Let’s take a look at some of the main themes in the readings for the 26th Sunday of the Year.

1st Reading – Numbers 11:25-29

• Some of the spirit of Moses is bestowed upon seventy elders who now prophesy.
• Eldad and Medad were not on the list of Moses, but the spirit still came upon them; when Joshua attempted to have Moses stop them, Moses prayed that the Lord would make everyone a prophet!

Psalm – 19:8,10,12-14

• “The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.”
• The Psalmist praises the law of the Lord and exhorts others to follow God’s commands.

2nd Reading – James 5:1-6

• James calls on the rich to weep over their impending miseries as their wealth will be destroyed.
• Included is a list of the evils they have done for their own benefit at the expense of others.

Gospel – Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48

• Jesus stops the Apostle John from preventing someone who is casting out a demon in the Lord’s name.
• The Lord then teaches that anything that keeps us from the kingdom of God should be “plucked out” lest it lead us to destruction in Gehenna.

Mass Readings – 26th Sunday of the Year

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