Saturday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time

First Letter to the Thessalonians

Brothers and sisters: on the subject of fraternal charity you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Nevertheless we urge you, brothers, to progress even more,
and to aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your (own) hands, as we instructed you,
that you may conduct yourselves properly toward outsiders and not depend on anyone.

Psalms

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
The mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD.
The LORD comes,
He comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
And the peoples with equity.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
(Then) the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.'
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”

St. Jeanne Jugan(Foundress (1792-1879))

St. Jeanne JuganFoundress of Religious CommunitySt. Jeanne Jugan is the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1982, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. She grew up in a small town in revolutionary France. When those who openly practiced their faith were either imprisoned or killed, Jeanne received formation from her mother and a group of laywomen.When Jeanne was 4 years old, her father was lost at sea. Her mother found odd jobs to make ends meet. As a young girl, Jeanne worked as a shepherdess. She also knit and spun wool. A while later, she worked as a maid for a wealthy family. Despite a modest education, Jeanne's heart was ablaze with love for Jesus and Mary. Barely out of her teens, she felt the call of divine love. She told her mother, "God wants me for himself. He is keeping me for a work which is not yet founded." Later, she set to work among the poor at a local hospital.One winter night, Jeanne encountered Jesus in the person of an elderly, blind, infirm woman who was dying in the cold. Jeanne carried the woman home, lifted her up the stairs to her small room, and placed the woman in her bed. Henceforth, Jeanne would sleep in the attic while she made her home into a refuge for the destitute poor in revolutionary France.God instilled tremendous fervor and zealousness in Jeanne. Many women responded to her call and invitation to serve. By the working of the Holy Spirit, a religious community was born. The local citizens were struck by their spirit of humble service and called the group the Little Sisters of the Poor. From then on, their order spread across France and beyond.Although she was the Order's foundress, Jeanne was demoted by eclesiastical authorities and an ambitious priest was placed in charge. The new superior sent Jeanne to beg and soon placed her in retirement. At the time of her passing 27 years later, the nacent Little Sisters had no idea Jeanne was their foundress. St. Jeanne said, "We are grafted onto the Cross, and we must carry it joyfully." Her inspired reflections continue illuminating spiritual realities.In her words:"Be very little before God." ... "It is so good to be poor, ... (relinquishing everything), and depending on God for everything." ... "God will help us; the work is His."

St. Fiaker(Anchorite († c. 670))

SAINT FIAKER Anchorite( c. 670) St. Fiaker was born in Ireland and was educated by Bishop Conan of Soder or the Western Islands. He eschewed preferential treatment and chose a monastic lifestyle. For holy solitude, he sailed to France. Divine Providence led St. Fiaker to Bishop Faro of Meaux. When they met, the prelate discerned St. Fiaker's virtues and gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest called Breuil. St. Fiaker cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell and a small garden, and built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin. He prayed at every moment, always sanctifying his work. St. Fiaker's exercises were only interrupted by necessity or charity. He was sought out because of his sanctity and expertise in herbal medicine. Eventually, he attracted so many disciples that he builta hospice, a chapel and a monastery. The town of Saint-Fiacre in north-central France is named after him. Following the Trish monks' rule, St. Fiaker never permitted women to enter his enclosure. As the abbot of a monastery, he trained exemplary clerics and encouraged vocations. When St. Chillen, or Kilian, an Irish nobleman, returned from Rome, he visited St. Fiaker. With the latter's guidance, St. Kilian preached in neighboring dioceses. St. Fiaker passed away on August 18, 670. He was interred at the church in Breuil, but his relics were later transferred to Meaux. His shrine is a pilgrimage destination because of many healing miracles. He is the patron saint of gardeners, the sick and victims of hemorrhoids.

St. Pammachius()

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