Daily Mass and Readings

6And all the citizens of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimʹelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem. 7When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Geriʹzim, and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness, by which gods and men are honored, and go to sway over the trees?’ 10And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come you, and reign over us.’ 11But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over the trees?’ 12And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come you, and reign over us.’ 13But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine which cheers gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?’ 14Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come you, and reign over us.’ 15And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

1In thy strength the king rejoices, O LORD; and in thy help how greatly he exults! 2Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips.   Selah 3For thou dost meet him with goodly blessings; thou dost set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4He asked life of thee; thou gavest it to him, length of days for ever and ever. 5His glory is great through thy help; splendor and majesty thou dost bestow upon him. 6Yea, thou dost make him most blessed for ever; thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.

1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; 4and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first last.”