First Reading

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 (JB)

A reading from the prophet Jeremiah

I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.

In the days of Josiah, the word of the Lord was addressed to me,

saying,

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

before you came to birth I consecrated you;

I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.

So now brace yourself for action.

Stand up and tell them

all I command you.

Do not be dismayed at their presence,

or in their presence I will make you dismayed.

I, for my part, today will make you

into a fortified city,

a pillar of iron,

and a wall of bronze

to confront all this land:

the kings of Judah, its princes,

its priests and the country people.

They will fight against you

but shall not overcome you,

for I am with you to deliver you –

it is the Lord who speaks.’

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 (NRSV)

A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,

and before you were born, I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

“Therefore, gird up your loins;

stand up and tell the people everything that I command you.

Do not break down before them,

or I will break you before them.

And I for my part have made you today a fortified city,

an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land-

against the kings of Judah,

its princes, its priests, and the people of the land.

“They will fight against you;

but they shall not prevail against you,

for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 70:1-6, 15, 17 (JB)

R. I will sing of your salvation.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

in your justice rescue me, free me:

pay heed to me and save me. R.

Be a rock where I can take refuge,

a mighty stronghold to save me;

for you are my rock, my stronghold.

Free me from the hand of the wicked. R.

It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, since my youth.

On you I have leaned from my birth,

from my mother’s womb you have been my help. R.

My lips will tell of your justice

and day by day of your help.

O God, you have taught me from my youth

and I proclaim your wonders still. R.

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13 (JB)

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians

There are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them.

If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue for ever; and knowledge – for this, too, the time will come when it must fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.

In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (JB)

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians

There are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue for ever; and knowledge – for this, too, the time will come when it must fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.

In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13 (NRSV)

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters,

strive for the greater gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,

but do not have love,

I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have prophetic powers,

and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,

but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away all my possessions,

and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,

but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind;

love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,

but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never, ends.

But as for prophecies, they will come to an end;

as for tongues, they will cease;

as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;

but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child,

I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;

when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (NRSV)

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Love is patient; love is kind;

love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,

but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

But as for prophecies, they will come to an end;

as for tongues, they will cease

as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;

but when the complete comes the partial will come to an end.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child,

I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;

when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly,

but then we will see face to face.

Now I know only in part;

then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;

and the greatest of these is love.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Luke 4:18 (JB)

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord sent me to bring Good News to the poor

and freedom to prisoners.

Alleluia!

Luke 4:18-19 (NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord sent me to bring good news to the poor

and freedom to prisoners.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 4:21-30 (JB)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Jesus, like Elijah and Elisha, was not sent only to the Jews.

Jesus began to speak in the synagogue, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips.

They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son surely?’ But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside.”‘ And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to the widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 4:21-30 (NRSV)

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit,

came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.

He went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom,

and read from the prophet Isaiah.

The eyes of all were fixed on him.

Then he began to say to them,

“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him

and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Jesus said to them,

“Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,

‘Doctor, cure yourself!’

And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown

the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'”

And he said, ‘Truly I tell you,

no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.

But the truth is,

there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah,

when the heaven was shut up three years and six months,

and there was a severe famine over all the land;

yet Elijah was sent to none of them

except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

There were also many lepers in Israel

in the time of the prophet Elisha,

and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

When they heard this,

all in the synagogue were filled with rage.

They got up, drove Jesus out of the town,

and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built,

so that they might hurl him off the cliff.

But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.