FIRST READING: Jeremiah 17: 5-8 'Yahweh says this: 'A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from Yahweh. He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, he has no eyes for it, he settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited. 'A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope. He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit. RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 1 Response : Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. 1. Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. [Response] 2. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper. [Response] 3. Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind. For the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom. [Response] SECOND READING: 1Cor 15: 12. 16-20 If Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people. But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Gospel Acclamation Mt 11: 25 Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia! or Lk 6: 23 Alleluia, alleluia! Rejoice and be glad: your reward will be great in heaven Alleluia! GOSPEL: Luke 6: 17. 20-26 Jesus came down with the twelve and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: 'How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh. Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets. 'But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep. Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.'
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Many of you will know that with fewer priests it is difficult for us to visit you while you are in hospital. However, each hospital now has a Roman Catholic Chaplain as part of a Chaplaincy Team. If you are admitted to hospital as a patient, you should make sure that the hospital staff record your religion and note your explicit request that the Roman Catholic Chaplain is informed. Those responsible for children, or for those who are unconscious when admitted to hospital, should do likewise. If you don’t do this, the Chaplain is unlikely to know that you are in hospital.
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