Invitation
May I take this opportunity to draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation aims to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
The Gospel of John makes the distinction between ‘the world’ and ‘the disciples’ on more than one occasion. The world stands for everything that brings fleeting and transient happiness. Jesus’ disciples, however, have a higher purpose. In following Jesus, they are willing to make sacrifices for this. But is the Gospel still Good News? The Gospel is Good News because it speaks of love and eternal life for all who set their lives on God. Jesus prays today: ‘Righteous Father, may the love with which You have loved Me be in those who have recognised that You have sent Me.’ Let us then turn to that Gospel, even if it demands sacrifices and effort. God’s love is more than worth it.
FIRST READING Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
You will bear witness for me in Rome.
In those days the commander wished to know in detail
what the Jews were accusing Paul of,
so the next day he had him brought out of prison
and ordered
that the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin should assemble.
He then had Paul brought there
and have him stand before them.
Knowing that the Sanhedrin consisted partly of Sadducees
and partly of Pharisees,
Paul now cried out in the Sanhedrin:
“Men and brothers,
I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees.
‘It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’
When he had said this,
a dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees
and the assembly was divided.
For the Sadducees maintain that there is no resurrection
and that there are no angels or spirits,
whereas the Pharisees believe in both.
Thus a great uproar arose
and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party
declared with great vehemence:
“We find nothing wrong with this man!
“What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
As the disagreement grew worse
and the commander began to fear
that they might tear Paul to pieces,
he ordered the soldiers to come down
to quickly remove him from their midst
and take him to the barracks.
The following night the Lord stood before him and said:
“Take heart;
for just as you have testified for my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must do in Rome.”
Responsorial Ps. 16(15), 1-2a, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Alleluia.
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
You are my Lord, I acknowledge it.
The Lord is my portion, my cup from which I drink,
He holds my destiny in His hand.
I thank the Lord who has always guided me,
He speaks to my heart even in the night.
I keep my eyes fixed on the Lord at all times,
I do not fall, for He stands beside me.
That is why I am cheerful and joyful in spirit,
that is why I can go to sleep in peace.
You will not abandon my soul to the realm of the dead,
You will not abandon your servant to the grave.
You will show me the path of life
so that I may find my joy in You,
everlasting happiness at Your side.
Alleluia John 16:7 and 13
Alleluia.
I will send the Spirit of truth to you, says the Lord,
and He will guide you into all truth.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 17:20–26
That they may be perfectly one!
At that time, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed:
“Holy Father,
I pray not only for them
but also for those who believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one
as You, Father, are in Me and I in You:
that they also may be in Us so that the world may believe
that You have sent Me.
“I have given them the glory which You have bestowed upon Me,
that they may be one as We are one:
I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfectly one
and that the world may recognise that You have sent Me
and have loved them as You have loved Me.
“Father, I want those whom You have given Me
may be with Me where I am,
so that they may see my glory,
which You have given Me
because You loved Me
before the foundation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world has not recognised You,
I have recognised You,
and these here have recognised that You have sent Me.
“I have made Your name known to them
and I will continue to do so,
so that the love with which You have loved Me
may be in them and I in them.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
Practical relativism
122. A distorted anthropocentrism leads to a flawed
lifestyle. In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, I referred
to the practical relativism that characterises our times and which “is even
more dangerous than that at the theoretical level”.99 When man places himself
at the centre, he ultimately gives absolute priority to
his own contingent interests, and everything else becomes relative. It should therefore
come as no surprise that, alongside the ubiquity of
the technocratic paradigm and the worship of unlimited human
power, this relativism is developing, whereby everything becomes irrelevant if
it does not serve one’s own immediate interests. There is a logic to this that
makes it possible to understand how different attitudes that cause both
environmental pollution and social decline,
.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken fromThe New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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