My vindicator is here at hand. Does anyone start proceedings against me?
Then let us go to court together.
Who thinks he has a case against me?
Let him approach me.
The Lord is coming to my help,
who will dare to condemn me?
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 114(116):1-6,8-9
Second reading
James 2:14-18
If good works do not go with it, faith is quite dead
Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.
This is the way to talk to people of that kind: ‘You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds – now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show.’
Gospel Acclamation
Jn14:6
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Or:
Ga6:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord,
through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Mark 8:27-35
The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously
Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’
He called the people and his disciples to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.’
The responsorial psalms at Mass cannot be displayed on the Web, for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain these psalms.
Christian Art
Each day, The Christian Art website gives a picture and reflection on the Gospel of the day.
The readings on this page are from the Jerusalem Bible, which is used at Mass in most of the English-speaking world. The New American Bible readings, which are used at Mass in the United States, are available in the Universalis apps, programs and downloads.
You can also view this page with the Gospel in Greek and English.
Listen to the podcast! Readings at Mass Liturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I). First reading Genesis 3:9-15,20 The mother of all those who live After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid…
Get Universalis — and change your life! Readings at Mass Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II). First reading Ephesians 4:1-6 One Body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness,…
Get Universalis — and change your life! Readings at Mass Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II). First reading Hosea 8:4-7,11-13 They have sown the wind; they will reap the whirlwind Thus says the Lord: They have set up kings, but not with my consent, and appointed princes, but without my knowledge. Out of their own silver…
Listen to the podcast! Readings at Mass Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II). First reading 1 Kings 19:4-8 The angel gives Elijah food to reach the mountain of God Elijah went into the wilderness, a day’s journey, and sitting under a furze bush wished he were dead. ‘O Lord,’ he said ‘I have had enough. Take…
Get Universalis — and change your life! Readings at Mass Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II). First reading Galatians 5:18-25 To belong to Christ, crucify all self-indulgence If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and…
Get Universalis — and change your life! Readings at Mass Liturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I). These are the readings for the Vigil Mass, celebrated during the afternoon or evening of Christmas Eve. These are the readings for the Midnight Mass, celebrated during the night before Christmas Day. These are the readings for the Dawn Mass,…