Sunday between 28 August and 3 September
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
First Reading - Jeremiah 15.16-21
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.
In my despair, I cried out to the Lord,
‘O Lord, you have become to me
like a river
that has run dry.
My pain is unending,
a wound that will not heal.
Under the weight of the burden
that you have placed upon me,
I sit alone, filled with bitterness,
far away
from any
celebration or feast.’
And the Lord responded to my cry, saying,
‘If you return to me, I will restore you,
and you will stand in my presence once again.
You will serve as my voice,
and the people will turn to you.
When they turn against you,
I will protect you,
like a wall of bronze;
and I will be with you,
to save you, and to deliver you.’
And now, O Lord, to serve you
is once again
my delight;
for your words are my nourishment,
and the joy
of my heart.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Romans 12.9-18
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Let your love be genuine.
Reject all that is evil,
and cling to all that is good.
With ever-greater devotion,
honour one another,
and serve the Lord.
Rejoice in faith,
be patient in suffering,
and persevere in prayer.
Support each other in need,
and offer care to everyone.
Bless those who persecute you;
bless them, and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another;
and find your place amongst the humble,
not amongst the arrogant.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil,
but always do what is right
in the sight of all.
And do all that you can
to live at peace
with everyone.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Matthew 16.21-26
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew.
From that time on,
Jesus began to explain to his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem,
and suffer many things
at the hands of the elders,
the chief priests, and the scribes;
that he would be put to death,
and on the third day,
be raised.
Peter
took Jesus aside,
and began to rebuke him,
saying, ‘Lord,
let it not
be so.
This must never
happen to you.’
But Jesus
turned
and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan.
You are a stumbling-block to me,
for your mind
is set
on the human,
not the divine.’
And Jesus turned to the disciples
and said,
‘If any one of you
wishes to be
my disciple,
you must deny yourself,
take up your cross,
and follow me.
If you try
to save your life,
you will lose it.
But if you
lose your life,
for my sake,
you will find it.
There is no profit
in gaining
the whole world,
but losing
your very soul;
for nothing
in this world
can match the value
of your soul.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.