A reading from
the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah17:5-10
Thus says the Lord:/ Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,/ who seeks his strength in flesh,/ whose heart turns away from the Lord./ He is like a barren bush in the desert/ that enjoys no change of season,/ But stands in a lava waste,/ a salt and empty earth./ Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,/ whose hope is the Lord./ He is like a tree planted beside the waters/ that stretches out its roots to the stream:/ It fears not the heat when it comes,/ its leaves stay green;/ In the year of drought it shows no distress,/ but still bears fruit./ More tortuous than all else is the human heart,/ beyond remedy; who can understand it?/ I, the Lord, alone probe the mind/ and test the heart,/ To reward everyone according to his ways,/ according to the merit of his deeds.
The word of the Lord.
