Gospel Reading

Gospel:
The Holy Gospel According to St. Mark. (Chapter 9:17-31)

At that time one of the crowd came to Jesus and bowed to Him saying: “Master, I have brought to you my son, who has a dumb spirit; and whenever it seizes him it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth; and he is wasting away. And I told your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” And He, answering him, said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought him to Him; and the spirit, when it saw Jesus, immediately threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell down on the ground and rolled about foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, “How long is it since this has come upon him?” And he said, “From his infancy. Oftentimes it has thrown him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” But Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to the man of faith.” At once the father of the boy cried out and said with tears, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, go out of him and enter him no more.” And crying out and violently convulsing him, it went out of him, and he became like one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand, and raised him and he stood up. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And He said to them, “This kind can be case out in no way except by prayer and fasting.” And leaving that place, they were passing through Galilee, and He did not wish anyone to know it. For He was teaching His disciples, and saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and having been killed, He will rise again on the third day.”

At that time large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. And seeing the crowds, He went up the mountain. And when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for my sake. Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven; for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 4:25-5:12)