Saturday of week 7 in Ordinary Time, or Saint Gregory VII, Pope
, or Saint Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi, Virgin
, or Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest, Doctor
, or Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First reading

James 5:13-20

A good man’s heartfelt prayer has great power

If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm. If one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you; the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully. Elijah was a human being like ourselves – he prayed hard for it not to rain, and no rain fell for three-and-a-half years; then he prayed again and the sky gave rain and the earth gave crops.
My brothers, if one of you strays away from the truth, and another brings him back to it, he may be sure that anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.

Psalm or canticle

Psalm 140(141):1-3,8

I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
 Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense,
 the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.

Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth;
 keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!
To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned:
 in you I take refuge; spare my soul!

Gospel

Mark 10:13-16

It is to such as these little children that the kingdom of God belongs

People were bringing little children to Jesus, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.

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