The daily Word of God
Friday, June 13th, 2025
Saint Antony of Padua, Priest, Doctor
Matthew 5:27–32 "You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
First Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7–15
Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke,"
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
"No man is dependable."
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.
O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
My vows to the Lord I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:27–32
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
"It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
To be honest, our first reaction to Jesus’ words today might be: “He’s wrong.” Wanting something and actually doing it aren’t the same thing, and they don’t have the same consequences. That seems obvious. But one thing about Jesus is that he always tries to take us deeper—he wants us to understand that following the law isn’t just about the letter, it’s about the heart.
If a law is just about something external—like, let’s say, a rule that everyone has to wear a hat or pay a fine—then sure, it’s enough to simply obey it. You don’t have to agree with it in your heart. That kind of law doesn’t really touch who you are inside.
But when it comes to something deeper and more personal, then the heart does matter. When Jesus says that the only real law for a Christian is love, that’s not something we can fake. People can tell. In fact, we know that pretending to love without truly caring is pure hypocrisy—just putting on a show. If there’s no real love in our heart, no real concern for others, then what kind of love is that? It’s empty. And Jesus is clear: he wants us to love one another. Nothing more, nothing less.
This also works the other way around: sin begins inside us, too. If someone wants to do harm—even if they don’t go through with it—the evil already lives in their heart. Sure, the consequences aren’t the same as actually doing it. But still, that darkness is there. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we know it.
I truly hope God will have great mercy on us, because He knows how limited we are. But as followers of Jesus, we have to recognize that we’re called to do good and to love as fully and deeply as we can. And that kind of love can only come from the very core of who we are. So when we start to feel something harmful growing in our hearts, we need to do our best to get rid of it—because it hurts us, and it will end up hurting our brothers and sisters too.
Fernando Torres, cmf
Saint ANTHONY of PADUA, Priest and Doctor
Memorial
June 13
The Portuguese saint Anthony of Padua is one of the most venerated saints and possibly the most misused. In his ten years with the Augustinians, he applied himself to the Scriptures, but was then attracted to the radical evangelical life-style of the young Franciscan order. In Italy he became a very effective popular preacher and dedicated himself to his work with so much ardor that he died at the age of 36 at Padua. He did not only preach the gospel but lived it totally.
Opening Prayer Lord our God,
St. Anthony was so filled
with your Son and his gospel
that he could not but make people enthusiastic
about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Let your Son and his word
spring to life in us, we pray you,
that we may live the life of Jesus
and proclaim him to all those around,
for he is our Lord for ever. Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine
we bring before you our readiness
to follow your Son Jesus Christ.
May he grow in us day after day
that we may live for one another
and that the gospel may become credible
in our world and in our times.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have spoken to us your word
and given us our food for the road
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Let his gospel be no empty word among us,
but a call and a challenge
to lead his life
and to spread his love among people.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
