Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 39:6-10

The wise man will be remembered for generations

If it is the will of the great Lord,
 he will be filled with the spirit of understanding,
he will shower forth words of wisdom,
 and in prayer give thanks to the Lord.
He will grow upright in purpose and learning,
 he will ponder the Lord’s hidden mysteries.
He will display the instruction he has received,
 taking his pride in the Law of the Lord’s covenant.
Many will praise his understanding,
 and it will never be forgotten.
His memory will not disappear,
 generation after generation his name will live.
Nations will proclaim his wisdom,
 the assembly will celebrate his praises.

Psalm or canticle

Psalm 115(116):12-19

How can I repay the Lord
 for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
 I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
 before all his people.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
 is the death of his faithful.

Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
 you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
 I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
 before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
 in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Second reading

2 Timothy 4:1-8

I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; it is time for me to be gone

Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching. The time is sure to come when, far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest novelty and collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then, instead of listening to the truth, they will turn to myths. Be careful always to choose the right course; be brave under trials; make the preaching of the Good News your life’s work, in thoroughgoing service.
As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

Gospel

Matthew 13:24-32

Let them both grow till the harvest

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

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