Friday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time – Year II

Send us Fan MailFriday, 30 August 2024Friday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time – Year IIAntiphons on p. 1192 and Readings on p. 1209 of the Daily Missal. Entrance Antiphon.Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me; save the servant who trusts in you, my God. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long. First Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:17-25A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly 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 cleverness of the clever I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.The Word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2.4-5.10-11 (R. 5b)Let us now pray the Responsorial PsalmR/. The Lord's merciful love fills the earth.Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;for praise is fitting for the upright.Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp;with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.For the word of the Lord is faithful,and all his works to be trusted.The Lord loves justice and right,and his merciful love fills the earth.The Lord frustrates the designs of the nations;he defeats the plans of the peoples.The designs of the Lord stand forever,the plans of his heart from age to age.R/. The Lord's merciful love fills the earth. Please stand for the Gospel.Alleluia, Alleluia.Watch at all times, praying that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.Alleluia.Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.At that time:Jesus told his disciples this parable:“The kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ </&l