19TH SATURDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 19:13-15) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt 19:14)

FIRST READING - Jos 24:14-29

"Choose today whom you will serve."

A reading from the Book of Joshua

¹⁴ “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. ¹⁷ For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our ancestors up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He performed those great signs before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ At our approach the Lord drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

¹⁹ Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a passionate God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will then do evil to you and destroy you, after having done you good.”

²¹ But the people answered Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” ²² Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They replied, “We are witnesses!” ²³ “Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” ²⁴ Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice.”

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. ²⁶ Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was in the sanctuary of the Lord. ²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness, for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own heritage.

²⁹ After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten,

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 19:13-15

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew\

¹³ Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, ¹⁴ but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

19TH SATURDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 19:13-15)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today's Gospel, God wants to teach everyone that we must love everyone, without distinction between good people, bad people, old, or young.

God is a God of love. He created all things good; nothing He created was bad in His sight. In particular, human beings—created by God in His image—are the highest of His creations. God is always present in the heart of every person because, from the beginning, He created humanity very good and holy before Him.

Today, God desires to teach everyone to love the miserable, the poor in society, the excluded, the condemned, and those abandoned on the margins of society.

To love them with all your heart as God loved us. That is the duty that God wants to invite each person to live by. Jesus also commanded the apostles to do what He did, that He loved all members of society, including those who were despised by the world, the unfortunate who had no place in society, and even the little children who knew nothing about the law. God invited everyone to support and help them come to God so that He would bless them and give them peace.

God came to earth to teach and invite humanity to live and practice according to God's teachings, which are: treat your fellow human beings with a heart full of love, do not exclude anyone, do not condemn anyone, and do not treat anyone unfairly. Live as God lives! Love as God loves! For in His Kingdom of Heaven there is only love. Only by living like that will we please God and be rewarded with the happiness of Heaven in the hereafter.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 August 16, 2025 - Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven