St. Bernard, Abbot, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

August 20, 2025

Saints

Daily Readings:

  • First Reading

    Judges 9:6-15

    6And all the citizens of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abim'elech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem. 7When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Ger'izim, and cried aloud and said to them, "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, `Reign over us.' 9But the olive tree said to them, `Shall I leave my fatness, by which gods and men are honored, and go to sway over the trees?' 10And the trees said to the fig tree, `Come you, and reign over us.' 11But the fig tree said to them, `Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over the trees?' 12And the trees said to the vine, `Come you, and reign over us.' 13But the vine said to them, `Shall I leave my wine which cheers gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?' 14Then all the trees said to the bramble, `Come you, and reign over us.' 15And the bramble said to the trees, `If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'

  • Responsorial Psalm

    Psalms 21:2-7

    1In thy strength the king rejoices, O LORD; and in thy help how greatly he exults! 2Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips. [Selah] 3For thou dost meet him with goodly blessings; thou dost set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4He asked life of thee; thou gavest it to him, length of days for ever and ever. 5His glory is great through thy help; splendor and majesty thou dost bestow upon him. 6Yea, thou dost make him most blessed for ever; thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.

  • Gospel

    Matthew 20:1-16

    1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; 4and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. 5Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.' 8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, 12saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16So the last will be first, and the first last."

  • First Reading

    Sirach 15:1-6

    1The man who fears the Lord will do this, and he who holds to the law will obtain wisdom. 2She will come to meet him like a mother, and like the wife of his youth she will welcome him. 3She will feed him with the bread of understanding, and give him the water of wisdom to drink. 4He will lean on her and will not fall, and he will rely on her and will not be put to shame. 5She will exalt him above his neighbors, and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly. 6He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing, and will acquire an everlasting name.

  • Responsorial Psalm

    Psalms 119:9-14

    9How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word. 10With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments! 11I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12Blessed be thou, O LORD; teach me thy statutes! 13With my lips I declare all the ordinances of thy mouth. 14In the way of thy testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

  • Gospel

    John 17:20-26

    20"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. 26I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."