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First reading
1 Kings 8:22-23,27-30 ©
'Listen to the prayer your servant makes in this place'
In the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord and, stretching out his hands towards heaven, said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, not in heaven above nor on earth beneath is there such a God as you, true to your covenant and your kindness towards your servants when they walk wholeheartedly in your way. Yet will God really live with men on the earth? Why, the heavens and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have built! Listen to the prayer and entreaty of your servant, O Lord my God; listen to the cry and to the prayer your servant makes to you today. Day and night let your eyes watch over this house, over this place of which you have said, “My name shall be there.” Listen to the prayer that your servant will offer in this place.
‘Hear the entreaty of your servant and of Israel your people as they pray in this place. From heaven where your dwelling is, hear; and, as you hear, forgive.’

Second reading
1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17 ©
The temple of God is sacred, and you are that temple
You are God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

Gospel
Matthew 16:13-19 ©
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

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Reading 1, Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
1 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron,

2 'If a swelling or scab or spot appears on someone's skin, which could develop into a contagious skin-disease, that person must then be taken to the priest, either Aaron or one of his sons.

44 the person has such a disease: he is unclean. The priest will declare him unclean; he has a contagious skin-disease of the head.

45 'Anyone with a contagious skin-disease will wear torn clothing and disordered hair; and will cover the upper lip and shout, "Unclean, unclean."

46 As long as the disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean, will live alone and live outside the camp.

Reading 2, First Corinthians 10:31-11:1
31 Whatever you eat, then, or drink, and whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God.

32 Never be a cause of offence, either to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God,

33 just as I try to accommodate everybody in everything, not looking for my own advantage, but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved.

1 Take me as your pattern, just as I take Christ for mine.

Gospel, Mark 1:40-45
40 A man suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to him and pleaded on his knees saying, 'If you are willing, you can cleanse me.'

41 Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said to him, 'I am willing. Be cleansed.'

42 And at once the skin-disease left him and he was cleansed.

43 And at once Jesus sternly sent him away and said to him,

44 'Mind you tell no one anything, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing prescribed by Moses as evidence to them.'

45 The man went away, but then started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places. Even so, people from all around kept coming to him.

[YasosBib]

Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings really highlights God's greatness and our need for His presence. It's amazing how he acknowledges that even the heavens can't contain God, yet asks Him to listen to their prayers. Reminds me of how important it is to stay connected in prayer.

Paul's message in 1 Corinthians about being God's temple is powerful too. It's a great reminder that we carry God's Spirit within us, so we should treat our lives and bodies with respect and care.
And Matthew's gospel is such a cornerstone for the Church, recognizing Peter's pivotal role and the foundation of faith in Jesus.

If you're looking for more spiritual inspiration, check out these Birthday Blessings at https://www.christianpure.com/learn/bibl...s-birthday. They're pretty uplifting.