Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Official Translation

Reading 1 - Isaiah 8.23-9.3

They will turn their faces upward, and look to the earth,
and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish.
They will be driven into thick darkness.
But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish.

In the former time, the Lord brought into contempt the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea,
beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
On those who lived in the land of the shadow of death,
the light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation.
You have increased their joy.
They rejoice before you as with the harvest joy,
as humans rejoice when they divide plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
and the staff on their shoulder,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as in the day of Midian.

Responsorial – Psalm 27.1, 4, 13-14 Resp. 1a

R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.

One thing have I desired of the LORD,
this will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to study in his temple.

R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be of good courage.
He will strengthen your heart. Wait for the LORD.

R. The LORD is my light and my salvation.

Reading 2 – 1 Corinthians 1.10-13, 17

Now I beg you, brothers and sisters, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
that you all speak the same thing
and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers and sisters,
by those who are from Chloe's household, that there are rivalries among you.
Now I mean this, that each one of you says,
"I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," "I follow Cephas," or, "I follow Christ."
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel,
and not in the wisdom of logic,
lest the cross of Christ be emptied.

Gospel – Matthew 4.12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sat in darkness saw a great light,
to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
to them light has dawned.”
From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say,
“Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

As he was walking by the sea of Galilee,
he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
They immediately left their nets, and followed him.
Continuing on from there, he saw two more brothers,
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother,
in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

He went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.