24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

5The Lord God has opened my ear. And I do not contradict him. I have not turned back. 6I have given my body to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who plucked them. I have not averted my face from those who rebuked me and who spit on me. 7The Lord God is my helper. Therefore, I have not been confounded. Therefore, I have set my face like a very hard rock, and I know that I will not be confounded. 8He who justifies me is near. Who will speak against me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him approach me. 9Behold, the Lord God is my helper. Who is the one who would condemn me? Behold, they will all be worn away like a garment; the moth will devour them.

1Alleluia. I have loved: therefore, the Lord will heed the voice of my prayer.

2For he has inclined his ear to me. And in my days, I will call upon him.

3The sorrows of death have surrounded me, and the perils of Hell have found me. I have found tribulation and sorrow.

4And so, I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, free my soul.

5Merciful is the Lord, and just. And our God is compassionate.

6The Lord is the keeper of little ones. I was humbled, and he freed me.

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8For he has rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from slipping.

9I will please the Lord in the land of the living. (116B)

14My brothers, what benefit is there if someone claims to have faith, but he does not have works? How would faith be able to save him? 15So if a brother or sister is naked and daily in need of food, 16and if anyone of you were to say to them: “Go in peace, keep warm and nourished,” and yet not give them the things that are necessary for the body, of what benefit is this? 17Thus even faith, if it does not have works, is dead, in and of itself. 18Now someone may say: “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works! But I will show you my faith by means of works.

27And Jesus departed with his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way, he questioned his disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” 28And they answered him by saying: “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others perhaps one of the prophets.” 29Then he said to them, “Yet truly, who do you say that I am?” Peter responded by saying to him, “You are the Christ.” 30And he admonished them, not to tell anyone about him. 31And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and by the high priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And he spoke the word openly. And Peter, taking him aside, began to correct him. 33And turning away and looking at his disciples, he admonished Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan, for you do not prefer the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.” 34And calling together the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone chooses to follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whoever will have chosen to save his life, will lose it. But whoever will have lost his life, for my sake and for the Gospel, shall save it.