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First Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the Lord showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The Lord then said to him,
"This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over."
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the Lord,
died as the Lord had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the Lord's command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the Lord knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
R./ Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"
R./ Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R./ Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R./ Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples, "If your brother or sister has sinned against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are in private, and if he listens to you, you have won your brother. If you are not listened to, take with you one or two others so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he still refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard such a one as a pagan or a publican.
I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.
In like manner, I say to you: if on earth two of you are united in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered in my Name, I am there among them."
Saint MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, Priest, Martyr
Memorial
August 14
Maximilian Mary Kolbe became a Franciscan Conventual. He was a great devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was interned in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz. When the father of a large family was hand-picked for extermination, Fr. Maximilian offered himself to the commander to die in the man's place. He was starved to death. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him the Patron of our Suffering Century.
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
St. Maximilian Kolbe practiced
what your Son Jesus called
the greatest love that disposes a person
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
Through Jesus, who calls us his friends,
and with the help of the prayers of St Maximilian
make our love as strong as life and death.
Let it always have the last word in us
and be given for free, like yours.
Make us love one another as Jesus has loved us,
he who is our Lord for ever.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, loving Father,
your love appeared with a human face
in your Son Jesus Christ.
He showed all the depth of your love and his
by laying down his life for us, his friends.
May he be our food
on the road of life and of love
not only when it is easy to love
but also when it is hard to be faithful
and when love demands self-forgetting sacrifice.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our loving God,
in this eucharistic celebration
you have given us new proof of your love
by giving us your Son and his Spirit.
Jesus has strengthened our love.
Accept our thanks and bring out the best in us,
that we may bear rich fruit of faithful, reliable love.
Let your Spirit unite us
to build community with one another
and to live in your love and joy
now and for ever.
