26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: September 27, 2009

First Reading (Numbers 11: 25-29)
A reading from the Book of Numbers.
The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, the Lord bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied. Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tend; yet the spirit came to rest on them as well, and they also prophesied in the camp. Therefore, when a young man quickly told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp," Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth been Moses' aide, stated, "Moses, my lord, stop them." However, Moses answered him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that all the people are prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!"

Second Reading (James 5: 1-6)
A reading from the letter of Saint James.
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the rightous one; he offers you no resistance.

Gospel (Mark 9: 38-48)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
John told to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you solemnly, will surely not lose his reward. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Therefore, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed that with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the quenchable fire. In addition, if your foot causes you to sin, slice it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled rather than having two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. Plus, if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire cannot be extinguished.'"