Jesus said to his disciples: “What is your opinion?

Comfort, give comfort to my people,/ says your God./ Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her/ that her service is at an end,/ her guilt is expiated;/ Indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord/ double for all her sins.

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?

Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

A voice of one crying out in the desert,/ Prepare the way of the Lord,/ make straight his paths.

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,/ and from his roots a bud shall blossom./ The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:/ a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,/ a spirit of counsel and of strength,/ a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,/ and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord./ Not by appearance shall he judge,/ nor by hearsay shall he decide,/ but he shall judge the poor with justice,/ and decide aright for the land’s afflicted./ He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,/ and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked./ Justice shall be the band around his waist,/ and faithfulness a belt upon his hips./ Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,/ and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;/ the calf and the young lion shall browse together,/ with a little child to guide them./ The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,/ together their young shall rest;/ the lion shall eat hay like the ox./ The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,/ and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair./ There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;/ for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord,/ as water covers the sea./ On that day, the root of Jesse,/ set up as a signal for the nations,/ the Gentiles shall seek out,/ for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Thus says the Lord God,/ the Holy One of Israel:/ O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,/ no more will you weep;/ He will be gracious to you when you cry out,/ as soon as he hears he will answer you./ The Lord will give you the bread you need/ and the water for which you thirst./ No longer will your Teacher hide himself,/ but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,/ While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:/ “This is the way; walk in it,”/ when you would turn to the right or to the left.

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.