FIRST READING Exodus 24:3-8
In those days: Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it up on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.
The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 50: 1-2.5-6.14-15 (R.14a)
R. Give your praise as a sacrifice to God.

The God of gods, the Lord,
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Sion, the perfection of beauty,
God is shining forth. R.

Gather my holy ones to me,
who made covenant with me by sacrifice.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
for he, God, is the judge. R.

Give your praise as a sacrifice to God,
and fulfil your vows to the Most High.
Then call on me in the day of distress.
I will deliver you and you shall honour me. R.

ALLELUIA James 1:21bc
Alleluia. Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Matthew 13:24-30
At that time: Another parable Jesus put before the crowds, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ “But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.
The Gospel of the Lord.

FIRST READING Exodus 20: 1-17
In those days: God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. “You shall not kill.” “You shall not commit adultery.” “You shall not steal.” “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.” “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour
The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 19:8.9.10.11 (R. John 6:68c)
R. Lord, you have the words of eternal life.

The law of the Lord is perfect;
It revives the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are steadfast;
they give wisdom to the simple. R.

The precepts of the Lord are right;
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear;
it gives light to the eyes. R.

The fear of the Lord is pure,
abiding forever.
The judgements of the Lord are true;
they are, all of them, just. R.

They are more to be desired than gold,
than quantities of gold.
And sweeter are they than honey,
Than honey flowing from the comb. R.

ALLELUIA Luke 8:15
Alleluia. Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Matthew 13: 18-23
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Hear then the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no foot in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundred fold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
The Gospel of the Lord.

See Today’s Reflection

FIRST READING Exodus 16:1-5. 9-15
The sons of Israel set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to them, “would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wildernesss to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your murmurings.” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, they looked towards the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel; say to them, ‘at twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay around about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “what is it?” for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “it is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 78:18-19.23-24.25-26.27-28 (R. 24b)
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven

In their heart they put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God and said:
Can God spread a table in the wilderness? R.

Yet he commanded the clouds above,
And opened the gates of heaven.!
He rained down manna to eat,
And gave them bread from heaven. R.

Man ate the bread of angels.
He sent them abundance of food;
The east wind he stirred up in the heavens,
The south wind he directed by his might., R.

He rained flesh upon them like dust,
Winged fowl like the sands of the sea.
He let it fall in the midst of their camp,
And all around their tents. R.

ALLELUIA
Alleluia. The seed is the word of God, and the sower is Christ; all who find him will abide for ever. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.
The Gospel of the Lord.

FIRST READING Exodus 14:21-15:1
In those days: Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the sons of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel; for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its usual flow when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled into it, and the Lord routed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not so much as one of them remained. But the sons of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw the great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Exodus 15:8-9.10 and 12.17 (R. la)
R/. I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.” R.

You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them. R.

You will bring them in, and plant them on your own mountain,
the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. R.

ALLELUIA John 14:23
Alleluia. If a man loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Matthew 12:46-50
At that time: While Jesus was speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?” And stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brethren! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
The Gospel of the Lord.

See Today’s Reflection