Sunday between 3 and 9 July
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
First Reading - Isaiah 66.10-14a
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Sing for joy with all Jerusalem!
All who love her, rejoice!
Mourn no longer,
for she will be great once again!
And you will be comforted,
like a child in a mother’s embrace!
For the Lord will grant her
peace like a river,
and the glory of the nations!
As a mother comforts her child,
so the Lord will comfort you, in Jerusalem.
You will be carried on her arm,
and held in her lap.
When you see it,
your heart will rejoice,
and you will flourish like the tender grass.
And all who serve the Lord
will know
that the hand of the Lord
is with them.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Colossians 1.3-4,9-14
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
We joyfully give thanks to God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
whenever we pray for you,
for we have heard
of your great faith in Christ Jesus,
and the love that you have
for all the saints.
We pray that God will fill you
with the knowledge of God’s will,
and with spiritual wisdom and understanding.
And we pray that God will fill you
with all of the glorious power of God:
with strength, and endurance,
with patience, and with perseverance
to lead lives which are worthy of the Lord,
and fully pleasing to the Lord,
so that you can bear fruit,
in every good work, as you grow
in the knowledge of God;
and so that
with us
you can
joyfully give thanks
to God the Father, who has
rescued us
from
the power of darkness
to dwell, forgiven,
with the saints, in light,
in the kingdom
of his beloved Son.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Luke 10.1-11, 17-20, 23-24
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke.
The Lord appointed seventy
to go ahead of him, in pairs, to every
town and place
where he himself
intended to go.
As he sent them on their way,
he said to them,
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few -
so ask the Lord of the harvest
to send more workers for the harvest.
And yet I send you out
like lambs amongst wolves.
Carry no purse, no bag, no shoes, as you go.
Do not delay your journey
by greeting all those
you meet along the way.
When you enter a house,
offer a greeting of peace.
If your hosts
are people of peace,
your peace
will rest upon them -
and if they are not,
your peace
will return to you.
Remain in the same house, eating and drinking
whatever they provide,
for a worker
deserves to be paid.
When you enter a town, and they welcome you,
eat whatever they offer you,
heal the sick,
and say to them, “The kingdom of God
has come near to you.”
When you enter a town, and they do not welcome you,
stand in their streets and say,
“We wipe the dust of this place off our feet
in protest against you.
But still know this: that the kingdom of God
has come near to you.”’
But the seventy returned with joy,
saying, ‘Lord, even the demons obey
when we speak in your name.’
Jesus said, ‘I watched Satan fall
like a flash of lightning; for I have given you authority
over all the power of the enemy,
and nothing can harm you.
But the greatest joy
is this: that your names
are written in heaven.
And blessed are the eyes
that see
what you see.
For prophets and kings
longed to see
what you now see,
and to hear
what you now hear.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.