Monday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time

First Letter to the Thessalonians

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly
calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and with much conviction. You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
In every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from (the) dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Psalms

Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
(...)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it."

St. Louis(King of France (1215-1270))

SAINT LOUIS King of France(1215-1270) Louis' mother told him that she would rather see him die than commit a mortal sin. When Louis became the king of France at 12 years old, he defended God's honor. In less than 2 years, he suppressed the Albigensian heretics and forced them to respect the Catholic faith. Amidst the cares of government, King Louis recited the Liturgy of the Hours and heard two Masses daily. The most glorious churches in France were constructed thanks to his piety. When his courtiers remonstrated with him for his law that blasphemers should be branded on the lips, he replied, "I would willingly have my own lips branded to root out blasphemy from my kingdom." King Louis was chosen to arbitrate in the great feuds of his day: between the Pope and the Emperor and between Henry III and the English barons. In 1248, to reclaim Jerusalem from Islamic armies, he rallied the chivalry of France and embarked on a crusade. During the conflict, he proved himself the truest of Christian knights: receiving both victory and defeat; and remaining pious in sickness and captivity. While King Louis was held captive in Damietta, an Emir rushed into his tent and brandished a dagger. The Emir threatened to stab him unless he conferred knighthood: as Emperor Frederick had done with Facardin. King Louis calmly replied that no unbeliever could perform the duties of a Christian knight. When he was offered freedom in exchange for blaspheming and to spare the Christians from being massacred, he refused. The death of King Louis' mother recalled him to France. Once order was restored, he embarked on a second crusade. In August 1270, his army landed in Tunis and was victorious. However, he succumbed to a malignant fever. He received the Viaticum kneeling by his camp-bed and gave up his soul to God.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2025 / Catholic Missal of august 2025