Reading
I Gn 2:18-24
The
LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will
make a suitable partner for him."
So the
LORD God formed out of the ground
various
wild animals and various birds of the air,
and he
brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever
the man called each of them would be its name. 
The man
gave names to all the cattle,
all the
birds of the air, and all wild animals;
but
none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the
LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,
and
while he was asleep,
he took
out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The
LORD God then built up into a woman the rib
that he
had taken from the man.
When he
brought her to the man, the man said:
    "This one, at last, is bone of my
bones
        and flesh of my flesh;
    this one shall be called 'woman, '
        for out of 'her man’ this one has been
taken."
That is
why a man leaves his father and mother
and
clings to his wife,
and the
two of them become one flesh.

Responsorial
Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
R. (cf.
5)  May the Lord bless us all the days of
our lives.
Blessed
are you who fear the LORD,
    who walk in his ways!
For you
shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
    blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. May
the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Your
wife shall be like a fruitful vine
    in the recesses of your home;
your
children like olive plants
    around your table.
R. May
the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Behold,
thus is the man blessed
    who fears the LORD.
The
LORD bless you from Zion:
    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life.
R. May
the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
May you
see your children's children.
    Peace be upon Israel!
R. May
the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Reading
II Heb 2:9-11
Brothers
and sisters:
He
"for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, "
that by
the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it
was fitting that he,
for
whom and through whom all things exist,
in
bringing many children to glory,
should
make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who
consecrates and those who are being consecrated
all
have one origin.
Therefore,
he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

Alleluia
1 Jn 4:12
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
If we
love one another, God remains in us
and his
love is brought to perfection in us.
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12
The
Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
"Is
it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" 
They
were testing him.
He said
to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" 
They
replied,
"Moses
permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and
dismiss her."
But
Jesus told them,
"Because
of the hardness of your hearts
he
wrote you this commandment. 
But
from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 
For
this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be
joined to his wife,
and the
two shall become one flesh.
So they
are no longer two but one flesh. 
Therefore
what God has joined together,
no
human being must separate." 
In the
house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 
He said
to them,
"Whoever
divorces his wife and marries another
commits
adultery against her;
and if
she divorces her husband and marries another,
she
commits adultery."
And
people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,
but the
disciples rebuked them.
When
Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
"Let
the children come to me;
do not
prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as
these. 
Amen, I
say to you,
whoever
does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will
not enter it."
Then he
embraced them and blessed them,
placing
his hands on them.

OR:
The
Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
"Is
it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" 
They
were testing him.
He said
to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" 
They
replied,
"Moses
permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and
dismiss her." 
But
Jesus told them,
"Because
of the hardness of your hearts
he
wrote you this commandment. 
But
from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 
For
this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be
joined to his wife,
and the
two shall become one flesh.
So they
are no longer two but one flesh. 
Therefore
what God has joined together,
no
human being must separate." 
In the
house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 
He said
to them,
"Whoever
divorces his wife and marries another
commits
adultery against her;
and if
she divorces her husband and marries another,












































































































































































































































she
commits adultery."