Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time – Year A
First Reading – 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God! And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people for ever; and you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm for ever the word which you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken; and your name will be magnified for ever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed for ever.”
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14
℟ The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor, his humility;
how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
℟ The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
℟ The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.”
℟ The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies which I shall teach them, their sons also for ever shall sit upon your throne.”
℟ The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
“This is my resting place for ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
℟ The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
Alleluia – Psalm 119:105
℟ Alleluia!
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
℟ Alleluia!
Gospel – Mark 4:21-25
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Press, Copyright ⓒ 2006.