Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time (II)

Official Translation

Reading 1 – Ephesians 4.7-16

Brothers and sisters:
But to each one of us was the grace given
according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
Now this, “He ascended”,
what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving,
to the building up of the body of Christ;
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
that we may no longer be infants,
tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the trickery of humans, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
but speaking truth in love,
we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;
from whom the whole body,
being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies,
according to the working in measure of each individual part,
makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

Responsorial – Psalm 122.1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 Resp. 1

R. Let us gladly go to the house of the Lord.

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

R. Let us gladly go to the house of the Lord.

Jerusalem is built as a city
that is compact together.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.

R. Let us gladly go to the house of the Lord.

According to the covenant of Israel,
to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
For there are set thrones of judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.

R. Let us gladly go to the house of the Lord.

Gospel – Luke 13.1-9

Now there were some present at that time who told him
about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans
were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them,
do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”

He spoke this parable.
“Someone had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.
He said to the vine dresser,
‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none.
Cut it down. Why should it waste the soil?’
He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also,
until I dig around it, and fertilize it.
If it bears fruit, fine, but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”