Sunday between 18 and 24 February
(if before Ash Wednesday)
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
First Reading - Leviticus 19.2b-4,9-12,17-18
A reading from the book of Leviticus.
You shall be holy,
for I am holy,
says the Lord your God.
You shall honour
your mother
and your father,
and you shall keep my sabbath,
says the Lord.
You shall not
turn to idols,
or make gods out of metal
for yourselves,
says the Lord.
When you gather in the harvest,
you shall not
cut to the very edge of your field,
or return
for the little
that remains.
And you shall not
strip your vineyard bare,
or gather
the fallen grapes.
These you shall leave
for the poor,
and for the foreigner
living amongst you,
says the Lord your God.
You shall not steal,
or be dishonest in your dealings,
or lie to one another.
You shall not swear
a false oath
in my name,
for this would be dishonouring
the name
of the Lord your God.
You shall not hold hatred
in your heart
against your neighbour.
You shall challenge
your neighbour’s wrong-doing,
for if you fail to do so,
you bear the guilt
of that wrong-doing
yourself, says the Lord.
You shall not
take revenge,
or bear a grudge
against any
of your people.
And you shall love your neighbour
as yourself,
says the Lord your God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 3.18-22
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
The best wisdom of this world
is mere foolishness to God.
So do not long for this world
to call you wise.
Indeed, when you find
true, godly wisdom,
this world
will call you a fool.
The scripture says: ‘the Lord catches the wise
in their own craftiness’, and,
‘their arguments come to nothing’.
So let no one boast about mere human leaders.
For so much more
is yours in Christ - indeed everything!
Not just Paul, and Apollos, and Peter,
but the whole world; even life, and death;
the whole of the present,
and the whole of the future.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Matthew 5.38-48
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘You have heard it said,
“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
But I say to you,
do not take revenge
against the one who has wronged you.
If they strike you on one cheek,
offer the other.
If they demand your shirt,
give your coat as well.
If they force you to walk one mile,
walk two.
Give to those who ask,
and welcome
those who come to borrow.
You have heard it said,
“You shall love your neighbour -
and hate your enemy.”
But I say to you,
love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you.
This will make you true children
of your Father in heaven.
For you see how your Father
makes the sun come up each day
on the good, and the wicked, alike.
And you see how your Father makes the rain to fall
on both the righteous
and the unrighteous.
If you love only those who love you,
that deserves no reward.
If you greet only your brothers and sisters,
you are doing no more
than all people everywhere.
So in all these things, aim for perfection -
the perfection of your Father in heaven.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.