First ReadingEzekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Again he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath e to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no spirit in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the spirit came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these

bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, says the Lord.”

Responsorial PsalmPsalm 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

℟Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble

and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

℟Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;

hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.

℟Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;

he led them by a straight way, till they reached a city to dwell in.

℟Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Let them thank the Lord for his merciful love, for his wonderful works to the sons of men!

For he satisfies him who is thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.

℟Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

AlleluiaPsalm 25:4, 5

℟Alleluia!

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

℟Alleluia!

GospelMatthew 22:34-40

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad′ducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”