July 21, 2023

Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ex 11:10—12:14 Although Moses and Aaron performed various wondersin Pharaoh's presence,the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate,and he would not let the children of Israel leave his land.The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;you shall reckon it the first month of the year.Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this monthevery one of your families must procure for itself a lamb,one apiece for each household.If a family is too small for a whole lamb,it shall join the nearest household in procuring oneand shall share in the lambin proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then,with the whole assembly of Israel present,it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.They shall take some of its bloodand apply it to the two doorposts and the lintelof every house in which they partake of the lamb.That same night they shall eat its roasted fleshwith unleavened bread and bitter herbs.It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole,with its head and shanks and inner organs.None of it must be kept beyond the next morning;whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up."This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,you shall eat like those who are in flight.It is the Passover of the LORD.For on this same night I will go through Egypt,striking down every first born of the land, both man and beast,and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!But the blood will mark the houses where you are.Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,no destructive blow will come upon you."This day shall be a memorial feast for you,which all your generations shall celebratewith pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution." Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18 R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.How shall I make a return to the LORDfor all the good he has done for me?The cup of salvation I will take up,and I will call upon the name of the LORD.R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.Precious in the eyes of the LORDis the death of his faithful ones.I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;you have loosed my bonds.R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,and I will call upon the name of the LORD.My vows to the LORD I will payin the presence of all his people.R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord,I know them, and they follow me.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 12:1-8 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.His disciples were hungryand began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."He said to the them, "Have you not read what David didwhen he and his companions were hungry,how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,which neither he nor his companionsbut only the priests could lawfully eat?Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbaththe priests serving in the temple violate the sabbathand are innocent?I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,you would not have condemned these innocent men.For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
July 20, 2023

Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ex 3:13-20 Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him,"When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"God replied, "I am who am."Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:I AM sent me to you."God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:The LORD, the God of your fathers,the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,has sent me to you."This is my name forever;this my title for all generations."Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them: The LORD, the God of your fathers,the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,has appeared to me and said:I am concerned about youand about the way you are being treated in Egypt;so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egyptinto the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,a land flowing with milk and honey."Thus they will heed your message. Then you and the elders of Israelshall go to the king of Egypt and say to him:"The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word.Permit us, then, to go a three-days' journey in the desert,that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God."Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to gounless he is forced.I will stretch out my hand, therefore,and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.After that he will send you away." Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27 R.(8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.or:R. Alleluia.Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;make known among the nations his deeds.Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.or:R. Alleluia.He remembers forever his covenantwhich he made binding for a thousand generations--Which he entered into with Abrahamand by his oath to Isaac.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.or:R. Alleluia.He greatly increased his peopleand made them stronger than their foes,Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,and dealt deceitfully with his servants.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.or:R. Alleluia.He sent Moses his servant;Aaron, whom he had chosen.They wrought his signs among them,and wonders in the land of Ham.R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.or:R. Alleluia. Alleluia Mt 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest, says the Lord.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:28-30 Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Apollinaris, bishop and martyr - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
July 19, 2023

Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ex 3:1-6, 9-12 Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,the mountain of God.There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fireflaming out of a bush.As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,though on fire, was not consumed.So Moses decided,"I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,and see why the bush is not burned."When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,God called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses!"He answered, "Here I am."God said, "Come no nearer!Remove the sandals from your feet,for the place where you stand is holy ground.I am the God of your father," he continued,"the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.The cry of the children of Israel has reached me,and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them.Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people,the children of Israel, out of Egypt."But Moses said to God,"Who am I that I should go to Pharaohand lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"He answered, "I will be with you;and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:when you bring my people out of Egypt,you will worship God on this very mountain." Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1b-2, 3-4, 6-7 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.R. The Lord is kind and merciful.He pardons all your iniquities,he heals all your ills.He redeems your life from destruction,he crowns you with kindness and compassion. R. The Lord is kind and merciful.The LORD secures justiceand the rights of all the oppressed.He has made known his ways to Moses,and his deeds to the children of Israel. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Alleluia See Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:25-27 At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,for although you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and the learnedyou have revealed them to the childlike.Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.All things have been handed over to me by my Father.No one knows the Son except the Father,and no one knows the Father except the Sonand anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
July 18, 2023

Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ex 2:1-15a A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,who conceived and bore a son.Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months.When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket,daubed it with bitumen and pitch,and putting the child in it,placed it among the reeds on the river bank.His sister stationed herself at a distanceto find out what would happen to him.Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe,while her maids walked along the river bank.Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it.On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying!She was moved with pity for him and said,"It is one of the Hebrews' children."Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter,"Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew womento nurse the child for you?""Yes, do so," she answered.So the maiden went and called the child's own mother.Pharaoh's daughter said to her,"Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you."The woman therefore took the child and nursed it.When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter,who adopted him as her son and called him Moses;for she said, "I drew him out of the water."On one occasion, after Moses had grown up,when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor,he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen.Looking about and seeing no one,he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting!So he asked the culprit,"Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?"But the culprit replied,"Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us?Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?"Then Moses became afraid and thought,"The affair must certainly be known."Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put Moses to death.But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian. Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34 R. (see 33) Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.I am sunk in the abysmal swampwhere there is no foothold;I have reached the watery depths;the flood overwhelms me.R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.But I pray to you, O LORD,for the time of your favor, O God!In your great kindness answer mewith your constant help.R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.But I am afflicted and in pain;let your saving help, O God, protect me;I will praise the name of God in song,and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live."See, you lowly ones, and be glad;you who seek God, may your hearts revive!For the LORD hears the poor,and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live. Alleluia Ps 95:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia.If today you hear his voice,harden not your hearts.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:20-24 Jesus began to reproach the townswhere most of his mighty deeds had been done,since they had not repented."Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!For if the mighty deeds done in your midsthad been done in Tyre and Sidon,they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.But I tell you, it will be more tolerablefor Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.And as for you, Capernaum:Will you be exalted to heaven?You will go down to the netherworld.For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,it would have remained until this day.But I tell you, it will be more tolerablefor the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, priest - - -Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.