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, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening his heart
to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
The Apocalypse also has this word which comes from the book of Proverbs: “the Lord chastises those whom he loves” (3:12). One must be very careful with such expression. Suffering can purify: suffering can make one bitter and despairing. Suffering should never be sought in itself (dolorism). Never say such words to a sick or severely afflicted person: ‘Our Lord must love you very much’. In fact, the entire Gospel is a cry to alleviate the suffering of one’s fellow man and to keep it out as much as possible.
FIRST READING Hebr 12:4-7.11-15
The Lord chastises those whom He loves.
From the letter to the Hebrews
Brothers and sisters,
Your struggle against sin has not yet cost you your blood.
You have forgotten the scripture
which addresses you as children and exhorts you:
“Child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
do not be discouraged by his punishment.
“For the Lord disciplines those whom He loves,
He punishes every one whom He acknowledges as his child.”
Suffering serves to improve and educate you ;
God treats you like children.
Every child is punished by his father at some point.
Discipline is never pleasant,
in the moment there is more sorrow than joy;
but in the long run
it produces for those who have been formed by it
the beneficial fruit of a holy life.
Therefore, lift up the feeble hands,
stretch forth the unsteady knees,
let your feet go straight ways ;
the lame member must not be dislocated but must be healed.
Strive for peace with all men
and to a holy life,
for without it no one will see the Lord.
Be careful that none of you forfeit the grace of God.
Let no bitter, noxious weeds spring up
that poison your whole congregation.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 103(102), 1-2, 13-14, 17-18a
God’s mercy endures forever and ever,
righteous is He for generation after generation.
Glorify, my soul, the Lord,
his holy Name from the depths of your being!
Glorify, my soul, the Lord,
forget not his benefits.
As much as a father loves his children,
the Lord loves his servants.
Surely He knows from what He made man,
He remembers that we are but dust.
But God’s mercy endures forever and ever,
He is just for generation after generation,
for all those who faithfully negotiate his covenant.
ALLELUIA John 8, 12
Alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord ;
he that followeth Me shall have the light of life.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 6, 1-6
A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own city.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
At that time
Jesus went to his hometown
and his disciples went with Him.
When it was the Sabbath, He began to teach in the synagogue.
The numerous hearers asked in amazement :
“Where did He get that from?
“And what kind of wisdom is this that has been given to Him?
“And what are these miracles that his hands perform?
“Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon ?
And they took offence at it.
But Jesus spoke to them:
“A prophet is honored everywhere
except in his own city,
among his kindred, and in his own circle.”
He could not perform a single miracle there ,
except healed a small number of sick people
whom He laid his hands on.
He stood amazed at their unbelief.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
68. This responsibility towards an earth that belongs to God involves the human being, endowed with reason, respecting the laws of nature and the delicate balance between the creatures of this world, “for his command created them all. He determined their place for ever, gave them a law that stands forever” (Ps 148, 5b-6) . From this follows the fact that biblical law insists on setting different standards for the human being, not only in relation to the other human beings, but also in relation to the other living creatures: “Even if a donkey or an ox falls down from thy brother, thou shalt not watch without stretching out a hand (…). If you find on the way in a tree or on the ground a bird’s nest with young or with eggs and the female is sitting on it, you may not take the female and leave the young” (Deut. 22, 4.6) . In this line, the rest on the seventh day is not prefigured only for the human being, but also so that “also your ox and your ass may rest” (Ex. 23, 12) . Thus, we realise that the Bible does not give rise to a despotic anthropocentrism that does not care about the other creatures.
To be continued For all previous publications scroll down
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation