Reading 1 2 Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20
When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she began to kill off the whole royal family.
But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of
Ahaziah, took Joash, his son, and spirited him away, along with his nurse, from the
bedroom where the princes were about to be slain. She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he
did not die.
For six years he remained hidden in the temple of the
LORD, while Athaliah ruled the land.
But in the seventh year, Jehoiada
summoned the captains of the Carians and of the guards.
He had
them come to him in the temple of the LORD, exacted from them a sworn commitment,and then
showed them the king's son.
The captains did just as Jehoiada the priest
commanded. Each one with his men, both those going on duty for the sabbath and those going
off duty that week, came to Jehoiada the priest.
He gave the
captains King David's spears and shields, which were in the temple of the LORD.
And the guards, with drawn weapons, lined up from the southern to the
northern limit of the enclosure, surrounding the altar and the temple on the king's
behalf.
Then Jehoiada led out the king's son and put the crown
and the insignia upon him.
They proclaimed him king and anointed
him, clapping their hands and shouting, "Long live the king!"
Athaliah heard
the noise made by the people, and appeared before them in the temple of the LORD.
When she saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom, and
the captains and trumpeters near him, with all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing
trumpets, she tore her garments and cried out, "Treason, treason!"
Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the captains in command of the
force: "Bring her outside through the ranks.
If anyone follows
her," he added, "let him die by the sword." He had given orders that she
should not be slain
in the temple of the LORD.
She was led out forcibly to the horse gate
of the royal palace, where she was put to death.
Then Jehoiada made a
covenant between the LORD as one party and the king and the people as the other, by which
they would be the LORD's people; and another covenant, between the king and the people.
Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and
demolished it.
They shattered its altars and images
completely, and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.
Jehoiada appointed a detachment for the temple of the LORD.All the people of
the land rejoiced and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been slain with the
sword at the royal palace.
Responsorial Psalm Ps
132:11, 12, 13-14, 17-18
R.
(13) The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
The LORD swore to David
a firm
promise from which he will not withdraw:
"Your own offspring
I will set upon your
throne."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
"If
your sons keep my covenant
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons,
too, forever
shall sit upon your throne."
R. The Lord has
chosen Zion for his dwelling.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for his
dwelling.
"Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer
her."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
"In her
will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my
anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall
shine."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
Gospel Mt 6:19-23
Jesus said to his disciples:"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your
treasure is, there also will your heart be.
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If
your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your
whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness,
how great will the darkness be."
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