The 17th of February, 2023 is Friday in the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time. The Holy Bible verses for the mass readings for this day came from the Liturgical Calendar Year 2023.
Reading 1: GN 11:1-9
The first reading from the Book of Genesis.
The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.
They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”
Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be with held from them, which they intend to do.
Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
Responsorial Psalm: PS 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Response: Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
R: Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
R: Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.
R: Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
Gospel of the Day: MK 8:34-9:1
From the gospel scripture according to Mark.
He called the multitude to himself with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
For what will a man give in exchange for his life?
For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see God’s Kingdom come with power.”
Other Celebration
An optional celebration on this day is the Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, Religious.
