Deacon:  Wisdom! Arise! Hear the Holy Gospel!

Priest:   Peace to you all. 

People:  And to your spirit.

Deacon:  A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark  (9:17-31)

People:  Glory to You Lord. Glory to You.

Priest:   Listen!

Deacon:

At that time, a man came to Jesus, knelt down, and said, 'Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has an evil spirit in him and cannot talk. Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they could not.'

Jesus said to them, 'You unbelieving people, how long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.' And they brought him to Jesus.

When the spirit saw Jesus, immediately it threw the boy into a fit, so that he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, 'How long has he been like this?'

The father said, 'From childhood. Many times the evil spirit has tried to kill him, throwing him into the fire and into water. Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can.'

Jesus said to him, 'If you yourself can. All things are possible for one who believes.'

Immediately the father cried out, 'I do believe, but not enough. Help me believe more.'

Jesus saw that the crowd was closing on them, so he rebuked the evil spirit, commanding it, 'You deaf and dumb spirit, I order you, come out of the boy, and never enter him again.'

The spirit screamed, convulsed the boy terribly, and came out. The boy looked like a corpse, so most of them said, 'He is dead.' But Jesus took the boy by the hand and helped him up, and he stood up.

After Jesus had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, 'Why could we not cast out the evil spirit?'

Jesus said, 'This kind can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. Nothing else can.'

Jesus and his disciples left there and went through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was because he was teaching his disciples, that, 'The Son of Man will be handed over to men, who will kill him. But three days after he is killed, he will rise to life.'

People:  Glory to You Lord. Glory to You.