CALENDARIO / Calendario Cinquepani EN

01 ago 2024

08 August 2024

English translation, August 2024

1/8 THU 17th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

(Memorial: St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor, † 1787)

Jer 18:1-6; Ps 145; Mt 13:47-53

Just like clay... so are you in my hands Jer 18:6

The prophet Jeremiah went down into the potter's workshop, as the Lord had suggested to him. There he saw how the potter, when the work he had started didn't turn out well, would reshape it. This is how the Lord acts with us. If he doesn't find good testimony, he starts his work all over again.

2/8 FRI 17th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

(Optional memorial: St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop, † 372; St. Peter Julian Eymard, priest, † 1868)

Jer 26:1-9; Ps 68; Mt 13:54-58

Because of their unbelief, he did not perform many miracles Mt 13:58

Jesus is disappointed that he cannot bless his fellow citizens. Unfortunately, the wisdom and miracles they were already aware of did not lead them to recognize him as the one sent by God. Faced with this closed-mindedness, many other miracles would have been useless.

Jesus, thank you for the good you want to do in my life: I do not want to tie your hands: I believe in you!

3/8 SAT 17th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

Jer 26:11-16,24; Ps 68; Mt 14:1-12

Improve your conduct Jer 26:13

Jeremiah courageously repeats this invitation from the Lord when corrupt priests and prophets seek his death sentence. He cares more about being faithful to the Lord and the salvation of the people than his own life. The example of many saints and martyrs opens us more to the Lord: from Him, we will receive so much good!

4/8 SUN 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B [II]

Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Ps 77; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-35

What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you Jn 6:30

They had just eaten bread and fish, multiplied by Jesus to satisfy their hunger, and yet they do not believe. There were five loaves and two fish, and the hungry crowd numbered more than five thousand men... Therefore, miraculous signs alone do not help us to welcome and trust in Jesus. It is humility that opens the eyes of the heart. The effective love of Jesus is the true sign. We can now believe that he comes from the Father!

5/8 MON 18th Week in Ordinary Time [II]

(Memorial: Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Jer 28:1-17; Ps 118; Mt 14:13-21

They took up the fragments left over... Mt 14:20

They all had eaten their fill, and there were twelve baskets of pieces leftovers: one basket for each apostle. From these, I will continue to eat, to be satisfied with the Bread of Jesus!

6/8 TUE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD [P]

Dn 7:9-10,13-14; Ps 96; 2 Pt 1:16-19;

Mk 9:2-10

This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him Mk 9:7

It is the voice of God! Now we know who he is: He is the Father of Jesus, that Jesus who stands before us in prayer. By clothing him in light on the mountain, the Father has told us that we can trust him by listening to him.

Jesus, true light, brighter than the sun: I welcome you, I love you, I adore you!

7/8 WED 18th Week in Ordinary Time [II]

(Optional memorial: St. Sixtus II, pope and companions, martyrs, † 258; St. Cajetan, priest, † 1547)

Jer 31:1-7; Ps: Jer 31:10-13; Mt 15:21-28

Let it be done for you according to your desire

Mt 15:28

What a beautiful encounter! Jesus and the Canaanite woman, both confident and persistent, Jesus in his filial and obedient love, the woman in her maternal and responsible love... Who wins? Love!

8/8 THU 18th Week in Ordinary Time [II]

(Memorial: St. Dominic, priest, † 1221)

Jer 31:31-34; Ps 50; Mt 16:13-23

I will be their God, and they shall be my people Jer 31:33

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had made a covenant with his people several times. However, despite their deliverance from Egypt and many other signs of favor, the people were continuously unfaithful. They felt his law as a burden. Instead of repudiating them, God promised a New Covenant that would be realized through the blood of Jesus, his Son. Those who accept and love Him will be filled with His Spirit and receive a new heart.

9/8 FRI. ST. TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS (Edith Stein, † 1942), virgin and martyr, Patroness of Europe [P]

Hos 2:16b, 17b, 21-22; Ps 44; Mt 25:1-13

Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour Mt 25:13

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, the Patroness of Europe, was a disciple who "stayed awake". In the monastery, where she lived in her pursuit of the Lord, she offered small and great humiliations to the one she loved, Jesus. And when He asked her to sacrifice her life, she was ready... and she entered with Him into his wedding feast! Now, from there, as a true sister, she helps us.

10/8 SAT ST. LAWRENCE, deacon and martyr († 258) [P]

2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 111; Jn 12:24-26

If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him Jn 12:26

Andrew and Philip bring some Greeks to Jesus who say they want to see Him. Jesus immediately makes it clear that those who want to know him intimately can only do so if they are willing to be like the seed: it bears fruit when it dies.

Let us thank and honor St. Lawrence, who served Jesus in the poor of the Church: like the seed, hidden in the earth; he bore much fruit.

11/8 SUN 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B [III]

1 Kngs 19:4-8; Ps 34; Eph 4:30 - 5:2;

Jn 6:41-51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven

Jn 6:51

Jesus, you come every time I desire and call upon you, even with just a thought, a prayerful sigh, an obedience to your Word, and, most importantly, culminating when I approach the Holy Eucharist. With your presence, you nourish and grow my spiritual life, my capacity to love and rejoice. Thank you, Jesus!

12/8 MON 19th Week in Ordinary Time [III]

(Optional memorial: St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious, † 1641)

Ez 1:2-5, 24-28; Ps 148; Mt 17:22-27

So I looked, and I saw the glory of the Lord Ez 1:28

The prophet Ezekiel sees signs of God's presence. When we listen to the Gospel with love, when we witness it being lived out in acts of love by our brothers and sisters, when we are able to forgive... we too can contemplate the glory of the living and true God, His presence that is wisdom and love given to all.

13/8 TUE 19th Week in Ordinary Time [III]

(Optional memorial: Sts. Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs, † 235)

Ez 2:8 - 3:4; Ps 118; Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest Mt 18:4

Matthew presents some teachings of Jesus: the exhortation to humility, which overcomes the desire for greatness, the invitation not to reject anyone, but to recognize that the small and the weak are precious in the Father’s eyes, and the recommendation to be responsible in behavior towards everyone, especially towards children. True greatness is to become like children, trusting in the hands of the Father, and caring for our brothers.

14/8 WED 19th Week in Ordinary Time [III]

(Memorial: St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr, † 1941)

Ez 9:1-7; 10:18-22; Ps 112;

Mt 18:15-20

Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them Mt 18:20

When we come together for the love of Jesus, in prayer or listening to His Word, or trying to help each other live it out, even correcting one another, He is present among us, giving us joy, peace, and strength. And the fruit will be that of His presence.

15/8 THU Solemnity of the ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Rev 11:19; 12:1-6, 10; Ps 44; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

The infant leaped in her womb Lk 1:41

Jesus was present in Mary, newly conceived in her by the Holy Spirit: the six-month-old baby in Elizabeth’s womb perceived Him. A wonderful event!

Meeting a young lady who had spent some days in retreat with Jesus, I perceived the effect of His grace in her. Thank you, Holy Spirit!

16/8 FRI 19th Week in Ordinary Time [III]

(Optional memorial: St. Stephen of Hungary,

† 1038)

Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63; Ps: Is 12:2-6;

Mt 19:3-12

I will establish an everlasting covenant with you Ez 16:60

Thus concludes the story in which Ezekiel tries to express the Lord's love for man, His creation. He desired and formed man out of nothing, adorned him with gifts and beauty. When man was unfaithful, He did not abandon him: through the cross of His Son, He made His covenant His salvation eternal.

17/8 SAT 19th Week in Ordinary Time [III]

Ez 18:1-10, 13, 30-32; Ps 50;

Mt 19:13-15

Children were brought to Jesus Mt 19:13

Parents and grandparents who bring children to Jesus are very wise. They bring them to church, to catechesis, and pray together at home. In doing so, they love them by allowing them to receive grace and blessings. He will not fail to bless them.

18/8 SUN. –20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B [IV]

Prov 9:1-6; Ps 34; Eph 5:15-20;

Jn 6:51-58

Whoever eats my flesh will live because of me Jn 6:57

Today is Sunday, the Lord's day. It is the day when the risen Jesus shows Himself present among those gathered in His name. He will not fail us: Jesus will speak to us, nourish us, and send us to live the new week with Him, to be His witnesses with the strength of His Bread, with Him in our hearts.

19/8 MON 20th Week in Ordinary Time [IV]

(Optional memorial: St. John Eudes, Priest, † 1680)

Ez 24:15-24; Ps: Dt 32:18-21;

Mt 19:16-22

Come! Follow me! Mt 19:21

Sometimes this word of Jesus is a call to religious life. But not only that: Jesus calls me to always be His disciple. He tells me: "Come and follow me" when an injustice suffered would lead me to seek revenge, when busyness would erase my time for prayer, when at home and outside I turn away from those in need.

20/8 TUE 20th Week in Ordinary Time [IV]

(Memorial: St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor, † 1153)

Ez 28:1-10; Ps: Dt 32:26-28, 30, 35-36; Mt 19:23-30

Hardly will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven Mt 19:23

Just as gluttony hinders one from sticking to a diet, so do riches imprison the heart in selfishness and pride, closing it out from God and others. However, with the grace of the Lord, if the rich person - which could be me - opens up to sharing, he becomes a brother, poor in spirit, a disciple of Jesus, and a participant in the kingdom of heaven.

21/8 WED 20th Week in Ordinary Time [IV]

(Memorial: St. Pius X, Pope, † 1914)

EZ 34:1-11; Ps 22; Mt 20:1-16

Behold, I myself will look for my sheep Ez 34:11

This verse from the first reading, as well as today's Gospel, reminds us of the great goodness of the Lord towards each of us. He does not disregard us; on the contrary, we are very dear to Him. He himself comes to seek us out where we are lost and disoriented, in the places where we waste the life He has given us to share His love with us.

22/8 THU 20th Week in Ordinary Time [IV]

(Memorial: Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Ez 36:23-28; Ps 50; Mt 22:1-14

I will give you a new heart

Ez 36:26

After many years of ignorance, spent far from the Father – that is, in selfishness – I find myself with a heart troubled by jealousy and envy, quick to anger and lacking in humble patience and fraternal generosity. However, I am under the care of a doctor who knows how to transplant the heart: I always go to Him, trying to stay close to Him. This doctor is Jesus!

23/8 FRI 20th Week in Ordinary Time [IV]

(Optional memorial of Saint Rose of Lima, virgin, † 1617)

Ez 37:1-14; Ps 106; Mt 22:34-40

You shall love your neighbor as yourself Mt 22:39

Through Baptism, I have received the gift of belonging to a new large family, the Church. Here, out of love for the Father in whom I have been immersed, I love my new brothers and sisters. Just as I did with those I grew up with in my parents' house, I feel them as "mine"; I am responsible for them, to love them and make them as happy as myself... even more so.

24/8 SAT FEAST OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW, Apostle [P]

Rev 21:9-14; Ps 144; Jn 1:45-51

Come and see Jn 1:46

Philip, who had recently responded to the call of Jesus, was now among the close followers living with the Master. He introduced this new life to Nathanael, the Apostle we celebrate today with the name Bartholomew. He thought that even Nathanael, a knowledgeable man of the Scriptures, would also be won over by Jesus.

25/8 SUN 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B [I]

Jos 24:1-2, 15-17, 18; Ps 34; Eph 5:21-32; Jn 6:60-69

You have the words of eternal life Jn 6:68

You, Jesus, have words that surpass the small and hazy horizon of this life. They give me hope and serenity when all I see are reasons to weep. They give me strength to love even when it appears futile and impossible. They give me joy in giving myself for others, starting with those closest to me. They transmit your life to me, Jesus. Thank you for speaking to me again at Mass today.

26/8 MON 21th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12; Ps 95; Mat 23:13-22

Grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus 2 Thes 1:2

Saint Paul and his collaborators address these words of blessing to the Christians entrusted to them. These words bring about what they express, if received in faith. May it be the same in our parish communities as well!

27/8 TUE 21th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

(Memorial: St. Monica, † 387)

2 Thes 2:1-3, 13-17; Ps 95; Mt 23:23-26

May God, our Father, strengthen your hearts

2 Thes 2:17

Saint Monica, after years of praying for her son Augustine, saw him happily become a Christian and a priest. St. Paul also prayed for the faithful in Thessalonica, that they would be comforted in persecution, and for some, in confusion, and fear due to the presumed imminent arrival of the end times and the return of the Lord.

28/8 WED 21th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

(Memorial: St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor, † 430)

2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18; Ps 127;

Mt 23:27-32

Inside, you are full of hypocrisy Mt 23:28

Jesus reveals to the Pharisees and their scribes the true state of their hearts. They cannot be pleasing to God because they pretend to be pious and holy but instead they remain attached to the riches of this world, and seek in every way to satisfy vanity and pride. They are in need of conversion!

29/8 THU Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

Jer 1:17-19; Ps 70; Mk 6:17-29

It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife Mk 6:18

John the Baptist does not want to deceive even Herod. He knows that the words he is speaking are not pleasing to the king, but they are pleasing, indeed, desired by God.

30/8 FRI 21th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

1 Cor 1:17-25; Ps 32; Mt 25:1-13

The wise ones took oil, along with their lamps

Mt 25:4

Your parable, Jesus, makes me attentive and vigilant. With your grace, I will be ready to meet you, to let myself be guided by you, to devote all my time and strength to love you, who come to welcome us into the eternal feast.

31/8 SAT 21th Week in Ordinary Time [I]

1 Cor 1:26-31; Ps 32; Mt 25:14-30

To one he gave five talents

Mt 25:15

Jesus, who instills confidence in your disciples, I thank you for treating me as one who can collaborate in your kingdom. I am grateful because it will be your faithfulness at work in my days so that I may live for you and bear the fruit that you desire.