Sunday between 10 and 16 July
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
First Reading - Amos 7.7-15
A reading from the book of the prophet Amos.
In a vision, Amos saw
a master-builder,
using a plumb-line
to inspect
the condition
of a wall.
And the Lord
said to Amos,
‘I have also inspected
my people Israel, and found them
to be untrue.
And so,
the high places
will be made desolate,
the sanctuaries
will lie in ruins,
and I will rise up
with the sword
against the king.’
So Amos
spoke to the people,
as the Lord had commanded,
saying, ‘The king
will die by the sword,
and all Israel
will be sent into exile,
away from this land.’
The priest of Bethel
sent a message to the king,
saying, ‘The prophet Amos
is conspiring
against you,
right here
at the heart
of the house of Israel!’
And the same priest
said to Amos, ‘Get away from this place,
to the land of Judah.
Earn your bread there,
and work as a prophet there.
But never again
speak here at Bethel,
for this is the temple
of the kingdom,
and the sanctuary
of the king.’
But Amos said, ‘I am no prophet,
and no son of a prophet.
I am a farmer:
I follow the cattle,
and tend fig trees.
But the Lord came to me,
and told me
to speak these words
to the people of Israel.’
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Ephesians 1.3-8a
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
Let us praise
the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing,
freely pouring out upon us
the full riches
of God’s love and grace.
For God chose us, in Christ,
before
the foundation of the world.
And now,
through the sacrifice
and the life-blood
of Christ,
God has
forgiven our trespasses,
freed us from sin,
and adopted us, in Jesus Christ,
to be holy,
in the presence of God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Mark 6.7-13
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Mark.
Jesus called the twelve,
and began to send them out, in pairs,
giving them authority
over unclean spirits.
He told them to take nothing
for their journey,
except a staff;
no bread,
no bag,
no money in their belts,
no extra layer of clothes,
and only sandals
on their feet.
He said to them, ‘Whenever
you enter a house,
stay there,
until you leave
that place.
And if you are not
welcomed there -
if that place
refuses to hear you -
shake the dust
of that place
off your feet
as you leave.’
So they went out
proclaiming the message
that all should repent.
They cast out many demons,
and anointed with oil
many who were sick,
and they were healed.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.