Invitation
May I hereby call your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with you the joy
of the gospel. Everyone, except no one,
can experience that joy by opening his heart to
the healing effects of God’s word.
Opening word
Today we pray for God’s blessing
on our plans and dreams for the new year.
Mary – mother of God and also our mother –
is already teaching us to be open to the new
and to trust in God’s nearness.
She let herself be touched by God’s incarnate love
and kept everything in her heart.
We want to praise and thank God
for Mary’s simplicity and service.
Her example inspires us also in the new year
to follow Jesus closely.
FIRST READING Num. 6, 22-27
They will pronounce my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.
From the book of Numbers
The LORD commanded Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to use the following words in blessing the people of Israel:
May the Lord bless you and take care of you;
may the Lord be kind and gracious to you;
may the Lord look on you with favour and give you peace.
And the Lord said, “If they pronounce my name as a blessing upon the people of
Israel, I will bless them.
SECOND READING Gal. 4, 4-7
God sent His own Son, born of a woman.
From the letter of the holy apostle Paul to the Galatians
Brothers and sisters,
When the fullness of time had come,
God sent his own Son,
born of a woman,
born under the law,
to set us, slaves to the law, free,
so we got the rank of children.
And because you are children,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father”.
So you are no longer a slave but a child,
and as a child also heir
at the hands of God.
Verse for the gospel Hebr. 1, 1-2
Alleluia.
In many ways God has spoken to our fathers
by the prophets;
at the end of time He spoke to us
by his Son.
Alleluia.
Gospel Lc. 2, 16-21
They found Mary, Joseph and the child… And after eight days He received the name Jesus.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
At that time the shepherds rushed to Bethlehem
and found Mary and Joseph
and the newborn child who was lying in the manger.
When they had seen this,
they announced what they had been told about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
about what the shepherds told them.
Mary kept all these words in her heart
and contemplated it with herself.
The shepherds returned,
while they glorified and praised God
for everything they had heard and seen;
it was just as they had been told.
When the eight days were over
and the child had to be circumcised
it received the name Jesus,
as it was called by the angel
before it was received into the mother’s womb.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
About caring for the common house
37. Some countries have made progress in effective conservation of certain places and areas – on land and in the oceans – where any human intervention is prohibited that could alter their physiognomy or affect their original composition. In caring for biodiversity, specialists insist on the need to pay particular attention to the areas richest in a variety of species, endemic species, that are less common or enjoy a lesser degree of effective protection. There are places that require special care by virtue of their enormous importance to the global ecosystem or that constitute important water resources, ensuring other forms of life.
To be continued For all previous publications scroll down
The Bible text in this edition is taken from the Good News Bible ©
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for the weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation