Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time (I)

Official Translation

Reading 1 – Hebrews 10.11-18

Brothers and sisters:
Every priest stands day by day serving
and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins,
but this one, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down at the right hand of God.
From that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet,
for by one offering he has forever perfected those who are being sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them:
‘After those days,’ says the Lord,
‘I will put my laws on their heart, I will also write them on their mind;’”
he then says,
“I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more.”

Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Responsorial – Psalm 110.1, 2, 3, 4 Resp. 4b

R. You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”

R. You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord will send out the scepter of your strength out of Zion.
Rule among your enemies.

R. You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your power, in holy array.
From the womb before the day star, I have begotten you.

R. You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord has sworn, and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

R. You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel – Mark 4.1-20

Again Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A large crowd was gathered to him,
so that he got into a boat on the sea, and sat down.
The whole crowd was on the seashore.
He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
“Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,
and as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil,
and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it,
and it yielded no fruit.
Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing.
Some produced thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some one-hundred-fold.”
He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

When he was alone, those who were by him along with the Twelve asked him about the parables.
He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God,
but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, that
‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand;
lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins be forgiven them.’”

He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
How will you understand any of the parables?
The farmer sows the word.
The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown,
and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes,
and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
And these are those who are sown on the rocky places,
who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived.
When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
Others are those who are sown among the thorns.
These are those who have heard the word,
but the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things
entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it,
and bear fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some one-hundred-fold.”