A Catholic guide for saints, prayer, and practical devotional reading.
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.
The Roman Catholic readings for this date are shown below on-site. Use plain reading mode if you want clearer modern wording, or switch back to the original Douay-Rheims wording at any time.
On-site scripture text: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition. Plain mode is a built-in reading aid that modernizes older wording for easier understanding while keeping the same Roman Catholic reading references for the day.
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Read this as the first big movement of the day. Notice what God is doing, who is speaking, and what part of the story or teaching should stay with you.
Full on-site text is not available for this reference yet, so use the reference above and the official link below.
Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
The psalm is meant to be prayed, not rushed. If the wording feels older, focus on the main movement of the prayer: trust, praise, sorrow, gratitude, or hope.
5For you, OH Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon you.
6Give ear, OH Lord, to my prayer: and attend to the voice of my petition.
9All the nations you have made shall come and adore before you, OH Lord: and they shall glorify your name.
10For you art great and do wonderful things: you art God alone.
15And you, OH Lord, art a God of compassion, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and true.
16OH look upon me, and have mercy on me: give your command to your servant, and save the son of your servant.
Romans 8:26-27
This reading often teaches Christians how to live with steadiness, charity, and faith. Look for one clear encouragement or warning you can carry into the day.
26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.
27And he that searcheth the hearts, knows what the Spirit desireth; because he asketh for the saints according to God.
Matthew 13:24-43
The Gospel is the center of the reading set. Pay close attention to what Jesus says, what Jesus does, and what response he is asking for.
24Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seeds in his field.
25But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way.
26And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle.
27And the servants of the goodman of the house coming said to him: Sir, did you not sow good offspring in your field? whence then has it cockle?
28And he said to them: An enemy has done this. And the servants said to him: Will you that we go and gather it up?
29And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.
30Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather you into my barn.
31Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard offspring, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.
33Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.
34All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds: and without parables he did not speak to them.
35That it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.
36Then having sent away the crowds, he came into the house, and his disciples came to him, saying: Expound to us the parable of the cockle of the field.
37Who made answer and said to them: He that soweth the good offspring, is the Son of Man.
38And the field, is the world. And the good offspring are the children of the kingdom. And the cockle, are the children of the evil one.
39And the enemy that sowed them, is the devil. But the harvest is the end of the world. And the reapers are the angels.
40Even as cockle therefore is gathered up, and burnt with fire: so shall it be at the end of the world.
41The Son of Man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work sin.
42And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the righteous shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.
This page uses the Catholic Readings API for the day's references and liturgical celebration data, while the on-site scripture text is rendered from the public-domain Douay-Rheims Bible distributed through the Open Bibles project.