Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Official Translation

Reading 1 – Isaiah 35.4-7a

Thus says the LORD:
“Tell those who have a fearful heart,
‘Be strong. Be not afraid.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, divine retribution.
He will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf will be unclogged.
Then the lame man will leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute will sing;
for waters will break out in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.’”

Responsorial – Psalm 146.7, 8-9, 9-10 Resp. 1b

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul! or R. Alleluia.

The God of Jacob is true forever.
He executes justice for the oppressed.
He gives food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul! or R. Alleluia.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down.
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord protects immigrants.

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul! or R. Alleluia.

He upholds the fatherless and widow,
but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.
The Lord will reign forever;
Your God, O Zion, for all generations.

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul! or R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 – James 2.1-5

My brothers and sisters,
do not hold the faith of our Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ,
with partiality.
For if someone with a gold ring, in fine clothing,
comes into your synagogue,
and a poor person in filthy clothing also comes in;
and you pay special attention
to the one who wears the fine clothing,
and say, “Sit here in a good place”;
and you tell the poor person,
“Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”;
have you not shown partiality among yourselves,
and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brothers.
Did God not choose those who are poor in this world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom
which he promised to those who love him?

Gospel – Mark 7.31-37

Jesus departed from the borders of Tyre,
and came through Sidon to the sea of Galilee,
in the middle of the region of Decapolis.

They brought to him a deaf man who had trouble speaking,
and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him by himself, away from the crowd,
and put his fingers into his ears,
and he spat and touched his tongue.
Looking up into heaven, he sighed, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”
Immediately his ears were opened,
and the bond on his tongue was undone,
and he spoke clearly.
He commanded them that they should tell no one,
but the more he commanded them,
so much more widely they proclaimed it.
They were astonished beyond measure, saying,
“He has done all things beautifully.
He both makes the deaf hear and the unspeaking speak!”