Invitation
May I hereby draw 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 their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Considerations
Israel seeks answers to so many questions. One of the most essential is: what is the relationship between husband and wife? What does this wonderful attraction between the two consist of? Why is the mutual affection between husband and wife greater than the ties with their parents? The author of the book of Genesis gives the answer: Because it is God himself who created man and woman for each other. Only a woman who is counterpart, who is equal to man, can become companion for Adam. In a unique wedding song, that fundamental unity is sung out: ‘At last, bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh’.
FIRST READING Gen. 2, 18-25
God brought woman to man.
They will be completely one.
From the Book of Genesis
God the Lord spoke :
“It is not good that man should remain alone.
“I am going to make a helper for him to suit him.”
Then God the Lord modelled out of the earth
all the animals of the land and all the birds of the air,
and brought them to man,
to see what he would call them :
As man would call them, so they would be called.
So man gave names to all the tame animals
and to the birds of the air
and to all the wild beasts ;
but man did not find a helper that suited him.
Then God the Lord caused man to fall into a deep sleep ;
and while man slept,
He took away one of his ribs
and put flesh in its place.
Then God the Lord formed
out of the rib that He had taken away from man,
a woman, and brought her to man.
Then man spoke :
“Finally bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh !
“Mannin she shall be called ,
for of a man she is taken.”
Thus it comes about that a man
leaves his father and his mother
and so attaches himself to his wife,
that they become completely one.
Behold both were naked, the man and his wife,
but they felt no shame for each other.
INTERLUDIUM Ps; 128(127), 1-2, 3, 4-5
Happy who fear God.
Happy who fear God,
go the way of the Lord.
Thou shalt eat the fruit of thy own labour,
content and prosperous shalt thou be.
Thy wife within thy house
is like a richly laden vine.
And like olive branches around the trunk
so are thy sons around thy table.
Yes, so shall every man be blessed
who gives honour to the Lord.
You bless the Lord from Zion ;
may thou see Jerusalem prosperous
while thy days last.
ALLELUIA II Cor. 5, 19
Alleluia.
It was God
who in Christ reconciled the world to Himself :
And to us He gave the message of reconciliation.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 7, 24-30
The dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
At that time
Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
He entered a house there
and did not want anyone to know,
but He could not go unnoticed.
A woman
whose little daughter had been possessed by an unclean spirit,
accordingly, as soon as she heard of Him approached
and threw herself at His feet.
The woman was a Hellenist of Syrophoenician descent.
She asked Him to cast out the devil from her daughter.
He spoke to her :
“First let the children be satiated.
“For it is not good
to give the bread meant for the children
to the dogs.”
But she had an answer and told Him :
“Yea, Lord.
“The dogs under the table
eat of the children’s crumbs, after all.”
Then He spoke to her :
“Since thou sayest this ,
go,
the devil has forsaken thy daughter.”
She returned home,
found her child in bed
and found that the devil had gone.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
The mystery of the universe
76. For the Judeo-Christian tradition, saying “creation” is more than saying nature, because it has to do with God’s plan of love, in which every creature has a value and a meaning. Nature is often understood as a system to be analysed, understood and managed, but creation can also only be understood as a gift that comes from the Father’s opened hand of all, as a reality illuminated by the love that calls us together into a universal community.
To be continued
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
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