Liturgical Readings for : Sunday, 11th February, 2024
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B
World Day of the Sick
Day of Prayer for Temperance
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Leviticus 13: 1-2.44-46
The leper must live apart; he must live outside the camp.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
If a swelling or scab or shiny spot appears on a man’s skin, a case of leprosy of the skin is to be
suspected. The man must be taken to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests who are his sons.
‘The man is leprous: he is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean; he is suffering from leprosy of the head. A man infected with leprosy must wear his clothing torn and his hair disordered; he must shield his upper lip and cry, “Unclean, unclean.” As long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore he must live apart; he must live outside the camp.’
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:1-2:5-11.
Response You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
1. Happy the man whose offence is forgiven, whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no guile. Response
2. But now I have acknowledged my sins; my guilt I did not hide.
I said: ‘I will confess my offence to the Lord.’
And you, Lord, have forgiven the guilt of my sin. Response
3. Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy, all you upright of heart. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Take me for your model, as I take Christ.
Whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do at all, do it for the glory of God.
Never do anything offensive to anyone – to Jews or Greeks or to the Church of God;
just as I try to be helpful to everyone at all times, not anxious for my own advantage
but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved.
Take me for your model, as I take Christ.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Gospel Acclamation Eph 1: 17
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or Lk 7: 16
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1: 40-45 Glory to you, O Lord
The leprosy left him at once and he was cured.
A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’
Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.
‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’
And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.‘
The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflections
People make a Difference
Any story involving leprosy is a story of inclusiveness with Jesus. The people whom nobody wanted were deep in his heart. Jesus wanted to make his life better and in this case, the man was cured. The news spread of this new religious man, a prophet maybe, but one who went where nobody else would go.
Jesus sees into the heart and there he finds a home, because God his Father lives in each of us. His motivation is his deep relationship with all of us. He will cleanse any of the unacceptable sides of ourselves so that we see ourselves as image of God, forgiven and clean. Can we see others like that?
Who would be those he would reach today like this? Maybe the people who want to change their lives from condemnation by self and others. We can name them often, and our society can be cruel on prisoners and their families, abusers of any sort, prostitutes, victims of AIDS and many others. He offers a way out of condemnation and that is often through the goodness and care of another. When we come to him, we meet his followers, and that also can make a difference.
Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
