Reading 1, Isaiah 1:10-17
10 Hear what Yahweh says, you rulers of Sodom; listen to what our God teaches, you people of Gomorrah.
11 ‘What are your endless sacrifices to me?’ says Yahweh. ‘I am sick of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of calves. I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come and present yourselves before me, who has asked you to trample through my courts?
13 Bring no more futile cereal offerings, the smoke from them fills me with disgust. New Moons, Sabbaths, assemblies — I cannot endure solemnity combined with guilt.
14 Your New Moons and your meetings I utterly detest; to me they are a burden I am tired of bearing.
15 When you stretch out your hands I turn my eyes away. You may multiply your prayers, I shall not be listening. Your hands are covered in blood,
16 wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease doing evil.
17 Learn to do good, search for justice, discipline the violent, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
8 ‘It is not with your sacrifices that I find fault, those burnt offerings constantly before me;
9 I will not accept any bull from your homes, nor a single goat from your folds.
16 But to the wicked, God says: ‘What right have you to recite my statutes, to take my covenant on your lips,
17 when you detest my teaching, and thrust my words behind you?
21 You do this, and am I to say nothing? Do you think that I am really like you? I charge you, indict you to your face.
23 Honour to me is a sacrifice of thanksgiving; to the upright I will show God’s salvation.’
34 ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law;
37 ‘No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me.
38 Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me.
39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 ‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
41 ‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person.
42 ‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward.’
1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
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