Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time (II)

Official Translation

Reading 1 – Ezekiel 16.1-15, 60, 63

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations;
and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem:
“Your birth and your origin is of the land of Canaan;
the Amorite was your father, and your mother was a Hittite.
As for your birth, in the day you were born
your navel was not cut,
nor were you washed in water to cleanse you;
you were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you,
to have compassion on you.
Instead you were cast out in the open field,
for that you were abhorred, in the day that you were born.

When I passed by you, and saw you wallowing in your blood,
I said to you, ‘Though you are in your blood, live.’
Yes, I said to you, ‘Though you are in your blood, live.’
I caused you to multiply like a plant in the field,
and you increased and grew tall,
and you attained to excellent ornament;
your breasts were fashioned, and your hair was grown;
yet you were naked and bare.
Now when I passed by you, and looked at you,
behold, your time was the time of love,
and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness:
yes, I swore to you, and entered into a covenant with you,”
says the Lord God, “and you became mine.
Then I washed you with water;
yes, I thoroughly washed away your blood from you,
and I anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with embroidered work,
and shod you with fine leather.
I dressed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
I decked you with ornaments,
and I put bracelets on your hands,
and a chain on your neck.
I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears,
and a beautiful crown on your head.
Thus you were decked with gold and silver,
and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered work;
you ate fine flour and honey and oil,
and you were exceedingly beautiful,
and you succeeded to royalty.
Your renown went out among the nations because of your beauty;
for it was perfect through my majesty which I had put on you.”
says the Lord God.
“But you trusted in your beauty,
and played the prostitute because of your renown,
and poured out your prostitution on everyone.
Whoever passed by, his it was.

Nevertheless I will remember my covenant
that I made with you in the days of your youth,
and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant,
so that you may remember and be confounded,
and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame,
when I have forgiven you all that you have done”,
says the Lord God.’”

Or Ezekiel 16:59-63 59
Thus says the Lord God:
“I will deal with you as you have done,
you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant
that I made with you in the days of your youth,
and I will establish to you an everlasting covenant.
Then you shall remember your ways, and be ashamed,
when you receive your sisters,
your elder sisters and your younger,
and I will give them to you for daughters,
though not by your covenant.
I will establish my covenant with you,
and you shall know that I am the Lord;
that you may remember and be confounded,
and never open your mouth anymore, because of your shame,
when I have forgiven you all that you have done”,
says the Lord God.

Responsorial – Isaiah 12.2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 R. 1c

R. You have turned from your anger.

Behold, God is my salvation.
I will trust and will not be afraid;
for the Lord, the Lord is my strength and song,
and he has become my salvation.
Therefore with joy you will draw water
out of the wells of salvation.

R. You have turned from your anger.

Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name.
Declare his deeds among the nations.
Proclaim that his name is exalted!

R. You have turned from your anger.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done excellent things!
Let this be known in all the earth!
Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion;
For great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel.

R. You have turned from your anger.

Gospel – Matthew 19.3-12

Pharisees came to Jesus, testing him, and saying,
“Is it lawful for a human to divorce his wife for any reason?”
He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning
he who made them, made them male and female,
and said, ‘For this cause a human shall leave his father and mother,
and shall join to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’
So that they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together,
do not let a human tear apart.”

They asked him,
“Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts,
allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it has not been so.
I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for perversity,
and marries another, commits adultery,
and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”

His disciples said to him,
“If this is the case of the human with his wife, it is not beneficial to marry.”
But he said to them, “Not all can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb,
and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by humans,
and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs
for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The one who is able to receive it, let them receive it.”

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