Gospel of 16 September 2018

Book of Isaiah 50,5-9a.
The Lord God has opened my ear and I have not resisted, I have not pulled back.
I presented the back to the flagellators, the cheek to those who tore off my beard; I have not removed my face from insults and spit.
The Lord God assists me, for this I am not confused, for this I make my face hard as stone, knowing not to be disappointed.
He who does justice to me is near; who will dare to contend with me? Affrontiamoci. Who accuses me? Come closer to me.
Behold, the Lord God assists me: who will declare me guilty?

Salmi 116(114),1-2.3-4.5-6.8-9.
I love the Lord because he listens
the cry of my prayer.
He has listened to me
on the day I invoked him.

They held me ropes of death,
I was caught in the snares of the underworld.
Sadness and anguish overwhelmed me
and I called on the name of the Lord:
"Please, Lord, save me."

The Lord is good and just,
our God is merciful.
The Lord protects the humble:
I was miserable and he saved me.

He stole me from death,
has freed my eyes from tears,
it kept my feet from falling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord on the land of the living.

Letter of Saint James 2,14-18.
What good is it, my brothers, if one says he has faith but does not have works? Maybe that faith can save him?
If a brother or sister is without clothes and without daily food
and one of you says to them: "Go away in peace, warm up and be satisfied", but do not give them what is necessary for the body, which benefits?
So too does faith: if it does not have works, it is dead in itself.
On the contrary, one could say: You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith with my works.

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark 8,27-35.
At that time, Jesus left with his disciples towards the villages around Cesarèa di Filippo; and on the way he asked his disciples saying: "Who do people say that I am?"
And they said to him, "John the Baptist, others then Elijah and others one of the prophets."
But he replied: "Who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ."
And he strictly forbade them to tell anyone about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of man had to suffer a lot, and to be tried again by the elders, by the high priests and by the scribes, then be killed and, after three days, rise again.
Jesus made this speech openly. Then Peter took him aside, and began to reproach him.
But he turned and looked at the disciples, rebuked Peter and said to him: "Far be it from me, Satan! Because you do not think according to God, but according to men ».
Convening the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them: «If anyone wants to come after me, deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
Because whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel will save it. "