Readings for the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priestReading 1 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17 King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him,"Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-shebaand register the people, that I may know their number."Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered:in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service; in Judah, five hundred thousand.Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people,and said to the LORD:"I have sinned grievously in what I have done.But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant,for I have been very foolish."When David rose in the morning,the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying:"Go and say to David, 'This is what the LORD says:I offer you three alternatives;choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.'"Gad then went to David to inform him.He asked: "Do you want a three years' famine to come upon your land,or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you,or to have a three days' pestilence in your land?Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me."David answered Gad: "I am in very serious difficulty.Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful;but let me not fall by the hand of man."Thus David chose the pestilence.Now it was the time of the wheat harvestwhen the plague broke out among the people.The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israelfrom morning until the time appointed,and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,the LORD regretted the calamityand said to the angel causing the destruction among the people,"Enough now! Stay your hand."The angel of the LORD was then standingat the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.When David saw the angel who was striking the people,he said to the LORD: "It is I who have sinned;it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong.But these are sheep; what have they done?Punish me and my kindred." Responsorial Psalm PS 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7 R. (see 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.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. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.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. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.For this shall every faithful man pray to youin time of stress.Though deep waters overflow,they shall not reach him.R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done. Alleluia JN 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;I know them, and they follow me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MK 6:1-6 Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them,“A prophet is not without honor except in his native placeand among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.He was amazed at their lack of faith. - - -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 2 Sm18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3 Absalom unexpectedly came up against David's servants.He was mounted on a mule,and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,his hair caught fast in the tree.He hung between heaven and earthwhile the mule he had been riding ran off.Someone saw this and reported to Joabthat he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.And taking three pikes in hand,he thrust for the heart of Absalom,still hanging from the tree alive.Now David was sitting between the two gates,and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,"If he is alone, he has good news to report."The king said, "Step aside and remain in attendance here."So he stepped aside and remained there.When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,"Let my lord the king receive the good newsthat this day the LORD has taken your part,freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you."But the king asked the Cushite, "Is young Absalom safe?"The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the kingand all who rebel against you with evil intentbe as that young man!"The king was shaken,and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.He said as he wept,"My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!If only I had died instead of you,Absalom, my son, my son!"Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom;and that day's victory was turned into mourning for the whole armywhen they heard that the king was grieving for his son. Responsorial Psalm PS 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and answer me.Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,for I am afflicted and poor.Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God.R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.Have mercy on me, O Lord,for to you I call all the day.Gladden the soul of your servant,for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.Hearken, O LORD, to my prayerand attend to the sound of my pleading.R. Listen, Lord, and answer me. Alleluia MT 8:17 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Christ took away our infirmitiesand bore our diseases.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boatto the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,"My daughter is at the point of death.Please, come lay your hands on herthat she may get well and live."He went off with himand a large crowd followed him.There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctorsand had spent all that she had.Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowdand touched his cloak.She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."Immediately her flow of blood dried up.She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"But his disciples said to him,"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,and yet you ask, Who touched me?"And he looked around to see who had done it.The woman, realizing what had happened to her,approached in fear and trembling.She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."While he was still speaking,people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported,Jesus said to the synagogue official,"Do not be afraid; just have faith."He did not allow anyone to accompany him insideexcept Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,he caught sight of a commotion,people weeping and wailing loudly.So he went in and said to them,"Why this commotion and weeping?The child is not dead but asleep."And they ridiculed him.Then he put them all out.He took along the child's father and motherand those who were with himand entered the room where the child was.He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.At that they were utterly astounded.He gave strict orders that no one should know thisand said that she should be given something to eat. - - -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 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 An informant came to David with the report,"The children of Israel have transferred their loyalty to Absalom."At this, David said to all his servantswho were with him in Jerusalem:"Up! Let us take flight, or none of us will escape from Absalom.Leave quickly, lest he hurry and overtake us,then visit disaster upon us and put the city to the sword."As David went up the Mount of Olives, he wept without ceasing.His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot.All those who were with him also had their heads coveredand were weeping as they went.As David was approaching Bahurim,a man named Shimei, the son of Geraof the same clan as Saul's family,was coming out of the place, cursing as he came.He threw stones at David and at all the king's officers,even though all the soldiers, including the royal guard,were on David's right and on his left.Shimei was saying as he cursed:"Away, away, you murderous and wicked man!The LORD has requited you for all the bloodshed in the family of Saul,in whose stead you became king,and the LORD has given over the kingdom to your son Absalom.And now you suffer ruin because you are a murderer."Abishai, son of Zeruiah, said to the king:"Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?Let me go over, please, and lop off his head."But the king replied: "What business is it of mine or of yours,sons of Zeruiah, that he curses?Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David;who then will dare to say, 'Why are you doing this?'"Then the king said to Abishai and to all his servants:"If my own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life,how much more might this Benjaminite do so?Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to.Perhaps the LORD will look upon my afflictionand make it up to me with benefitsfor the curses he is uttering this day."David and his men continued on the road,while Shimei kept abreast of them on the hillside,all the while cursing and throwing stones and dirt as he went. Responsorial Psalm PS 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (8a) Lord, rise up and save me.O LORD, how many are my adversaries!Many rise up against me!Many are saying of me,"There is no salvation for him in God."R. Lord, rise up and save me.But you, O LORD, are my shield;my glory, you lift up my head!When I call out to the LORD,he answers me from his holy mountain.R. Lord, rise up and save me.When I lie down in sleep,I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.I fear not the myriads of peoplearrayed against me on every side.R. Lord, rise up and save me. Alleluia Lk 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.A great prophet has arisen in our midstand God has visited his people.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 5:1-20 Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,to the territory of the Gerasenes.When he got out of the boat,at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.The man had been dwelling among the tombs,and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,and no one was strong enough to subdue him.Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsideshe was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,he ran up and prostrated himself before him,crying out in a loud voice,"What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!")He asked him, "What is your name?"He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us."And he pleaded earnestly with himnot to drive them away from that territory.Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.And they pleaded with him,"Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,where they were drowned.The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the townand throughout the countryside.And people came out to see what had happened.As they approached Jesus,they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,sitting there clothed and in his right mind.And they were seized with fear.Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happenedto the possessed man and to the swine.Then they began to beg him to leave their district.As he was getting into the boat,the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,"Go home to your family and announce to themall that the Lord in his pity has done for you."Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapoliswhat Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed. - - -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 Dt 18:15-20 Moses spoke to all the people, saying:"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for youfrom among your own kin;to him you shall listen.This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horebon the day of the assembly, when you said,'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.'And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said.I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,and will put my words into his mouth;he shall tell them all that I command him.Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,I myself will make him answer for it.But if a prophet presumes to speak in my namean oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'" Responsorial Psalm Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9 R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;let us joyfully sing psalms to him.R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.Come, let us bow down in worship;let us kneel before the LORD who made us.For he is our God,and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.Oh, that today you would hear his voice:"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,as in the day of Massah in the desert,Where your fathers tempted me;they tested me though they had seen my works."R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Reading 2 1 Cor 7:32-35 Brothers and sisters:I should like you to be free of anxieties.An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,how he may please the Lord.But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,how he may please his wife, and he is divided.An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.A married woman, on the other hand,is anxious about the things of the world,how she may please her husband. I am telling you this for your own benefit,not to impose a restraint upon you,but for the sake of proprietyand adherence to the Lord without distraction. Alleluia Mt 4:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,light has arisen.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 1:21-28 Then they came to Capernaum,and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.The people were astonished at his teaching,for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us?I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"Jesus rebuked him and said,"Quiet! Come out of him!"The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.All were amazed and asked one another,"What is this?A new teaching with authority.He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee. - - -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.