Friday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time
Mass Readings
First Reading – 1 Cor 1:17-25
Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside. Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11 (R.5)
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises. R.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full. R.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations. R.
Gospel – Mt 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Featured Saints
St. Pammachius (†410). Roman senator and close friend of St. Jerome. As a widower, he devoted himself to a life of piety and works of charity.
Blessed Eustachius van Lieshout, priest (†1943). A priest of Dutch origin belonging to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Brazil. He was favoured with the gift of healing and acquired a reputation for sanctity during his life.
St. Margaret Ward, virgin, martyr (+1588). She was arrested during the reign of Elizabeth I for helping a priest escape from prison, but refused under torture to reveal his hiding place or to renounce her Faith. She was executed in London.
Blessed Maria Rafols, virgin (†1853). Through many hardships, with wisdom and holy zeal she guided the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Anne, which she had founded in Zaragoza, Spain.
Blessed John Juvenal Ancina, bishop (†1604). Young doctor who entered the Congregation of the Oratory and stood out as a preacher in Naples, Italy; he was named Bishop of Saluzzo.
St. Fiacre, hermit (†c. 670). Native of Ireland, he settled in a solitary place in France where he built a cell and an oratory dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The multitudes that flocked there seeking his aid eventually gave rise to the village of Saint-Fiacre.
St. Bononius, abbot (†1026). He lived a hermetic life in Egypt and on Mount Sinai. Upon returning to Italy, he was appointed abbot of Lucedio.
Blessed Alfred Ildefonso Schuster, bishop (†1954). Benedictine monk, he was abbot of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, and later Archbishop of Milan.
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