Mass Readings

First Reading – Jer 20:10-13

I hear the whisperings of many:
“Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!”
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
“Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.”
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!

Responsorial Psalm – 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7 (R. cf. 7)

R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. R.

My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies. R.

The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me. R.

In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears. R.

Gospel – Jn 10:31-42

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him.

Featured Saints

St. Dionysius, bishop (†180). Gifted with an extraordinary knowledge of the Word of God, he taught the faithful of Corinth by preaching, and instructed Bishops of other dioceses through letters.

St. Amantius of Como, Bispo (†449). Of English origin, he became Bishop of Como, Italy, where he built a basilica in honour of Sts. Peter and Paul, in which to house the relics of the two Apostles, which he had acquired in Rome.

St. Agabus (First century). One of the 72 disciples of Jesus, he is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. He had the gift of prophecy and foresaw a great famine throughout the world (Acts 11:28) and the imprisonment of St. Paul on his return to Jerusalem (21:10-11).

St. Julie Billiart, virgin (†1816). Founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Namur and ardently propagated devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Blessed Clement of Osimo, priest (†1291). Prior General of the Hermits of St. Augustine, he prudently reformed the laws of the Order.

Blessed Augustus Czartoryski, priest (†1893). Young Polish prince admitted to the Salesian Congregation by St. John Bosco, despite his poor health. He died of tuberculosis at age 34 in Alassio Savona, Italy.

Blessed Dominic of the Blessed Sacrament Iturrate, priest (†1927). Spanish priest of the Trinitarian Order. He died in the odour of sanctity two years after his ordination.

Blessed Julian of St. Augustine, religious (†1606). Religious of the Order of the Discalced Brothers Minor, he bore the incomprehension of others owing to his practice of austere penances.