Thursday, 7 August 2025
Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Antiphons on p 1113 and Readings on p 1131 of the Daily Missal
First Reading: Numbers 20:1-13
In those days:
The people of Israel, the whole congregation,
came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month,
and the people stayed in Kadesh;
and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
Now there was no water for the congregation,
and they assembled themselves together
against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people contended with Moses, and said,
“Would that we had died
when our brethren died before the Lord!
Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord
into this wilderness,
that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
And why have you made us come up out of Egypt,
to bring us to this evil place?
It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates,
and there is no water to drink.”
Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly
to the door of the tent of meeting
and fell on their faces.
And the glory of the Lord appeared to them,
and the Lord said to Moses,
“Take the rod, and assemble the congregation,
you and Aaron your brother,
and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water;
so you shall bring water out of the rock for them;
so you shall give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
And Moses took the rod from before the Lord,
as he commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron
gathered the assembly together before the rock,
and he said to them,
“Hear now you rebels;
shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”
And Moses lifted up his hand
and struck the rock with his rod twice;
and water came forth abundantly,
and the congregation drank, and their cattle.
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
“Because you did not believe in me,
to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel,
therefore you shall not bring this assembly
into the land which I have given them.”
These are the waters of Meribah,
where the people of Israel contended with the Lord,
and he showed himself holy among them.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2.6-7abc.7d-9 (R. 7d.8a)
R/. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Harden not your hearts.
Come, let us ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come into his presence, giving thanks;
let us hail him with a song of praise.
O come; let us bow and bend low.
Let us kneel before the God who made us,
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your forebears put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.
R/. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Harden not your hearts.
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-23
At that time:
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of man is?”
And they said, “Some say John the Baptist,
others say Elijah,
and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him,
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to y
