The 21st of July, 2021 is Wednesday in the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time. The Holy Bible verses for the mass readings for this day came from the Liturgical Calendar of the Year 2021.
Reading 1: EX 16:1-5, 9-15
The first reading from the Book of Exodus.
They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said to them, “We wish that we had died by Yahweh’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
Moses said to Aaron, “Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come close to Yahweh, for he has heard your murmurings.’_”
As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, Yahweh’s glory appeared in the cloud.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’_”
In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp.
When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground.
When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.”
Responsorial Psalm: PS 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28
Response: And gave them food from the sky.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?”
R: And gave them food from the sky.
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
R: And gave them food from the sky.
Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food to the full.
He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
R: And gave them food from the sky.
Heal so rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
R: And gave them food from the sky.
Gospel of the Day: MT 13:1-9
From the gospel scripture according to Matthew.
On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside.
Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach.
He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow.
As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.
Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.
When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.
Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.
Others fell on good soil and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Other Celebration
An optional celebration on this day is the Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
