FIRST READING
They brought the Ark of the Covenant to the inner sanctuary, and a cloud filled the house of the Lord.
A reading from the first Book of Kings (1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13)
In those days: Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the sons of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in for ever.”
The word of the Lord
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 132:6-7.5- 10 (R. 8a)
R/. Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest
At Ephrata we heard of it;
we found it in the plains of Yearim.
“Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us bow down at his footstool.” R/.
R/. Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,
you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with justice;
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
do not reject your anointed. R/.
ALLELUIA Matthew 4:23
Alleluia. Jesus was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every infirmity among the people. Alleluia
GOSPEL
“As many as touched it were made well.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 6:53-56)
At that time: When Jesus and his disciples had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognised him, and ran about the whole neighbourhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.
The Gospel of the Lord
TODAY’S REFLECTION
Jesus crosses a lake to preach at Gennesaret as he is the Saviour of all people. But news about his arrival spread rapidly. People brought their sick for him to cure. Why always the sick? This is because sickness is not the concern of the sick alone; one person’s sickness affects the whole society. Sickness could reduce the joy, peace and wealth of the healthy. Seeing Jesus then was prayers answered for the relations of the sick and the sick themselves as well. Meanwhile the healing of the physically infirm by Jesus was a prelude to his cure for sin. Though we suffer physical sickness, let the concern be more to bring people a cure for their soul. Let us be evangelizers to one another.