Monday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
Mass Readings
First Reading – Ex 1:8-14, 22
A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his subjects, “Look how numerous and powerful the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves! Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us, and so leave our country.” Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to oppress them with forced labor. Thus they had to build for Pharaoh the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses. Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel and reduced them to cruel slavery, making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves. Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, “Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live.”
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8 (R.8a)
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us–
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us. R.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth. R.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers’ snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth. R.
Gospel – Mt 10:34—11:1
Jesus said to His Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household. “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the one who sent Me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to Mis Twelve disciples, Me went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Featured Saints
Blesseds Thérèse of St. Augustine and fifteen companions, virgins and martyrs (†1794). Religious from the Carmel of Compiègne, guillotined during the French Revolution.
Blessed Ignatius de Azevedo, priest, and 39 companions, martyrs (†1570). In 1570, a large group of Portuguese Jesuits missionaries were on voyage to Brazil, headed by Blessed Ignatius when, in the region of the Canary Islands, they were attacked by French Huguenot pirates who massacred the priests out of religious hatred.
St. Marcellina, virgin (†fourth century). Sister of St. Ambrose; she received the veil of the virgins from Pope Liberius.
St. Leo IV, Pope (†855). Ordered the construction of the Vatican walls to protect the region against Saracen attacks. Defender of justice and apologist for the primacy of Peter.
St. Andrew, hermit (†1031). Went to Hungary at the request of King St. Stephen and led a life of extreme austerity in the Carpathian Mountains region.
St. Hedwig of Poland, queen (†1399). Born in Hungary, she became Queen of Poland by birthright and Grand Duchess of Lithuania through her marriage to Wladyslaw II. With her husband, she established the Catholic Faith in this Baltic country.
Sts. Justa and Rufina, virgins and martyrs (†circa 287). Sevillian sisters who were imprisoned and cruelly tortured by order of the governor Diogenian.
Blessed Paul Gojdich, bishop and martyr (†1960). While Ordinary of the Eparchy of Presov, in Slovakia, he was imprisoned by the comunist authorities, where he died after undergoing torture rather than renounce his fidelity to the Church.
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