First Reading: Sirach 2:1-11
My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of adversity.
Cling to him, do not leave him, that you may prosper in your last days.
Accept whatever happens to you; in periods of humiliation be patient.
For in fire gold is tested, and the chosen, in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust in God, and he will help you; make your ways straight and hope in him.
You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy, do not stray lest you fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy.
Consider the generations long past and see: has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed?
Has anyone persevered in his fear and been forsaken? Has anyone called upon him and been ignored?
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; forgives sins and saves in time of trouble.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
Response: Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.
Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
The Lord watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time; in days of famine they have plenty.
Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever;
For the Lord loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones.
The salvation of the just is from the Lord; he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Alleluia: Galatians 6:14
Alleluia, alleluia.
May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
For a reflection on today’s readings, you might find this video helpful:
