Monday of the11th Week in Ordinary Time
Featured Saints
St. Elisha, disciple of Elijah. He was prophet in Israel from the reign of Jehoram until the time of Jehoash.
St. Fortunatus of Naples, bishop (†fourth century). He preserved his diocese from the Arian heresy, proclaiming far and wide the divinity of Jesus Christ.
St. Methodius, bishop (†847). Patriarch of Constantinople. Of Sicilian origin, he lived as a monk on the Island of Chios, Greece. He had recourse to Rome in abolishing iconoclasm.
Sts. Valerius and Rufinus, martyrs (†fourth century). Christians from Soissons, France, beheaded for spreading the Gospel among pagans.
Sts. Anastasius, priest, Felix, monk, and Digna, virgin, and martyrs (†853). Beheaded by order of the Moorish king of Cordova. St. Anastasius and St. Felix for professing the Christian Faith; St. Digna for denouncing the injustice.
Blessed Francisca de Paula de Jesus, laywoman (†1895). Born as a slave and orphaned at age ten, she was freed in 1820, and dedicated her life to prayer, serving the needy, and gathering the means for the construction of a Marian Chapel in Baependi, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Mass Readings
First Reading – 2 Cor 6:1-10
Brothers and sisters: As your fellow workers, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order that no fault may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much endurance, in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and dishonor, insult and praise. We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4 (R.2a)
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for He has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for Him,
his holy arm. R.
In the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel. R.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise. R.
Gospel – Mt 5:38-42
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
