First Reading

Reading from the prophecy of Hosea

Hosea 14, 2-10

Thus says the Lord God:
“Israel, return to the Lord your God,
for your wickedness has caused you to fall.
Repent and draw near to the Lord to say to him:
‘Forgive all our iniquities,
accept our sincere repentance,
which we solemnly promise you.

Assyria will no longer save us,
we will no longer trust in our army,
nor will we again call “our god”
the works of our hands,
for only in you does the orphan find mercy’.

I will forgive their unfaithfulness, says the Lord;
I will love them, though they do not deserve it,
because my anger has turned away from them.
I will be to Israel like the dew;
my people will flourish like the lily,
they will sink their roots deeply, like the poplar,
and their shoots will spread;
their splendor will be like that of the olive tree
and they will have the fragrance of the cedars of Lebanon.

They will live again under my shadow,
they will cultivate wheat fields and vineyards,
which will be as renowned as those of Lebanon.
Ephraim will no longer have anything to do with idols.

I have punished you, but I will also restore you,
for I am like a green cypress,
and through me, you bear fruit.

Whoever is wise, let them understand these things,
and whoever is prudent, let them know them.
The commandments of the Lord are upright,
and the just observe them;
sinners, however, stumble over them and fall’’.

Gospel

Reading from the holy gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 10, 16-23

At that time, Jesus said to his apostles: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.

Beware of people, for they will hand you over to the courts, they will flog you in the synagogues, and you will be brought before governors and kings because of me; thus you will bear witness to me before them and before the pagans. But when they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are to say or how you are to say it, for at that moment you will be given what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak through you.

Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and kill them; everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. I assure you that you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes’’.