First Reading

2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 (Year B) (JB)

A reading from the second book of Chronicles

The wrath and the mercy of the Lord are revealed in the exile and liberation of his people.

All the heads of the priesthood, and the people too, added infidelity to infidelity, copying all the shameful practices of the nations and defiling the Temple that the Lord had consecrated for himself in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, tirelessly sent them messenger after messenger, since he wished to spare his people and his house. But they ridiculed the messengers of God, they despised his words, they laughed at his prophets, until at last the wrath of the Lord rose so high against his people that there was no further remedy.

Their enemies burned down the Temple of God, demolished the walls of Jerusalem, set fire to all its palaces, and destroyed everything of value in it. The survivors were deported by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon; they were to serve him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. This is how the word of the Lord was fulfilled that he spoke through Jeremiah, ‘Until this land has enjoyed its sabbath rest, until seventy years have gone by, it will keep sabbath throughout the days of its desolation.’

And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfil the word of the Lord that was spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord roused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation and to have it publicly displayed throughout his kingdom: ‘Thus speaks Cyrus king of Persia, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; he has ordered me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him! Let him go up.”‘

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 (Year A) (JB)

A reading from the first book of Samuel

In the presence of the Lord God, they anointed David king of Israel.

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him,’ but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 (Year A) (NRSV)

A reading from the first book of Samuel

The Lord said to Samuel,

“Fill your horn with oil and set out;

I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem,

for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

When the sons of Jesse came,

Samuel looked on Eliab and thought,

“Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.”

But the Lord said to Samuel,

“Do not look on his appearance

or on the height of his stature,

because I have rejected him;

for the Lord does not see as mortals see;

they look on the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel,

and Samuel said to Jesse,

“The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?”

And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,

but he is keeping the sheep.”

And Samuel said to Jesse,

“Send and bring him;

for we will not sit down until he comes here.”

Jesse sent and brought David in.

Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.

The Lord said,

“Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.”

Then Samuel took the horn of oil,

and anointed him in the presence of his brothers;

and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David

from that day forward.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 (Year B) (NRSV)

A reading from the second book of Chronicles

All the leading priests and the people were exceedingly unfaithful,

following all the abominations of the nations;

and they polluted the house of the Lord

that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Lord, the God of their ancestors,

persistently sent his messengers to them,

because he had compassion on his people

and on his dwelling place;

but they kept mocking the messengers of God,

despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets,

until the wrath of the Lord against his people became so great

that there was no remedy.

Therefore the Lord brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans,

who burned the house of God,

broke down the wall of Jerusalem,

burned all its palaces with fire,

and destroyed all its precious vessels.

The king took into exile in Babylon

those who had escaped from the sword,

and they became servants to him and to his sons

until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia,

to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,

until the land had made up for its sabbaths.

All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath,

to fulfil seventy years.

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia,

in fulfilment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,

the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia

so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom

and also declared in a written edict:

“Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:

The Lord, the God of heaven,

has given me all the kingdoms of the earth,

and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem,

which is in Judah.

Whoever is among you of all his people,

may the Lord his God be with him!

Let him go up.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 136 (Year B) (JB)

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

By the rivers of Babylon

there we sat and wept,

remembering Zion;

on the poplars that grew there

we hung up our harps. R.

For it was there that they asked us,

our captors, for songs,

our oppressors, for joy.

‘Sing to us,’ they said,

‘one of Zion’s songs.’ R.

O how could we sing

the song of the Lord

on alien soil?

If I forget you, Jerusalem,

let my right hand wither! R.

O let my tongue

cleave my mouth

if I remember you not,

if I prize not Jerusalem

above all my joys! R.

Ps 22 (Year A) (JB)

R. The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

to revive my drooping spirit. R.

He guides me along the right path;

he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

with these you give me comfort. R.

You have prepared a banquet for me

in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

my cup is overflowing. R.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

for ever and ever. R.

Second Reading

Ephesians 2:4-10 (Year B) (JB)

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians

When we were dead through sins, he brought us to life.

God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.

This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 5:8-14 (Year A) (JB)

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians

Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:

Wake up from your sleep,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 2:4-10 (Year B) (NRSV)

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

God, who is rich in mercy,

out of the great love with which he loved us

even when we were dead through our trespasses,

made us alive together with Christ-

for it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him

in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that in the ages to come

God might show the immeasurable riches of his grace

in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God.

This is not the result of works,

so that no one may boast.

For we are what he has made us,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Ephesians 5:8-14 (Year A) (NRSV)

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light.

Live as children of light-

for the fruit of the light is found

in all that is good and right and true.

Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,

but instead expose them.

For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;

but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,

for everything that becomes visible is light.

Therefore it is said,

“Sleeper, awake!

Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

John 3:16 (Year B) (JB)

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

God loved the world so much, he gave us his only Son,

that all who believe in him might have eternal life.

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

John 3:16 (Year B) (NRSV)

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

God loved the world so much, he gave us his only Son,

that all who believe in him might have eternal life.

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

John 8:12 (Year A) (NRSV)

Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ!

Gospel

John 3:14-21 (Year B) (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

God sent his Son into the world that we might be saved through him.

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

‘The Son of Man must be lifted up

as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,

so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

Yes, God loved the world so much

that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believed in him may not be lost

but may have eternal life.

For God sent his Son into the world

not to condemn the world,

but so that through him the world might be saved.

No one who believes in him will be condemned;

but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,

because he has refused to believe

in the name of God’s only Son.

On these grounds is sentence pronounced:

that though the light has come into the world

men have shown they prefer

darkness to the light

because their deeds were evil.

And indeed, everybody who does wrong

hates the light and avoids it,

for fear his actions should be exposed;

but the man who lives by the truth

comes out into the light,

so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 9:1-41 (Year A) (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

The blind man went off and washed himself and came away with his sight restored.

As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?’ ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered, ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

‘As long as the day lasts

I must carry out the work of the one who sent me;

the night will soon be here when no one can work.

As long as I am in the world

I am the light of the world.’

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open?’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I could see.’ They asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered.

They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man.

However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’ At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.

Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.

Jesus said:

‘It is for judgement

that I have come into this world,

so that those without sight may see

and those with sight turn blind.’

Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’ Jesus replied:

‘Blind? If you were, you would not be guilty,

but since you say, “We see”,

your guilt remains.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 3:14-21 (Year B) (NRSV)

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish

but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,

but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Those who believe in him are not condemned;

but those who do not believe are condemned already,

because they have not believed

in the name of the only Son of God.

“And this is the judgment,

that the light has come into the world,

and people loved darkness rather than light

because their deeds were evil.

For all who do evil hate the light

and do not come to the light,

so that their deeds may not be exposed.

But those who do what is true come to the light,

so that it may be clearly seen

that their deeds have been done in God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 9:1-41 (Year A) (NRSV)

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.

His disciples asked him,

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,

that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned;

he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.

We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day;

night is coming when no one can work.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

When he had said this, he spat on the ground

and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes,

saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”

(which means Sent).

Then the man who was blind went and washed, and came back able to see.

The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar

began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”

Some were saying, “It is he.”

Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.”

He kept saying, “I am the man.”

But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes,

‘and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’

Then I went and washed and received my sight.”

They said to him, “Where is he?”

He said, “I do not know.”

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

Then the Pharisees also began to ask him

how he had received his sight.

He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes.

Then I washed, and now I see.”

Some of the Pharisees said,

“This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.”

But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?”

And they were divided.

So they said again to the blind man,

“What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

He said, “He is a prophet.”

They did not believe that he had been blind

and had received his sight

until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight

and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind?

How then does he now see?”

His parents answered, “We know that this is our son,

and that he was born blind;

but we do not know how it is that now he sees,

nor do we know who opened his eyes.

Ask him; he is of age.

He will speak for himself.”

His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities,

who had already agreed

that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah

would be put out of the synagogue.

Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind,

and they said to him, “Give glory to God!

We know that this man is a sinner.”

He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner.

One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

They said to him, “What did he do to you?

How did he open your eyes?”

He answered them,

“I have told you already, and you would not listen.

Why do you want to hear it again?

Do you also want to become his disciples?”

Then they reviled him, saying,

“You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

We know that God has spoken to Moses,

but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing!

You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.

We know that God does not listen to sinners,

but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.

Never since the world began has it been heard

that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins,

and are you trying to teach us?”

And they drove him out.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out,

and when he found him, he said,

“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

He answered, “And who is he, sir?

Tell me, so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said to him, “You have seen him,

and the one speaking with you is he.”

He said, “Lord, I believe.”

And he worshipped him.

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment

so that those who do not see may see,

and those who do see may become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him,

“Surely we are not blind, are we?”

Jesus said to them,

“If you were blind, you would have no sin.

But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.