Thursday of the 21st week of Ordinary Time

7For this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith. 8For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. 9For what thanksgiving can we give again to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God, 10night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith? 11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12May the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all men, even as we also do toward you, 13to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

3You turn man to destruction, saying,

“Return, you children of men.”

4For a thousand years in your sight are just like yesterday when it is past,

like a watch in the night.

5You sweep them away as they sleep.

In the morning they sprout like new grass.

…

12So teach us to count our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13Relent, LORD!

How long?

Have compassion on your servants!

14Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness,

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

…

17Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us.

Establish the work of our hands for us.

Yes, establish the work of our hands.

42Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. 43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come. 45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. 47Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. 48But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it and in an hour when he doesn’t know it, 51and will cut him in pieces and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.