First Reading

Reading from the prophecy of Ezekiel

Ezekiel 9, 1-7; 10, 18-22

In those days, I heard the Lord cry out with a mighty voice: “Let those who are to punish the city draw near, each one with his deadly weapon in hand!”

Then six men appeared, coming from the direction of the north gate, each with his deadly weapon in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. They entered and stood before the bronze altar.

The glory of the God of Israel, which rested above the cherubim, rose up and moved to the entrance of the temple. The Lord called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing case at his waist and said to him: “Go through Jerusalem and mark with a sign on the forehead those who groan and lament over all the abominations that are committed in the city”.

And I heard him say to the others: “Go through the city after him and kill without pity or compassion; kill the old and the young, the maidens, the children and the women, until none remain. But do not touch anyone who has the mark on his forehead. Begin, then, at my sanctuary”.

So they began to kill the elders who were before the temple, and the Lord said to them: “Defile the temple; fill its courts with the slain and then go out and kill those who are in the city”.

Then the glory of the Lord rose from the threshold of the temple and rested upon the cherubim. As they departed, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground before my eyes. They stopped at the entrance of the eastern gate of the temple of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. They were the same living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the river Kebar, and I recognized that they were the cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings, and what looked like human hands under their wings. Their faces were like those I had seen by the river Kebar. And all of them moved straight ahead.

Gospel

Reading from the holy gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 18, 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them».