Daily readings

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Wednesday of the 21st week of Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.

CelebrationWednesday of the 21st week of Ordinary Time

TypeWeekday

SeasonOrdinary Time

Year2026 archive

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.

Reading mode

Plain mode helps modern readers follow the text more easily.

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.

1

First Reading

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18

How to approach it

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.

6And we charge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the teaching which they have received of us.

7For yourselves know how you ought to imitate us: for we were not disorderly among you;

8Neither did we eat any man's bread for nothing, but in work and in toil we worked night and day, lest we should be chargeable to any of you.

9Not as if we had not power: but that we might give ourselves a pattern to you, to imitate us.

10For also when we were with you, this we told to you: that, if any man will not work, neither let him eat.

16Now the Lord of peace himself give you eternal peace in every place. The Lord be with you all.

17The salutation of Paul with my own hand; which is the sign in every epistle. So I write.

18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

2

Psalm

Psalm 128:1-2, 4-5

How to pray it

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.

1Unless the Lord build the house, they work in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it.

2It is vain for you to rise before light, rise you after you have sitten, you that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved,

4As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken.

5Blessed is the person who has satisfied the desire with them; he shall not be put to shame when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.

3

Gospel

Matthew 23:27-32

What to watch for

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.

27Sorrow to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited tombs, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness.

28So you also outwardly indeed appear to men righteous; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and sin.

29Sorrow to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

30And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31Therefore you are people giving testimony against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.

32Fill you up then the measure of your fathers.

Source note

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.