Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
Mass Readings
First Reading – 1 Kgs 21:1-16
Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.” Naboth answered him, “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage.” Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.” Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat. His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so angry that you will not eat?” He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’ But he refused to let me have his vineyard.” His wife Jezebel said to him, “A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and, having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth. This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city— did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, “Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death. When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 5:2-3ab, 4b-6a, 6b-7 (R.2b)
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD,
attend to my sighing.
Heed my call for help,
my king and my God! R.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight. R.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors. 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.”
Featured Saints
St. Teresa of Portugal, queen (†1250). Daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal, she married Alfonso IX, King of Leon. After the death of her husband, she entered the Cistercian monastery she had founded in Ourém.
Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant, priest (†1903). At age 16, he entered the Trappist Monastery of St. Mary of the Desert, in the Diocese of Toulouse, France. He died after contracting tuberculosis at 25, offering his sufferings for Christ and the Church .
St. Ranierius of Pisa, penitent (†1160). He gave himself over to worldly amusements during his youth. After his conversion he left everything and went to the Holy Land where he lived for thirteen years doing penance.
Blessed Peter Gambacorta (†1435). Founder of the Poor Hermits of St. Jerome in Montebello, Italy, whose first members were ex-thieves whom he had converted.
Blessed Paul Burali d’Arezzo, bishop (†1578). Theatine religious, created cardinal by Pius V and named Archbishop of Naples by Gregory XIII. Restored discipline and liturgical splendour in the archdiocese.
St. Hipatius, abbot (†446). A hermit of an austere life and rigorous fasting, he made his abode in an abandoned monastery in Chalcedon, Asia Minor, reconstructed it and formed a prosperous community in it.
Sts. Nicander and Marcian, martyrs (†c. 297). Soldiers beheaded in Silistra, Bulgaria, at the time of Diocletian, for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods.
St. Peter Da, martyr (†1862). Carpenter and sacristan of the parish of Ngoc Cuc, in Vietnam; beheaded after suffering cruel tortures during the anti-Christian persecuion under the Emperor Tu Duc.
Blessed Philippe Papon, priest and martyr (†1794). Condemned to imprisonment in a galley anchored at Rochefort, France, he surrendered his soul to God after giving absolution to a dying prison mate.
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