Sunday between 21 and 27 January
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
First Reading - Isaiah 49.5-6
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The Lord called me,
even before I was born,
to gather Jacob and Israel
back to the Lord;
a great task,
for which the Lord God
is my strength.
And now the Lord says,
‘It is too light a thing
that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the survivors of Israel.
I will give you
as a light
to all
nations,
that my salvation may reach
to the ends of the earth.’
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 1.10-13,17-18
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
I hear that there have been
quarrels
amongst you,
with some saying
they belong to Paul,
while others say
they belong to Apollos,
or to Peter,
or only to Christ.
But Christ is not divided!
Paul was not crucified for you!
And you were not baptised in the name of Paul!
Indeed Christ did not send me to baptise,
but to proclaim the gospel;
and not even with eloquent words of wisdom,
which might have distracted
from the power
of the message itself -
the message
of the cross of Christ.
For the message of the cross
is foolishness
to those who are perishing,
but to those who are
being saved,
it is the power of God.
So I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to find agreement with one another,
so that there may be
no more divisions amongst you,
and you may be united
in mind and purpose.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Matthew 4.18-25
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew.
As Jesus walked
by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw two fishermen
casting a net
into the lake -
Simon, who is called Peter,
and his brother Andrew.
Jesus said to them,
‘Come, follow me,
and I will
send you out
to fish for people!’
Immediately,
they left their nets
and followed him.
As Jesus went on from there,
he saw the brothers James and John,
with their father,
in their boat, mending their nets.
And he called them.
Immediately
they left the boat, and their father,
and followed him.
Jesus
began to travel
throughout Galilee,
teaching
in their synagogues,
proclaiming
the good news of the kingdom,
and curing
every disease
and every sickness
amongst the people.
His fame spread north
into Syria.
And they brought to him
all who suffered
with demons,
diseases,
or pain;
and he healed them.
And great crowds
followed him,
from Galilee,
Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from the east side of the Jordan,
and beyond.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.