Home in the Word

Daily Lenten Gospel Reading

May we be filled and satisfied,
by the Word which You give us (01)
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am
sending my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in
the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make
his paths straight.’”
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole
Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem
were going out to him, and were baptized by
him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a
leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts
and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is
more powerful than I is coming after me; I am
not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of
his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those
days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was
baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was
coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens
torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove
on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are
my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the
wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days,
tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts;
and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has
come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw
Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into
the sea — for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will
make you fishers of people.” And immediately
they left their nets and followed him. As he went
a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and
his brother John, who were in their boat mending
the nets. Immediately he called them; and they
left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired
men, and followed him.
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath
came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They
were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them
as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Just then there was in their synagogue a man with
an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have
you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you
come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy
One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be
silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean
spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice,
came out of him. They were all amazed, and they
kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new
teaching — with authority! He commands even the
unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his
fame began to spread throughout the surrounding
region of Galilee.
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the
house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Now Simon’s mother-inlaw was in bed with a fever,
and they told him about her at once. He came and
took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the
fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all
who were sick or possessed with demons. And the
whole city was gathered around the door. And he
cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and cast out many demons; and he would not
permit the demons to speak, because they knew
him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got
up and went out to a deserted place, and there he
prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted
for him. When they found him, they said to him,
“Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let
us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may
proclaim the message there also; for that is what I
came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee,
proclaiming the message in their synagogues and
casting out demons.
A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling
he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me
clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his
hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do
choose.
Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him,
and he was made clean. After sternly warning him
he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that
you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to
the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses
commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went
out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread
the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a
town openly, but stayed out in the country; and
people came to him from every quarter.
When he returned to Capernaum after some days,
it was reported that he was at home. So many
gathered around that there was no longer room
for them, not even in front of the door; and he
was speaking the word to them. Then some people
came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried
by four of them. And when they could not bring
him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed
the roof above him; and after having dug through
it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic
lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some
of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in
their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this
way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but
God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit
that they were discussing these questions among
themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise
such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to
say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to
say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But
so that you may know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins” — he said to
the paralytic — “I say to you, stand up, take your
mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and
immediately took the mat and went out before all
of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified
God, saying, “We have never seen anything like
this!” Jesus went out again beside the sea; the
whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught
them. As he was walking along, he saw Levi son
of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to
him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many
tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with
Jesus and his disciples — for there were many who
followed him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw
that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors,
they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with
tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard
this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no
need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have
come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Now
John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting;
and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s
disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but
your disciples do not fast?” Jesus said to them, “The
wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom
is with them, can they? As long as they have the
bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days
will come when the bridegroom is taken away from
them, and then they will fast on that day.
“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old
cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the
new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no
one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise,
the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is
lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine
into fresh wineskins.” One sabbath he was going
through the grainfields; and as they made their way
his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The
Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing
what is not lawful on the sabbath?” And he said to
them, “Have you never read what David did when
he and his companions were hungry and in need of
food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar
was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence,
which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat,
and he gave some to his companions.” Then he said
to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind,
and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of
Man is lord even of the sabbath.”