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First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10
All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:
"Here we are, your bone and your flesh.
In days past, when Saul was our king,
it was you who led the children of Israel out and brought them back.
And the Lord said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel
and shall be commander of Israel.'"
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron,
King David made an agreement with them there before the Lord,
and they anointed him king of Israel.
David was thirty years old when he became king,
and he reigned for forty years:
seven years and six months in Hebron over Judah,
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem
over all Israel and Judah.
Then the king and his men set out for Jerusalem
against the Jebusites who inhabited the region.
David was told, "You cannot enter here:
the blind and the lame will drive you away!"
which was their way of saying, "David cannot enter here."
But David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David.
David grew steadily more powerful,
for the Lord of hosts was with him.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:20, 21-22, 25-26
R./ My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth."
R./ My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R./ My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers."
R./ My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
Gospel Reading: Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
you are the origin of all that is good.
Let our heart not be a house divided
between good and evil.
Send us your good Spirit
to enlighten and guide us,
to give us joy and strength
and to follow your Son wherever he leads us
on the road of goodness and service.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
First Reading Introduction
When Saul was still alive, David had tried to win over the northern tribes to accept him as their king, but they did not dare. Now, after Saul's death, they come to David and he is crowned king in their presence, to rule over all the tribes.
Gospel Introduction
It is strange and really sounds like ill will when the Scribes ascribe the good that Jesus does, especially that he drives out demons, to the power of Satan, the prince of demons. Should they not have recognized that God's Spirit was working in Jesus? In messianic times, the Jews expected the Spirit of God to overcome the spirits of evil, and in Jesus, the good Spirit was visibly active. We too have to make our option between God's Spirit and the spirits of evil that make us sin. If we hear the word of God and act accordingly, we let God's Spirit overcome evil in and around us.
General Intercessions
– That all the Churches that believe in Christ may overcome their division and become one in the Lord, who brought them pardon and peace, we pray:
– That all those who are hardened by sin may be touched by the Spirit of the Lord to repent and to change their ways, we pray:
– That our communities may accept those who have erred, defend the weak and the victims of injustice and bear witness to the mercy of God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Father,
bread and wine are the simple signs
whereby your Son makes himself present
to the people you have chosen.
Fill these offerings with your Spirit,
that they may become your Son.
Fill us with the same Holy Spirit,
that he makes us the people
that belong to you and serve you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
through your Holy Spirit,
we have heard the words of your Son.
Let them become, through the same Spirit
words that set us afire
with zeal for your kingdom
and with love for one another.
Let it be a fire that cannot be extinguished.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
A country or a family or a community that is divided cannot stand. We should all be led by the same Spirit. That does not mean that we all have to be the same like clones, for the Spirit is rich enough with his variety of gifts. May God pour out his good Spirit on us and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
