June 25, 2015

Reading

Genesis 16: 1- 12, 15- 16

16:1 Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had not conceived children. But, having an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar,

16:2 she said to her husband: “Behold, the Lord has closed me, lest I give birth. Enter to my handmaid, so that perhaps I may receive sons of her at least.” And when he agreed to her supplication,

16:3 she took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, ten years after they began to live in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to her husband as a wife.

16:4 And he entered to her. But when she saw that she had conceived, she despised her mistress.

16:5 And Sarai said to Abram: “You have acted unfairly against me. I gave my handmaid into your bosom, who, when she saw that she had conceived, held me in contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you.”

16:6 Abram responded to her by saying, “Behold, your handmaid is in your hand to treat as it pleases you.” And so, when Sarai afflicted her, she took flight.

16:7 And when the Angel of the Lord had found her, near the fountain of water in the wilderness, which is on the way to Shur in the desert,

16:8 he said to her: “Hagar, handmaid of Sarai, where have you come from? And where will you go?” And she answered, “I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress.”

16:9 And the Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”

16:10 And again he said, “I will multiply your offspring continuously, and they will not be numbered because of their multitude.”

16:11 But thereafter he said: “Behold, you have conceived, and you will give birth to a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction.

16:12 He will be a wild man. His hand will be against all, and all hands will be against him. And he will pitch his tents away from the region of all his brothers.”

16:15 And Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, who called his name Ishmael.

16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael for him.

Gospel

The Holy Gospel According Matthew   7: 21-29

7:21	Not all who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, the same shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
7:22	Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many powerful deeds in your name?’
7:23	And then will I disclose to them: ‘I have never known you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.’
7:24	Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them shall be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
7:25	And the rains descended, and the floods rose up, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, but it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
7:26	And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them shall be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
7:27	And the rains descended, and the floods rose up, and the winds blew, and rushed upon that house, and it did fall, and great was its ruin.”
7:28	And it happened, when Jesus had completed these words, that the crowds were astonished at his doctrine.
7:29	For he was teaching them as one who has authority, and not like their scribes and Pharisees.