First Reading

Reading from the letter of the Apostle Saint Paul to Titus

Titus 2, 1-8. 11-14

Beloved brother: Teach what is in accordance with sound doctrine: that the elders be temperate, respectable, prudent, well-grounded in faith, in love, and in patience.

Likewise, the older women should be respectable in their conduct, refrain from gossip and from drinking too much wine; by their good example, they should teach the young women to love their husbands and their children, to be prudent, chaste, temperate, to care well for their household, to be kind and obedient to their husbands, so that no one may speak ill of the Gospel.

Exhort the young men also to be prudent in all things and set them a good example yourself. When you teach, do so with sincerity and dignity, with sound and irreproachable language, so that adversaries may have to withdraw, unable to say anything evil about us.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, and it has taught us to renounce ungodliness and worldly desires, so that we may live, even now, in a temperate, just, and godly manner, awaiting the glorious coming of the great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, our hope. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all sin and to purify us, so that we might become his own people, fervently devoted to doing good.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke

Luke 17, 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to his apostles: “Which of you, if you have a servant who tills the land or tends the flocks, will say to him when he returns from the field: ‘Come in at once and sit down to eat’? Will he not rather say: ‘Prepare my meal and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink; afterward you may eat and drink’? Will he perhaps feel grateful to the servant because he did what he was commanded?

So also you, when you have done all that you were commanded, say: ‘We are only servants; we have only done what we were obliged to do’ ”.