Monday, March 9

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

First Reading – 2 Kings 5:1-15

Na′aman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little maid from the land of Israel, and she waited on Na′aman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samar′ia! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Na′aman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the maiden from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4

℟ Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?

℟ Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me continually, “Where is your God?”

℟ Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Oh, send out your light and your truth; let them lead me, let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

℟ Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

℟ Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Verse Before the Gospel – Psalm 130:5, 7

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

Gospel – Luke 4:24-30

And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Eli′jah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Eli′jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar′ephath, in the land of Si′don, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Eli′sha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Na′aman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away.

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Press, Copyright ⓒ 2006.