DAILY MASS READINGS

Wednesday 18 June 2025

Wednesday of week 11 in Ordinary Time

Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).

Readings at Mass

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First reading
2 Corinthians 9:6-11

There is no limit to the blessings which God can send you

Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten.
The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one, and, made richer in every way, you will be able to do all the generous things which, through us, are the cause of thanksgiving to God.

Commentary

This reading is part of Paul’s generalised appeal to the Roman province of Achaea, that is, southern Greece, asking them to be generous in their response to his collection for the Jerusalem community. It must be independent of the previous chapter, read yesterday, since it uses the generosity of the Macedonians to stir up the Achaeans, just as the previous letter used the generosity of the other Churches to encourage the Churches of Macedonia.
Paul writes warmly of the joy of giving cheerfully, and of the thanksgiving to God which overflows from such giving. It is, however, also clear from slight hints that he was worried about the outcome (Romans 15.31b), and that there were some who were not happy with the way the collection was made (2 Corinthians 12.17-18). Nevertheless, he carries on with this service from the gentile Churches to the mother-Church in Jerusalem. So important did he see it to be that the Churches should remain united and should serve one another in the hour of need – a message which the modern Church needs to re-learn.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 111(112):1-4,9

Happy the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!

Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!

Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for ever.
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.

Happy the man who fears the Lord.
or
Alleluia!

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Gospel Acclamation
cf.Col3:16a,17

Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!

Or:
Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!

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Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

Commentary

The gospel reading from Matthew is one of those lovely formulaic passages where Matthew makes his message memorable through repetition. This happens several times in the Sermon on the Mount. The formulaic framework enshrines the practice of the three good works of Judaism, prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The warning is against parading good works: they should be known only to our Father in heaven. Most of us will have digested this triple lesson, but more relevant is the insistence that what matters is the relationship between ourselves and our Father in heaven, expressed in these good works.
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