18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 31, 2011

First Reading (Isaiah 55: 1–3)
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Come here, all you who are thirsty, come to the water! All you who have no money, come! Yes, without money and at no cost, buy and drink wine and milk. Why spend money on what is not food and labor for what does not satisfy? Listen to me, and you will eat well; you will enjoy the richest of fare. Incline your ear and come to me; listen, that your soul may live. I will make with you and everlasting covenant, I will fulfill in you my promises to David.

Second Reading (Romans 8: 35 and 37–39)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters: Who shall separate is from the love of Christ? Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword? No, in all of this we are more than conquerors, thanks to him who has loved us. I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor spiritual powers, neither the present nor the future, nor cosmic powers, were they from heaven or from the deep world below, nor any creature whatsoever will separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Gospel (Matthew 14: 13–21)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
On hearing that John the Baptist had been beheaded, Jesus set out surreptitiously by boat for a secluded place. But the people heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their towns. When Jesus went ashore, he saw the crowd gathered there and he had compassion on them. And he healed their sick. Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and stated, "We are in a lonely place and it is now late. You should send these people away, so they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat." But Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away, you give them something to eat." They answered, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes." Jesus stated to them, "Bring them here to me." Then he made everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people. And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets. About five thousand men had eaten there besides women and children.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 24, 2011

First Reading (1 Kings 3: 5 and 7-12)

A reading from the first book of Kings.

In Gibeon, during the night, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and stated, "Ask what you want me to give you." Solomon answered, "Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a young boy who does not know how to undertake anything. Meantime, your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen – a people so great that they can neither be numbered nor counted. Give me, therefore, an understanding mind in governing your people that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this multitude of people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that Solomon had made this request. And he told him, "Because you have requested this rather than long life or wealth or even vengeance on your enemies; indeed, because you have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I shall grant you your request. I now give you a wise and discerning mind such as no one has had before you nor anyone after you shall ever have."

Second Reading (Romans 8: 28-30)

A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters: We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him, whom he has called according to his plan. Those whom he knew beforehand, he has also predestined to be like his Son, similar to him, so that he may be the First-born among many brothers and sisters. And so, those whom God predestined he called, and those whom he called he makes righteous, and to those whom he makes righteous he will give his Glory.

Gospel (Matthew 13: 44-52)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Jesus stated this to his disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The one who finds it buries it again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who is looking for fine pearls. Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless ones away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just and throw them into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth." Jesus asked, "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they answered. So he stated to them, "You will see that every teacher of the Kingdom is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old."

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 17, 2011

First Reading (Wisdom 12: 13 and 16-19)
A reading from the book of Wisdom.
There is no other God besides you, one who cares for everyone, who could ask you to justify our judgments. Your strength is the source of your justice and because you are the Lord of all, you can be merciful to everyone. To those who doubt your sovereign power you show your strength and you confound the insolence of those who ignore it. But you, the Lord of strength, judge with prudence and govern us with great patience, because you are able to do anything at the time you want. In this way you have taught your people that a righteous person must love his human fellows; you have also given your people cause for hope by prompting them to repent of their sin.

Second Reading (Romans 8: 26-27)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters: We are weak, but the Spirit comes to help us. How to ask? And what shall we ask for? We do not know, but the spirit intercedes for us without words, as if with groans. And He who sees inner secrets knows the desires of the Spirit, for he asks for the holy ones what is pleasing to God.

Gospel (Matthew 13: 24-43)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Jesus told the crowd another parable, "The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared. Then the servants of the owner came to him and stated: 'Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?' He answered them: 'This is the work of an enemy.' They asked him: 'Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?' He told them: 'No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let them just grow together until harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the workers: Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.'" Jesus put another parable before them, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, that a man took and sowed in his field. It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it has fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the birds come and rest in its branches." He told them another parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to rise." Jesus taught all this to the crowds by means of parables; he did not state anything to them without using a parable. So what the Prophet had stated was fulfilled: I will speak in parables. I will proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of the world. Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him stating, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." Jesus answered them, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the Kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. The enemy who sows them is the devil; the harvest is the end of time and the workers are the angels. Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil. And these will be thrown in the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear."

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 10, 2011

First Reading (Isaiah 55: 10-11)
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return till they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat, so is my word that goes forth out of my mouth: it will not return to me idle, but it shall accomplish my will, the purpose for which it has been sent.

Second Reading (Romans 8: 18-23)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters: I consider that the suffering of our present life cannot be compared with the Glory that will be revealed and given to us. All creation is eagerly expecting the birth in glory of the children of God. For if now the created world was unable to attain its purpose, this did not come from itself, but from the one who subjected it. But it is not without hope; for even the created world will be freed from this fate of death and share the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation groans and suffers that pangs of birth. Not creation alone, but even ourselves, although the Spirit was given to us as a foretaste of what we are to receive, we groan in our innermost being, eagerly awaiting the day when God will give us full rights and rescue our bodies as well.

Gospel (Matthew 13: 1-23)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. As many people gathered around him, he got in a boat. There he sat while the whole crowd stood on the shore, and he spoke to them in parables about many things. Jesus stated, "The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. But as soon as the sun rose the plants were scorched and withered because they had no roots. Again other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop; some produced a hundredfold, others sixty and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!" Then his disciples came to him with the question, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has, will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables, because they look and do not see; they hear, but they do not listen or understand. In them the words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled: Much as you hear, you do not understand; much as you see, you do not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For I tell you that many prophets and upright people would have longed to see the things you see, but they did not, and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear it. Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath. The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. But this fickle and has no roots. No sooner is harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up. The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear fruit. As for the seed that fell on good soil it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more."

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: July 3, 2011

First Reading (Zechariah 9: 9-10)
A reading from the book of the prophet Zechariah.
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem! For your king is coming, just and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. No more chariots in Ephraim, no more horses in Jerusalem, for he will do away with them. The warrior's bow shall be broken when he dictates peace to the nations. He will reign from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Second Reading (Romans 8: 9 and 11-13)
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters: Your existence is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, because the Spirit of God is within you. If you did not have the Spirit of Christ, you would not belong to him. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is within you, He who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies. Yes, he will do it through his Spirit who dwells within you. Then, brothers, let us leave the flesh and no longer live according to it. If not, we will die. Rather, walking in the Spirit, let us put to death the body's deeds so that we may live.

Gospel (Matthew 11: 25-30)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
On that occasion Jesus stated, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this is what pleased you. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is good and my burden is light."