Liturgy of the day · July 23 · Ordinary Time
Saint Bridget of Sweden, Religious, Patron of Europe
First Reading
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: Thus saith the Lord: I have remembered thee, pitying thy soul, pitying thy youth, and the love of thy espousals, when thou followedst me in the desert, in a land that is not sown.
3Israel is holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his increase: all they that devour him offend: evils shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
7And I brought you into the land of Carmel, to eat the fruit thereof, and the best things thereof: and when ye entered in, you defiled my land, and made my inheritance an abomination.
8The priests did not say: Where is the Lord? and they that held the law knew me not, and the pastors transgressed against me: and the prophets prophesied in Baal, and followed idols.
12Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and ye gates thereof, be very desolate, saith the Lord.
13For my people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Responsorial Psalm
6O Lord, thy mercy is in heaven, and thy truth reacheth, even to the clouds.
8O how hast thou multiplied thy mercy, O God! But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of thy wings.
9They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure.
10For with thee is the fountain of life; and in thy light we shall see light.
11Extend thy mercy to them that know thee, and thy justice to them that are right in heart.
Gospel
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.
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.
Lumen Lectio is currently activating its US affiliate program. Outbound links go to Amazon search; we may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases once the program is live, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend Catholic editions with ecclesiastical approval.
Lumen Lectio is under continuous development. Found an error? Let us know at [email protected].