First Reading

Reading from the prophecy of Micah

Micah 7, 14-15. 18-20

Lord our God, shepherd your people with your staff,
the sheep of your inheritance,
that remain isolated in the thicket,
in the midst of fertile fields.
They will graze in Bashan and in Gilead,
as in the days of old,
as when we came out of Egypt
and you showed us your wonders.

What God is like you, who take away iniquity
and overlook the rebellion of the survivors of Israel?
You will not maintain your anger forever,
for you delight in being merciful.

You will again have compassion on us,
you will trample our iniquities under your feet,
you will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.
You will be faithful to Jacob and compassionate to Abraham,
as you swore to our fathers in ancient times,
Lord our God.

Gospel

Reading from the holy gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 12, 46-50

At that time, Jesus was speaking to the crowd, when his mother and his relatives approached and tried to speak with him. Someone then said to Jesus: “Listen, your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak with you”.

But he replied to the one who said it: “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” And pointing with his hand to his disciples, he said: “These are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, is my brother, my sister and my mother”.