THE
READINGS
August 23, 2015
FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
1So now, Israel, give
heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to
observe,
so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of
your ancestors, is giving you. 2You must neither add anything to
what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of
the LORD your God with which I am charging you. 6You must observe
them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples,
who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great
nation is a wise and discerning people!" 7For what other great
nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? 8And
what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law
that I am setting before you today? 9But
take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that
your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your
life; make them known to your children and your children's children.
PSALM: Psalm 15 - please read responsively
1LORD, who may dwell in
your tabernacle?
Who may abide upon your holy hill?
2Those who lead a
blameless life and do what is right,
who speak the truth from their
heart;
3they do not slander
with the tongue, they do no evil to their friends;
they do not cast discredit upon a
neighbor.
4In their sight the
wicked are rejected,
but they honor those who fear the
LORD.
They have sworn upon their health
and do not take back their word.
5They do not give their
money in hope of gain,
nor do they take bribes against the
innocent.
Those
who do these things shall never be overthrown.
SECOND READING: James 1:17-27
17Every generous act of
giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of
lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In
fulfillment
of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would
become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick
to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not
produce God's righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all
sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the
implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
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22But be doers of the
word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any
are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at
themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going
away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look
into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and
persevere,
being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their
doing. 26If any think they
are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their
religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before
God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and
to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Stand
P: The holy gospel according to St. Mark, the
7th chapter.
C:
Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL: Mark
7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
1Now when the Pharisees
and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], 2they
noticed that some of his disciples were eating with
defiled
hands, that is, without washing them. 3(For the Pharisees, and all
the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing
the tradition of the
elders;
4and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it
and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of
cups, pots, and bronze
kettles.)
5So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your
disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with
defiled hands?" 6He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied
rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
'This people honors me with their
lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7in vain do they worship
me,
teaching human precepts as
doctrines.'
8You abandon the
commandment of God and hold to human tradition."
14Then he called the
crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and
understand:
15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but
the things that come out are what defile." 21For it is from
within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft,
murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness,
envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from
within, and they defile a person."
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.