Catholic Missal of the day: Monday, June 22 2026

Monday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time

2nd book of Kings

Shalmaneser, king of Assyria,  occupied the whole land and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and deported the Israelites to Assyria, settling them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
This came about because the Israelites sinned against the LORD, their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the Israelites (and the kings of Israel whom they set up).
And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer, "Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,"
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes, the covenant which he had made with their fathers, and the warnings which he had given them.
till, in his great anger against Israel, the LORD put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.

Psalms

O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
You have been angry; rally us!
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

St. Thomas More(Martyr (1478-1535))

SAINT THOMAS MOREMartyr(1478-1535) The life and martyrdom of Saint Thomas More has been the source of a message spanning the centuries, and which speaks to people everywhere of the inalienable dignity of the human conscience, which (...) is "the most intimate center and sanctuary of a person, in which he or she is alone with God, whose voice echoes within them" (Gaudium et Spes, 16). Whenever men or women heed the call of truth, their conscience then guides their actions reliably towards good. Precisely because of the witness which he bore, even at the price of his life, to the primacy of truth over power, Saint Thomas More is venerated as an imperishable example of moral integrity. And even outside the Church, particularly among those with responsibility for the destinies of peoples, he is acknowledged as a source of inspiration for a political system that has as its supreme goal the service of the human person. Thomas More had a remarkable political career in his native land. Born in London in 1478 to a respectable family, as a young boy he was placed in the service of the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton, Lord Chancellor of the Realm. He studied law at Oxford and in London, and broadened his interests in culture, theology and classical literature. He mastered Greek and enjoyed the company and friendship of important figures of Renaissance culture, including Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam. His sincere religious sentiment led him to cultivate virtues through asceticism. He also befriended the Observant Franciscans of the Friary in Greenwich and lived at the London Charterhouse, which were main centers of religious fervor. Feeling himself called to marriage, family life and dedication as a layman, he married Jane Colt in 1505. They had four children together before Jane passed away in 1511. Thomas then married Alice Middleton, a widow with one daughter. Thomas was an affectionate and faithful husband and father. He was deeply involved in his children's religious, moral and intellectual education. His house offered a welcome to his children's spouses and his grandchildren, and was always open to his many young friends who were searching for truth or their calling. Family life gave him ample opportunity for prayer in common and lectio divina, as well as for happy and wholesome relaxation. He attended daily Mass at the parish church, but his austere penances were only known to his immediate family. Thomas was elected to Parliament for the first time in 1504 under King Henry VII. King Henry VIII renewed Thomas' mandate in 1510, and even made him the Crown's representative at the capitol. During the following decade, the king sent Thomas on several diplomatic and commercial missions to Flanders and the territory of present-day France. Having been made a member of the King's Council, presiding judge of an important tribunal, deputy treasurer and a knight, in 1523 he became Speaker of the House of Commons. Highly esteemed by everyone for his moral integrity, sharpness of mind, humorous character and extraordinary learning, Thomas was appointed lord chancellor by the king in 1529. He was the first layman to occupy this position, which was especially challenging because of King Henry VIII's contentious relationship with the pope. In 1532, not wishing to support Henry VIII's intention to take control of the Church in England, Thomas resigned. He withdrew from public life and accepted poverty with his family and desertion by many false friends. Given Thomas' inflexible firmness in rejecting any compromise with his own conscience, the king imprisoned him at the Tower of London in 1534. He refused to take the oath requested of him since it would have involved accepting a political and ecclesiastical arrangement that prepared the way for despotism. At his trial, he made an impassioned defense of his own convictions on the indissolubility of marriage, the respect due to the juridical patrimony of Christian civilization, and the freedom of the Church in her relations with the State. Condemned by the Court, he was beheaded. Thomas More and 53 other martyrs, including Bishop John Fisher, were beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. They were canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935, on the fourth centenary of Thomas' martyrdom. Saint Thomas More's life clearly illustrates a fundamental truth of political ethics. The defense of the Church's freedom from unwarranted interference by the State is at the same time a defense, in the name of the primacy of conscience, of the individual's freedom vis-á-vis political power. Here we find the basic principle of every civil order consonant with human nature. Therefore, after due consideration and willingly acceding to the petitions addressed to me, I establish and declare Saint Thomas More the heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians, and I decree that he be ascribed all the liturgical honors and privileges which, according to law, belong to the patrons of categories of people.(St. John Paul II - Apostolic letter issued Motu Proprio proclaiming Saint Thomas More Patron of Statesmen and Politicians - October 31, 2000)

St. John Fisher(Bishop and Martyr (1459-1535))

SAINT JOHN FISHERBishop and Martyr(1459-1535) St. John Fisher was born in Beverly, Yorkshire, and was educated at Cambridge University. He received a Master of Arts in 1491 and occupied the vicarage of Northallerton from 1491 to 1494. He became Cambridge University's proctor. In 1497, Father John was appointed confessor to Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII. He became closely associated in her endowments to Cambridge: creating scholarships, introducing Greek and Hebrew into the curriculum and bringing in the world-famous Erasmus as professor of Divinity and Greek. In 1504, he became the bishop of Rochester and chancellor of Cambridge. He also tutored Prince Henry, the future King Henry VIII. From 1527 onward, Bishop John steadfastly resisted King Henry VIII's encroachment on the Church. He opposed Henry's takeover as head of the Church in England. He also opposed Henry's divorce proceedings against Catherine and refused to take the oath of succession acknowledging Henry's mistress Anne as the legitimate heir to the throne. In retaliation, Henry imprisoned Bp. John at the Tower of England in April 1534. The next year, Bp. John was made a Cardinal by Pope Paul III. Henry retaliated by having Bp. John beheaded later that month. A half hour before his execution, Bp. John opened his New Testament for the last time and read the following words from St. John's Gospel: "Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ. I have given you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. Do you now, Father, give me glory at your side." Closing the book, he observed: "There is enough learning in that to last me a lifetime."

St. Paulinus of Nola(Bishop (353-431))

SAINT PAULINUS OF NOLABishop (353-431) Paulinus was from a family of senators, prefects and consuls. He was educated with great care and his eloquence in prose and verse was admired by St. Jerome and St. Augustine. He had more than doubled his wealth by marriage and was one of the foremost men of his time. although he was a chosen friend of saints and was devoted to St. Felix of Nola, he was still a catechumen who served two masters. Nonetheless, God drew Paulinus to Himself along the way of the Cross. Paulinus received baptism and moved to Spain. After a period of contemplation, he and his holy wife sold their vast estates in various parts of the empire. They distributed the proceeds so prudently that St. Jerome says the East and West were filled with their alms. Paulinus was ordained, retired to Nola in Campania and rebuilt the Church of St. Felix.In 409, he was consecrated bishop. He served for more than thirty years during an age of many great and wise bishops. St. Gregory the Great tells us that when the Vandals of Africa descended on Campania, Bp. Paulinus spent everything to relieve the people's distress and ransom them from slavery. When he was bankrupt, he exchanged places with a poor widow's son who had been captured by the Vandal king's son-in-law. He toiled as agardener for some time until the Vandal king learned that the bishop of Nola was his son-in-law's slave. The Vandal king then freed Bp. Paulinus and Nola's townsmen. Bp. Paulinus' devotion to martyr-saints helped spark traditions that venerate them. His building projects, patronage of the arts and participation in synods set a standard for pastoral care. He passed away in 431, but is still celebrated in Nola, southern Italy, and by Italian-American communities.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2026 / Catholic Missal of june 2026