Liturgy of the day · July 12 · Ordinary Time
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Year A · Ordinary Time
First Reading
10And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm
10Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it; thou hast many ways enriched it. The river of God is filled with water, thou hast prepared their food: for so is its preparation.
11Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits; it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers.
12Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy goodness: and thy fields shall be filled with plenty.
13The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy,
14The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea they shall sing a hymn.
Second Reading
18For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us.
19For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God.
20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him that made it subject, in hope:
21Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
22For we know that every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now.
23And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body.
Gospel
1The same day Jesus going out of the house, sat by the sea side.
2And great multitudes were gathered unto him, so that he went up into a boat and sat: and all the multitude stood on the shore.
3And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying: Behold the sower went forth to sow.
4And whilst he soweth some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up.
5And other some fell upon stony ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth.
6And when the sun was up they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away.
7And others fell among thorns: and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
9He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10And his disciples came and said to him: Why speakest thou to them in parables?
11Who answered and said to them: Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: but to them it is not given.
12For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound: but he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he hath.
13Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.
15For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
17For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.
18Hear you therefore the parable of the sower.
19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, there cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart: this is he that received the seed by the way side.
20And he that received the seed upon stony ground, is he that heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with joy.
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time: and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized.
22And he that received the seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up the word, and he becometh fruitless.
23But he that received the seed upon good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth the one an hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Catholic Bibles to keep at home
We read here from the public-domain text. But a well-made Bible, bound in cloth, on your shelf, is a lifetime of company. These are the Catholic editions we recommend, with ecclesiastical approval.
Douay-Rheims Bible · Challoner Revision
The English Catholic Bible since 1582 (NT) and 1610 (OT), revised by Bishop Challoner in the 18th century. Standard English Catholic text for centuries; the public-domain translation read here. Baronius leather edition with extensive notes.
The Knox Bible
Mgr. Ronald Knox’s 20th-century translation from the Latin Vulgate, praised for its literary English. Used by the Church in England and Wales for liturgy from 1955 to 1969. A profoundly readable Catholic Bible.
RSV-Catholic Edition (2nd ed.)
The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, with the deuterocanonical books in their proper places. Widely used by scholars and serious students of Scripture. The “Ignatius Bible” is the most popular RSV-CE printing.
The Jerusalem Bible
Scholarly Catholic translation with extensive exegetical notes from the École Biblique de Jérusalem. The standard Catholic study Bible in English. Beautiful prose; thorough apparatus.
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