Andre Zunino

Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
            who seeks his strength in flesh,
            whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
            that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
            a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
            whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
            that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
            its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
            but still bears fruit.
More tortuous than all else is the human heart,
            beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, alone probe the mind
            and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
            according to the merit of his deeds.

R.        (40:5a)  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
            the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
            nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
            and meditates on his law day and night.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
            planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
            and whose leaves never fade.
            Whatever he does, prospers.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so, the wicked, not so;
            they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
            but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.’”

The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
“Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word.”

Heed me, O LORD,
            and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
            that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
            to speak in their behalf,
            to turn away your wrath from them.

R.        (17b)  Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
            for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
            you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R.        Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
            as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R.        Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
            I say, “You are my God.”
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
            from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R.        Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Hear the word of the LORD,
            princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
            people of Gomorrah!

            Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
            cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
            hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Come now, let us set things right,
            says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
            they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
            they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey,
            you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist,
            the sword shall consume you:
            for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!

R.        (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
            for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
            no goats out of your fold.”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
            and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
            and cast my words behind you?”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“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.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
            and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”