Reading 1, James 3:1-10
1 Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that we shall receive a stricter judgement.
2 For we all trip up in many ways. Someone who does not trip up in speech has reached perfection and is able to keep the whole body on a tight rein.
3 Once we put a bit in the horse’s mouth, to make it do what we want, we have the whole animal under our control.
4 Or think of ships: no matter how big they are, even if a gale is driving them, they are directed by a tiny rudder wherever the whim of the helmsman decides.
5 So the tongue is only a tiny part of the body, but its boasts are great. Think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest;
6 The tongue is a flame too. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a whole wicked world: it infects the whole body; catching fire itself from hell, it sets fire to the whole wheel of creation.
7 Wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish of every kind can all be tamed, and have been tamed, by humans;
8 but nobody can tame the tongue — it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison.
9 We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse people who are made in God’s image:
10 the blessing and curse come out of the same mouth. My brothers, this must be wrong
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 12:2-3, 4-5, 7-8
2 Friend tells lies to friend, and, smooth-tongued, speaks from an insincere heart.
3 May Yahweh cut away every smooth lip, every boastful tongue,
4 those who say, ‘In our tongue lies our strength, our lips are our allies; who can master us?’
5 ‘For the poor who are plundered, the needy who groan, now will I act,’ says Yahweh, ‘I will grant salvation to those who sigh for it.’
7 You, Yahweh, will watch over them, you will protect them from that brood for ever.
8 The wicked will scatter in every direction, as the height of depravity among the children of Adam.
READ ALSO;
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. There in their presence, he was transfigured:
3 his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them.
4 Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus.
5 Then Peter spoke to Jesus, ‘Rabbi,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’
6 He did not know what to say; they were so frightened.
7 And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’
8 Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of man had risen from the dead.
10 They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
11 And they put this question to him, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’
12 He said to them, ‘Elijah is indeed first coming to set everything right again; yet how is it that the scriptures say about the Son of man that he must suffer grievously and be treated with contempt?
13 But I tell you that Elijah has come and they have treated him as they pleased, just as the scriptures say about him.’
