Scholastica, Virgin, Religious Obligatory Memorial
First Reading: Genesis 2: 4b-9, 15-17
4 These are the generations of the heaven and the earth, when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the heaven and the earth:
5 And every plant of the field before it sprung up in the earth, and every herb of the ground before it grew: for the Lord God had not rained upon the earth; and there was not a man to till the earth.
6 But a spring rose out of the earth, watering all the surface of the earth.
7 And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
8 And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed.
9 And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
15 And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.
16 And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat:
17 But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 104: 1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30
1 For David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty:
2 And art clothed with light as with a garment. Who stretchest out the heaven like a pavilion:
27 All expect of thee that thou give them food in season.
28 What thou givest to them they shall gather up: when thou openest thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.
29 But if thou turnest away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.
30 Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Gospel: Mark 7: 14-23
14 And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all, and understand.
15 There is nothing from without a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17 And when he was come into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked him the parable.
18 And he saith to them: So are you also without knowledge? understand you not that every thing from without, entering into a man cannot defile him:
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but goeth into the belly, and goeth out into the privy, purging all meats?
20 But he said that the things which come out from a man, they defile a man.
21 For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.