Ordinary Time: (1st Part)

1st. Reading   Job 7,1-4. 6-7.

Man's life on earth is a thankless jo his days are those of a mercenary. Like a slave he longs for the shade of evening, like a hireling waiting for his wages. Thus I am allotted months of boredom and nights of grief and misery. In bed I say, "When shall the day break?" On rising, I think, "When shall evening come?" and I toss restless till dawn. My days pass swifter than a weaver's shuttle, heading without hope to their end. My life is like wind, you well know it, O God; never will I see happiness again.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 147,1-2. 3-4. 5-6.

Alleluia!
How good it is to sing to our God,
how sweet and befitting to praise him!
The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel;
he heals their broken hearts
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of stars,
he calls each of them by name.
The Lord is great and mighty in power;
his wisdom is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the humble,
but casts the wicked to the ground.

2nd. Reading   1Cor 9,16-19. 22-23.

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel: I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel. So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody's slave in order to gain a greater number. With people of unformed conscience I acted as if I were sharing their scruples in order to gain those who are still weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

Gospel   Mk 1,29-39.

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew with James and John. As Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told him about her. Jesus went to her and taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits: the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but he did not let them speak, for they knew who he was.
JESUS' PRAYER AT NIGHT
Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where he prayed. Simon and the others went out, too, searching for him; and when they found him they said, "Everyone is looking for you." Then Jesus answered, "Let's go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came." So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; he also cast out demons.