July 19, 2015

First Reading

The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah   23: 1-6

23:1	“Woe to the shepherds who scatter and tear apart the sheep of my pasture, says the Lord.
23:2	Because of this, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to the shepherds who pasture my people: You have scattered my flock, and you have driven them away, and you have not visited them. Behold, I will visit upon you because of your evil pursuits, says the Lord.
23:3	And I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the entire earth, from the places to which I had cast them out. And I will return them to their own fields. And they will increase and be multiplied.
23:4	And I will raise up shepherds over them, and they will pasture them. They will no longer dread, and they will no longer fear. And no one among their number will be seeking more, says the Lord.
23:5	Behold, the days are approaching, says the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch. And a king will reign, and he will be wise. And he will exercise judgment and justice upon the earth.
23:6	In those days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in confidence. And this is the name that they will call him: ‘The Lord, our Just One.’

Second Reading

The Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesian   2: 13-18

2:13	But now, in Christ Jesus, you, who were in times past far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
2:14	For he is our peace. He made the two into one, by dissolving the intermediate wall of separation, of opposition, by his flesh,
2:15	emptying the law of commandments by decree, so that he might join these two, in himself, into one new man, making peace
2:16	and reconciling both to God, in one body, through the cross, destroying this opposition in himself.
2:17	And upon arriving, he evangelized peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near.
2:18	For by him, we both have access, in the one Spirit, to the Father.

Gospel

The Holy Gospel According to Mark   6: 30-34

6:30	And the Apostles, returning to Jesus, reported to him everything that they had done and taught.
6:31	And he said to them, “Go out alone, into a deserted place, and rest for a little while.” For there were so many who were coming and going, that they did not even have time to eat.
6:32	And climbing into a boat, they went away to a deserted place alone.
6:33	And they saw them going away, and many knew about it. And together they ran by foot from all the cities, and they arrived before them.
6:34	And Jesus, going out, saw a great multitude. And he took pity on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.