First Reading

First reading

Reading from the Book of Wisdom

Wisdom 12, 13. 16-19

There is no God but you, Lord, who care for all things.
There is no one to whom you must give an account
of the justice of your judgments.
Your power is the foundation of your justice,
and because you are the Lord of all,
you are merciful to all.

You show your strength
to those who doubt your sovereign power
and punish those who, knowing it, defy you.
Being the master of strength,
you judge with mercy and govern us with gentleness,
because you have power and use it when you will.

With all this you have taught your people
that the just must be humane,
and you have filled your children with a sweet hope,
since you give the sinner time to repent.

Second reading

Reading from the letter of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Romans

Romans 8, 26-27

Brothers and sisters: The Spirit helps us in our weakness, because we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the hearts, knows what the Spirit intends, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 13, 24-43

At that time, Jesus proposed this parable to the crowd: «The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while the workers were sleeping, an enemy of the owner came, sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plants grew and the heads began to form, the weeds also appeared.

Then the workers went to the master and said: ‘Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ The master answered them: ‘An enemy of mine has done this.’ They said to him: ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ But he replied: ‘No. Lest in pulling up the weeds you also uproot the wheat. Let them grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will say to the reapers: First collect the weeds and bind them in bundles to be burned, and then gather the wheat into my barn’ «.