amen, I say to you,you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.But I say to you,everyone who looks at a woman with lusthas already committed adultery with her in his heart.If your right eye causes you to sin,tear it out and throw it away.It is better for you to lose one of your membersthan to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.And if your right hand causes you to sin,cut it off and throw it away.It is better for you to lose one of your membersthan to have your whole body go into Gehenna."It was also said,Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.But I say to you,whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery,and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,Do not take a false oath,but make good to the Lord all that you vow.But I say to you, do not swear at all;not by heaven, for it is God's throne;nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.Do not swear by your head,for you cannot make a single hair white or black.Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'Anything more is from the evil one." or MT 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37 Jesus said to his disciples:"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpassesthat of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.But I say to you,whoever is angry with his brotherwill be liable to judgment."You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.But I say to you,everyone who looks at a woman with lusthas already committed adultery with her in his heart."Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,Do not take a false oath,but make good to the Lord all that you vow.But I say to you, do not swear at all.Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,'and your 'No' mean 'No.'Anything more is from the evil one." - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Gn 3:9-24 The LORD God called to Adam and asked him, "Where are you?"He answered, "I heard you in the garden;but I was afraid, because I was naked,so I hid myself."Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?You have eaten, then,from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me— she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."The LORD God then asked the woman,"Why did you do such a thing?"The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."Then the LORD God said to the serpent:"Because you have done this, you shall be bannedfrom all the animalsand from all the wild creatures;On your belly shall you crawl,and dirt shall you eatall the days of your life.I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and hers;He will strike at your head,while you strike at his heel." To the woman he said:"I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing;in pain shall you bring forth children.Yet your urge shall be for your husband,and he shall be your master."To the man he said: "Because you listened to your wifeand ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat,"Cursed be the ground because of you!In toil shall you eat its yieldall the days of your life.Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you,as you eat of the plants of the field.By the sweat of your faceshall you get bread to eat,Until you return to the ground,from which you were taken;For you are dirt,and to dirt you shall return."The man called his wife Eve,because she became the mother of all the living.For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments,with which he clothed them.Then the LORD God said: "See! The man has become like one of us,knowing what is good and what is evil!Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his handto take fruit from the tree of life also,and thus eat of it and live forever."The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden,to till the ground from which he had been taken.When he expelled the man,he settled him east of the garden of Eden;and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword,to guard the way to the tree of life. Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:2, 3-4abc, 5-6, 12-13 R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.Before the mountains were begottenand the earth and the world were brought forth,from everlasting to everlasting you are God. R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.You turn man back to dust,saying, "Return, O children of men."For a thousand years in your sightare as yesterday, now that it is past,or as a watch of the night. R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.You make an end of them in their sleep;the next morning they are like the changing grass,Which at dawn springs up anew,but by evening wilts and fades. R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.Teach us to number our days aright,that we may gain wisdom of heart.Return, O LORD! How long?Have pity on your servants! R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Alleluia Mt 4:4b R. Alleluia, alleluia.One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 8:1-10 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,Jesus summoned the disciples and said,"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,because they have been with me now for three daysand have nothing to eat.If I send them away hungry to their homes,they will collapse on the way,and some of them have come a great distance."His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone get enough breadto satisfy them here in this deserted place?"Still he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"They replied, "Seven."He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,and gave them to his disciples to distribute,and they distributed them to the crowd.They also had a few fish.He said the blessing over themand ordered them distributed also.They ate and were satisfied.They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.There were about four thousand people.He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciplesand came to the region of Dalmanutha. Readings for the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Readings for the Memorial of Saint Scholastica, virginReading 1 Gn 3:1-8 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animalsthat the LORD God had made.The serpent asked the woman,"Did God really tell you not to eatfrom any of the trees in the garden?"The woman answered the serpent:"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;it is only about the fruit of the treein the middle of the garden that God said,'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"But the serpent said to the woman:"You certainly will not die!No, God knows well that the moment you eat of ityour eyes will be opened and you will be like godswho know what is good and what is evil."The woman saw that the tree was good for food,pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.So she took some of its fruit and ate it;and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,and he ate it.Then the eyes of both of them were opened,and they realized that they were naked;so they sewed fig leaves togetherand made loincloths for themselves.When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the gardenat the breezy time of the day,the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD Godamong the trees of the garden. Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7 R. (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,whose sin is covered.Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,in whose spirit there is no guile. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.Then I acknowledged my sin to you,my guilt I covered not.I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"and you took away the guilt of my sin. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress.Though deep waters overflow,they shall not reach him. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. Alleluia Acts 16:14b R. Alleluia, alleluia.Open our hearts, O Lord,to listen to the words of your Son.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 7:31-37 Jesus left the district of Tyreand went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impedimentand begged him to lay his hand on him.He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's earsand, spitting, touched his tongue;then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")And immediately the man's ears were opened,his speech impediment was removed,and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to,the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said,"He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.