THE
READINGS
August 30, 2015
FIRST READING: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
1Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges,
and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2And
Joshua said to all the people, 14"Revere the LORD, and serve
him in
sincerity
and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the
River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15Now if you are unwilling
to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your
ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in
whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the
LORD." 16Then the people
answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve
other gods; 17for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our
ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did
those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went,
and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18and the LORD
drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land.
Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."
PSALM: Psalm 34:15-22 - please read
responsively
15The eyes of the LORD
are upon the righteous,
and God's ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the LORD is
against those who do evil,
to erase the remembrance of them
from the earth.
17The righteous cry, and
the LORD hears them
and delivers them from all their
troubles.
18The LORD is near to the
brokenhearted
and saves those whose spirits are
crushed.
19Many are the troubles
of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers them from
every one.
20God will keep safe all
their bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
21Evil will bring death
to the wicked
and those who hate the righteous will
be punished.
22O LORD, you redeem the
life of your servants,
and those who put their trust in
you will not be punished.
1
2
SECOND READING: Ephesians 6:10-20
10Be strong in the Lord
and in the strength of his power. 11Put on the whole armor of God,
so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For
our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole
armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having
done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, and fasten the
belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15As
shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to
proclaim
the gospel of peace. 16With all of these, take the shield of faith,
with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take
the helmet of
salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18Pray in the Spirit at all times
in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere
in supplication for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, so that when
I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery
of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I
may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Stand
P: The holy gospel according to St. John, the
6th chapter.
C:
Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL: John
6:56-69
[Jesus
said,] 56"Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in
me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live
because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58This
is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors
ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." 59He
said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
60When many of his
disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can
accept
it?" 61But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were
complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? 62Then
what if you were to see the Son of Man
ascending
to where he was before? 63It is the spirit that gives life; the
flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But
among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the
first who were the ones that did not
believe,
and who was the one that would betray him. 65And he said, "For
this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by
the Father."
66Because of this many of
his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67So
Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68Simon
Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of
eternal life. 69We have come to believe and know that you are the
Holy One of God."
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.