First Reading

Reading from the first book of Kings

1 Kings 11:4-13

When King Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart toward other gods, and his heart was no longer fully devoted to the Lord, as the heart of David his father had been. Solomon worshiped Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable idol of the Ammonites. He did what the Lord disapproves of; he did not remain fully faithful to the Lord, as David his father had.

On the hill east of Jerusalem, he built an altar to Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and another to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites. He also built altars for his foreign wives to burn incense and offer sacrifices to their gods.

This provoked the Lord, because Solomon had turned his heart away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had expressly forbidden him to worship other gods. But Solomon did not obey.

Then the Lord said to him: «Because you have acted thus with me and have been unfaithful to my covenant and to the commandments I gave you, I will tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. However, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime, but in the time of your son. Yet I will not tear away the entire kingdom. For the sake of my servant David and Jerusalem, my chosen city, I will leave your son one tribe.»

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Mark

Mark 7:24-30

At that time, Jesus left Gennesaret and went to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not keep it secret. A woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard about him right away, went to look for him, and fell at his feet.

When that woman, a Syrophoenician by birth and a pagan, begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter, he replied: «Let the children eat all they want first. It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.» The woman answered: «Yes, Lord; and yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.»

Then Jesus said to her: «For such a reply, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.» When the woman got home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.